Reading an article without graphics can be dull. This is not surprising because human beings are visual creatures. Nearly 30% of our brain’s cortex hosts millions of neurons that are devoted to processing visuals. That’s why most people will ignore even the best article which has no graphics. Most people have no clue on how to incorporate the right images and graphics for their content. It can be a painful challenge for beginners.
Here are the things you need to know about the right tools required to make the most appealing graphics for your social media and blog.
Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop
These two platforms pack the maximum amount of tools for impressive graphic designs. They can, however, be a little tricky to use for those with no training in designing. Adobe Photoshop tools are not free but paid tools. Adobe also offers other incredible tools like Adobe Spark, which is free to use. This tool provides various kinds of design templates that are easily customizable to create social media graphics perfect for a beginner.
Canva
Canva has incredible features that help in creating attention-grabbing graphics. It has some similarities to Adobe Spark as it offers free templates for graphic design. Canva also has a library of images to make your content more appealing. How much does it cost? There is a plan tier system, starting with limited access for free and two additional upgrades – Pro and Premium.
Free Software
If you plan to use free images for your content, sites like Pixels, Pixabay, and Unsplash are the perfect fit. They offer free photos and graphics for every category you might have in mind. To achieve uniqueness, it’s wise to take original pictures.
How to Create Cool Graphics
Now that we have the tools in check, it’s essential to have the right tips on creating popping social media graphics.
- Image size: always use the right size image for your social media platform. When creating a graphic, make sure you pay close attention to the dimensions of your graphic. Ensure you know what works well with each social platform you use.
- Brand, colors, and fonts: if you have any brand guidelines to follow, then make sure the graphics in use fall in line with them. Never make assumptions, and don’t forget to include a logo in your graphic.
- Keep it simple: for your graphics to attract attention, avoid complicating them too much—don’t overuse text on your graphic.
- Choice of colors: always make sure your colors coordinate with your brand. Colors that bring out emotions are the best choice.
- Use actual images: using photos that portray your business will boost your social media views. Take your phone, a camera and take the best pictures you can. Using personal touch to your images makes an enormous difference in your social media.
You can use unique graphics on a website, blog, or social media to get attention and increase your traffic. They include:
- Stock Photography: These images seem generic when used. However, the secret to using stock images is to use pictures related to your blog post or social media.
- Screenshots: Mostly used when describing a product or explaining points. They are purely promotional. Using screenshots alone will not generate more traffic to your social media site.
- Graphs and Charts: They rank at the 4th place in a social sharing perspective. However, these images are very vital for proving a relevant point. Comparison charts are the best for making product comparisons. Let’s say that your company provides affordable installment loans, and you offer lower interest rates than many of your competitors. Create a chart that shows a loan of a few hundred dollars from your company compared to the same loan from competing companies. Show the length of time you have to pay the money back with each company, the total dollar amount with interest, and the overall percentage of that interest. Customers will be able to see that your company is the best option.
- Infographics: These images have the highest success rate of generating social media shares.
- Royalty-free images: These images are free to use; however, they have a lower quality than stock photos.they are not the best choice to gain traffic.
- Animated Graphics: These images generate the highest number of social media shares. However, creating them is hard as they have to be drawn and then be animated.
- Hand-drawn Images: They are the most difficult to achieve, as they require amazing illustration skills. However, they have great sharing on social media.
From all the above, it is safe to conclude that social media images are vital in content. To generate more traffic to your blog and social media site, use hand-drawn or animated images. However, if you can’t achieve the two, try graphs, infographics, or stock photography as the last result.