With an endless amount of content being posted online daily, if you want your posts to be seen you need to make them pop! To do this, you need to know your design principles and how to use them effectively. That’s where this blog is going to help you out!
Here are the design principles you need to know to make your social media posts POP!
Colour and its Effect on Emotion
Colour is likely the most important element of design. Colour theory and its effect on emotion and use in marketing is widely studied by psychologists. Knowledge of certain colours and how they can complement each other is vital in design.
“Red is an example of deeply emotional colour. Red is used in marketing to communicate a sense of urgency and the need to take immediate action. This is why most “flash sale” signs use red as a way to get customers to “act now”.” – Like A Voss
It’s very important to decide on a consistent colour palette for your brand. This should contain up to four colours to consistently use in your posts. These colours should be used in both your graphics and the images you choose.
“90% of snap judgments made about products are based on color alone” – Buffer
Colour creates mood, atmosphere, and evokes emotions. That’s why it’s important that you find the right colours to convey the image/brand you are trying to present.
Buffer provides a useful rundown of how different colours are used in marketing. It is as follows:
- Red = energy and urgency
- Orange = aggressive
- Yellow = optimistic and youthful
- Green = wealth and relaxation
- Blue = trust and security
- Pink = romantic and feminine
- Black = powerful and sleek
- Purple = soothing and calm
The Importance of a Good Font
Just like different colours, different fonts communicate vastly different things.
“Different fonts communicate different things. Bold, round text can be friendly and inviting, while regal or cursive fonts might elicit an air of exclusivity.” – Like A Voss
Fonts present a message—both in the words they’ve written and the design they’re written in. Whatever font you decide on, you’ll need to make sure that both of those things are consistent.
You Need Consistent Layouts
Consistent layouts make your brand feel familiar. People will get used to seeing that sort of layout and associating it with your brand. It creates a feeling of familiarity that makes people feel welcomed and comfortable – even if it is just an image online!
When people feel familiar and comfortable with your posts, they’re also more likely to feel comfortable to engage. If they’re seeing a consistent layout on their feed, that brand will grow recognizable to them, like a friend’s face is recognizable on their feed.
“You can create a series of posts using consistent layouts. These are a great way to engage your fans, as they look familiar every time you post them on your social media pages.” – Just Creative
What is Visual Hierarchy?
“Visual hierarchy is the use of stylistic elements like color, type size, and positioning to convey the relative importance of information on a page.” – Sprout Socia
Visual hierarchy uses design principles strategically to help people know what to read first and what information to prioritize. An everyday example of this is simply when words are bolded in an article. It tells you that that is the most important part of that sentence to keep in mind.
When utilizing visual hierarchy, keep in kind the way people read—top-down and left to right. Also, if you have a lot of words in one graphic, people are likely to just skim it at first so make sure that you make the bits that are going to grab their attention eye-catching, such as putting them in bold, making them bigger, or writing them in a contrasting colour.
You can use programs such as Canva to create social media posts that use these design principles.
Utilizing design principles effectively and consistently is paramount for any brand. It is the key to grabbing potential followers’ attention and making all your social media posts pop!
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