A designer's job often includes creating social media profile headers, avatars, background images, post visuals, and ad banners. So, what's the challenge?

Mainly, it’s that grabbing a viewer’s attention on social media is tough. They scroll at lightning speed — you have just a fraction of a second to catch their eye. And if we’re talking about branding a business page, it also has to be memorable, help with recognition, reflect the brand's philosophy, and meet platform requirements.

Let’s start with the basics. Based on why a company uses social media, you need to understand what the design goal is:

About Color

When in doubt, use the brand book — if there is one. If not, build a color scheme that reflects the company’s message. We’ve already discussed how color works in our article “Why Ready-Made Color Palettes Don’t Work in Design”.

A key task is to maintain color and stylistic consistency across the page. It’s not only aesthetically pleasing — it also helps users recognize the brand’s content in their feed.

You can choose several primary colors and adjust tones depending on the post’s theme or the product type. By using visual hierarchy, you help users navigate the page more easily. Combine this with contrast, repetition, textures, and alignment.

If you're using real photos — create a filter or preset to keep the visuals stylistically consistent. Just avoid using the default filters of the platform you’re designing for.

And don’t forget the platform’s own color scheme — your design should harmonize with it.

Unified Design, Different Approach

It’s best to maintain a consistent visual style across all social networks. Fonts, color schemes, and graphic elements help increase brand recognition and make the company easier to find. If multiple results come up when searching a brand name, matching visuals can quickly guide users to the right one.

But not everything should be identical. Each platform has its own features — at the very least, image dimensions and interface layout. Adapt your templates accordingly and preview how they’ll look.

Also, and this is more for SMM specialists, posting the exact same content across all platforms is a mistake. Even if the news is important and should appear everywhere, it must be adapted for tone, length, and message. People use different platforms for different purposes.

That also means post visuals need to vary. If users see the same image again and again, they’re less likely to engage.

Logos

We won’t explain why logos matter — that’s obvious. If a company doesn’t have one, it absolutely needs to create one. Check out this helpful article: “Creating a Logo: From Zero to Infinity”.

You should know that images must meet each platform’s requirements, which can differ significantly. Plan ahead and prepare several logo versions — including a simplified one, very clean and minimal, without fine detail. Remember, most users access social media on mobile devices, so prioritize mobile-first design.

In addition to the logo, you can use recognizable brand elements. Something like a mascot works well, as do custom frames or watermarks. But don’t overdo it — avoid clichés that might make your design look like a greeting card from an outdated platform. Even if you're designing for that platform, stay classy.

Grab Attention

Fonts

You can use custom fonts for post headlines. It’s best to coordinate this with the SMM manager — choose original fonts that can be used in post text, and pair them with matching or complementary fonts for visuals, banners, and covers. Consistency and compatibility between image and text are key to a unified message.

Animation

It’s not a new trend, but it still works — if you can use a GIF or video instead of a static image, do it. Why settle for static visuals when you can add movement to catch attention? Just keep balance in mind — animate only a small area, and not in every post.

Simplify and Clarify

People don’t like complex typography on social media. Your message should be simple, clear, and as universal as possible for your target audience. Of course, you can’t please everyone — but you must create something that clearly resonates with your intended group.

Use associations and memes. Memes are your secret weapon if you choose ones that fit your niche. They grab attention fast — and people love to share them. Just don’t use existing ones — create your own based on trending topics.

Bonus: Useful Tools

There are some tools that might come in handy. They’re more for casual users than pro designers, but you can still find inspiration and helpful ideas:

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