Whether you are managing a small brand or an established organization, using social media to connect with your audience is a must in your marketing checklist. But as always, mere posting of bland images will get you nowhere. You have to be on the lookout for the best practices for social media posts. 

If you’ve been using the same style for the past years, you need to change it to keep your followers interested. It also sends a signal that you have something new to offer. Even well-established companies try to change their design or style on social media pages, proof that this is necessary for a business to thrive.      

Of course, the next question would be, what are the latest social media design trends that you can use for your brand? What can make your page interesting? What do most people look for in a social media post? Look no further as we’ve gathered the latest design trends for you. Pick one that will represent your brand well, and start gaining more followers.  

 

1. Maximize White Space 

In design, white space means the area between different elements. It doesn’t necessarily have to be white or blank, as opposed to what most folks believe. It could be a texture or a different color. And this year, more people maximize the use of white space in their social media posts. Apparently, we are still not over the minimalist trend, and it’s here to stay this 2020.   

 

2. Unique GIFs 

A lot of us are familiar with what a GIF is, right? Perhaps, you’ve shared at least one with your friends, and even created memes out of it. 

Now, you can use that tool to beef up your social media posts. But you need to create something specific to your brand. That way, the GIF is exclusive for your company. If you must know, micro-animations are having a breakthrough in the online world nowadays.  

 

3. Simple Fonts and Typefaces 

This year, one of the best practices for social media posts is to use simple fonts like Roboto.  Choose a bold and straightforward style that can immediately catch one’s attention. But of course, always create a balance of bold and softer typefaces if you have to include multiple text blocks.

 

4. Add Texture

There’s always something fascinating about textured photos. These are the images that seem imperfect at first, but turned out to be even more interesting. 

Brands use this technique to add flavor to their social media pages. Perhaps, you can use faded images. Or maybe try the ‘folded’ effect where your photos will look like it came right from your wallet. Images with coffee stains look adorable too. The trick here is to make the images look as natural as possible. 

 

5. Scrapbook-Inspired 

If you love creating scrapbooks, then this design trend will be one of your favorites. You can create a collage, add stickers, or include hand-written texts on your photos. This is ideal, most especially if your brand is quirky or eccentric.  

 

6.  Raw Photos 

You’ve probably heard a lot of women raving about a ‘no-makeup, makeup look.’ Basically, the concept is to show the raw beauty of a person. It has to look genuine yet aesthetically pleasing. The same trend is taking over social media platforms right now. The use of ‘raw’ or ‘unedited’ images is becoming popular. 

For you, this means there’s no need to post perfect shots or staged images every single time. What’s working nowadays are photos that show real-life situations. These are the images that we thought were too trivial to post.     

 

7.  Go Vintage  

A vintage design never goes out of style. This is proven throughout the years, and you can use the technique for your social media posts. 

Other people take their followers back in time by using black & white images, while some are sticking to what 90s has to offer. Take for example celebrities using the old Microsoft Paint’s interface as frames for their Instagram feed. 

This is an effective strategy as people who were raised in the 90s love to share nostalgic pieces over social media. You can use that to your advantage. 

 

8. Youthful Style 

When we say youthful style, we refer to what toddlers would naturally do when asked to create an artwork. Imagine the spilled paints all over a blank canvas, inverted letters, and crazy doodles. This could work even for brands targeting older audiences. 

In today’s age, where most people target perfection, doing something extremely different and loose could make your brand stand out. 

 

9. Muted Colors

The use of muted colors is one of the best practices for social media posts right now. For those who are not familiar, muted is the opposite of vivid colors. More people are now appreciating the subtle effect of these hues. 

If you want to ‘mute’ a color, mix it with either black, white, or gray to get the right effect. Sharp colors can cause eye strain. This is the reason why making a color less vivid is prominent today. And for people who spend hours browsing online, subtle ones are more bearable. 

 

10. Dreamy Graphics 

Last on our list is using ‘dreamy’ or abstract illustrations. This takes your followers to a different dimension and gives the impression that your brand is far from ordinary. You can play with different shapes and colors depending on what message you would like to deliver to your followers.

 

Conclusion

When choosing a design style for your brand’s social media pages, you don’t just simply jump to what’s trendy. Notice that the styles we provided above are diverse. You need to pick designs that will suit your brand. It has to be consistent with your message and your objective. 

We recommend that you work with a team of professional graphic designers to maintain consistency. It can also save you a lot of time and effort. Plus, they are up to date with the best practices for social media posts. 

Look for a company like Design Doctor that offers unlimited designs for a fixed fee every month. With their services, you will never run out of trendy images for your social media.