When it comes to graphic design in most cases people are doing it themselves these days to cut costs. This can be frustrating for us designers who work really hard to create a brand package for your business that is purpose driven and then see all of our hard work undone by poor design.
In the spirit of seeing your brand in it's best light here are some guidelines to keep in mind when putting together graphics for your socials and marketing.
1. WHITE (NEGATIVE) SPACE
Imagine an invisible border around your text and logo when placing these items in a frame, usually about 2cm but maybe follow a rule of around 20% of the frame being clear of any graphics or imagery. This gives the mind a place to rest and also allows quiet space for the text to stand out. It looks more professional and less text is more digestible for your viewer. Try to reduce your words to the least needed.
2. BRAND CONSISTENCY
If you have been given a guideline from your designer try to follow it. You should have HEX colour codes you can input into the software you are creating your graphics in for your colour palette. Try to stick to 1-2 colours per graphic. Your brand should already have a hierarchy of colour so this should be easy. Use your brand fonts or as close as you can.
3. PROFESSIONAL AUTHENTIC IMAGERY
When your budget allows try to get custom branded imagery for your business. Even a small shoot of 7-10 images can be used in a variety of ways and come across much more effectively and authentically than stock or candid images. Also if you are using imagery in your graphic design try not to use text over a full-opacity image. Unless the image has a large clear area of sky or wall, you make your text difficult to read by placing it over a 'busy' image and it cheapens the look of your brand.
4. CALL TO ACTION
When creating your marketing posts or graphic design pieces make sure to include a stand out section ( generally at the bottom) with your contact details, links to socials and website all laid out clearly and differentiated from the rest of the information. Include a call to action which you would like the customer to take such as 'BOOK A DISCOVERY CALL' or 'SHOP NOW'.
5. USE THE CORRECT LOGOTYPE
Another thing that is a dead giveaway that makes your graphics look unprofessional is using the wrong logotype on your design. If you use a JPG you will have a white box around your logo sometimes at an unflattering crop, if you use a PNG you will remove the white box but your logo maybe the wrong colour for over an image or you may have to scale it up and then it may become pixilated. If you use the CMYK version on a digital file you may have a dull looking image, if you use an RGB on a print file your colour may look weird. Try to follow the guideline set out by your designer or even check back in with your designer for sign-off ( they would rather you did this than send out terrible graphic design).
If all of this seems too much and you would like to hire a designer to create you a brand and guideline ( cause you might just have a logo) or you would like assistance with design or design templates please get in touch I would love to assist you.