7 Principles of Design to Increase Engagement and Boost Social Media Posts

• Date: 9 November 2020
• reading time: 5 Minutes
• Blogger: Jenn Pereira

In the traditional way of advertising, making a good design is usually intended to enhance a product and is done in the last days before the launch. This is very different from the current trends in modern advertising. The contemporary marketers put together and incorporate a good design into a campaign early on in the marketing process. They take advantage of the Internet in which consumers are primarily attached to. Social media platforms have become the go-to for product discovery and where potential customers could learn more before actually buying the products.

According to statistics, visual content is used by 74% of marketers and covers as much as 70% of the total campaign. The use of the design in the early stages of marketing stems from the fact that humans are highly visual beings. The brain cortex spends 30% of its multi-million neurons in processing any visual stimuli. This is why it is effective to tickle the visual senses with a good design.

A good design does not only mean a good looking layout. Companies also have to consider if the designs are engaging enough to develop conversions. The goal is to make the visually-appealing campaign work for the company. It should help enhance the customer experience and provide chances for customer engagement. The goal is met when, because of the increased customer engagement, the reach becomes higher and there is significant increase in sales.

One of the trends, also, is the allocation of at least 40% of the marketing budget into content creation. Visual content and good design has become an investment and marketers are spending at least six hours a day for visual content creation alone. This is actually a positive sign that marketers are actually learning. It is great that they are aware of the importance of having a good design on their campaigns. While it is effective to be particular with the design, there are actually very specific principles of design that a marketer must live by in order to create engaging visual content.

These principles of design consist of different strategies that would enhance visual content. It would enable you to create engaging social media posts. Excited to know what these principles are? Read more to find out!

Design Principles for Effective & Engaging Social Media Posts

1. Logo placement must be consistent. 

Aside from looking more organized, a consistent logo placement encourages a feeling of familiarity. The size and placement should be uniform to create a more cohesive design. Take note that the logo does not need to be overpowering in the hope of getting noticed right away. It should blend in naturally into the design in order for the customers to see and appreciate a connection.

2. Choose and use your brand colors well.

Are you aware that colors bring forth different emotions? Red, for example, is used to announce sales because it denotes a sense of urgency. The orange color looks aggressive while yellow makes a person feel optimistic and youthful. You may also often see green being used by environment-conscious brands. Aside from the nature-friendly vibes, green also indicates wealth and calmness. Girly brands also have no problem incorporating the pink hue as it signifies femininity. While pink is feminine, blue is reserved for masculine products and for brands who want to evoke the feelings of trust and security.  

Once you have chosen a color or set of colors for your brand, do not be shy about using it in your campaigns. Strengthen brand recognition by consistently using the colors that represent your brand.

3. Use the appropriate typography for your brand values.

It is highly encouraged that every detail in your campaigns aligns with your brand values. Among these is your choice of typography. Fonts are one of the many ways to add character to your posts. The message becomes clearer and more effective when the right font is used. Notice how words “sound” as if they are shouted when using a strong font?  

This is because certain fonts evoke feelings. Cursive fonts, for example, are typically used for campaigning beauty products because they look soft, gentle, and feminine. Fonts lets you add another layer of creative dimension but do not lose the opportunity to use it in strengthening your brand values.

4. Make images work on your advantage.

Did you notice how most social media ads consist of witty imagery? Humans are able to digest more information by looking at a picture rather than reading a lengthy description. The images and graphics that you put in your campaign must add visual interest that would get the audience hooked into your brand. Again. This is all about brand association and the more that you appropriately use images, the more that your target audience can become aware of your brand.

5. Layouts have to be consistent. 

Aside from colors, the actual layout also helps make your brand more familiar to the audience. Instead of spending a lot of time changing the layout with every campaign, have designs that work with the current layout that you have. This will not only save you time but it will also ensure that the new campaign will blend in seamlessly into the theme. It will encourage familiarity and will definitely boost engagement.

6. Optimize images accordingly.

The thing about social media platforms is that they are different in terms of the preferred image dimensions that are to be uploaded. In order to ensure that the photos you use for every post looks sensational, you need to learn the different image specifications on every platform that you use. Most graphic designers create a sort of a chart or guide to avoid having pixilated or stretched out photos.

For those who are not very familiar with how a graphic design is made to fit in a specific digital marketing campaign, there are tools that can help. One of these is a free background remover that will remove background from image and at the same time help you resize the images instantly. Having a simple method of optimizing images will make loads of improvement on your social media marketing.

7. Create designs that look alive.

A great social media content is more than just a combination of different elements of design. It is one that is able to convey an encouraging emotion that would initiate the audience to make a positive move. Stray away from gloomy designs or anything that would look threatening. 

You can instead use humor and witty content to make the audience excited. Excitement is a positive sentiment, so is curiosity. These will make the content perform well because they spark a positive emotion that makes the user warm up to your brand.   

Social media is a platform where you can advertise your brand. It gives you the opportunity to reach the audience on a personal level. In all of these principles of design, you can see how it is important to make every element correlate with your brand, your values, and the character that you want to portray. 

Humans stay away from the unfamiliar but gravitate toward something that looks recognizable. It should be your goal to be identified at a glance by enhancing your posts with a superb design. Make use of colors, get creative with imagery, and be witty with every post and you will soon see the fruits of all your efforts translate into actual sales. 

Better conversions are not far from reality if you are to live by these principles of design. Apply it to your designs and you will notice significant improvements in terms of engagement, presence, and, ultimately, sales.

• Blogger: Jenn Pereira
• Product Designer at Removal.AI
• Jenn Pereira is the Product Designer of Removal.AI, an AI technology used to remove background from images. This tool also comes with a free online photo editor that allows users to create diverting graphics, banners and images. She is passionate when it comes to designing and creating new ideas to help brands and small businesses realize and achieve their goals through innovative product, UI/UX design application and strategic digital marketing.
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