Super Quick Social Graphics
Images are vitally important to pretty much all types of online content. As readers we tend to rapid scroll - stopping, clicking and then reading once a beautiful image has captured our imagination.
As humans we respond to, and process, visual data better than any other type of data so if we want a reaction (whether that’s a click, a like, or a buy!), we have to get visual.
However, they also need to be YOUR visuals, that represent your business, so your customer begins to recognise who you are. Which means consistency, branding and style are all important. But how do you achieve this without being swallowed into a pit of time-eating image creation? Time for some Queen Bee quick tips!
We LOVE Canva which makes beautiful online design accessible to everyone. However, there are lots of other design platforms out there, and we definitely recommend investing in one.
Once you’ve got your design platform in place, try these time saving hacks…
1. Have all your branding ready and available
Did you know Canva Pro allows you to import your brand colours and typeface as well as your images and logos? This ensures all your assets are immediately on hand and your images are immediately on brand 😊 It also saves you laboriously typing out the hex numbers or scrolling for fonts. Add your logos in all orientations and colourways for speed.
If you don’t already have one, a short style guide for your brand is a really helpful tool to remind you to be consistent. We love creating these for our clients; a simple one-pager, stuck on the noticeboard for quick reference and we’re away!
2. Use templates
Why go to the effort of creating something from scratch if someone else has done the hard work for you? Pre-set designs usually work for a variety of formats. They also often use more complex styles and tricks, allowing you to customise with a professional finish, but without trying to figure out gradients, crops or angles.
3. Create your own templates
Decide up front what graphics you’re likely to need and create templates for the common ones. These could be for stories or grid posts or whatever you’re likely to use. It will then be a simple job of updating your pre-determined templates with the relevant detail leaving you with content that looks tidy, consistent and intentional.
4. Use grid lines
As you move elements of your design, grid lines show up to indicate alignment - top to bottom, side to side and in relation to other objects within the image. Don’t ignore these grid lines - use them to line everything up neatly – it’s much more pleasing to the eye and will give it a professional feel.
5. Re-size for multiple platforms
Don’t create new designs for each platform. Use the re-size tool to adapt your original design into multiple formats e.g. a Facebook post into a Twitter and Instagram post or a cover photo into an email header. It may need some tweaking, as everything doesn’t transfer perfectly, but you’ll be halfway there already!
If you like these time-saving tips, tell us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, or share with others! And we’ve got plenty more where that came from, check out our other time-savings blogs. It’s time you got your buzz back!