Social media marketing is in every marketer’s arsenal. In fact, 89 percent of marketers use Facebook to reach their audience. And because almost all brands amp up their social media efforts, it could be hard to make your prospects notice. So unless you create and post the most captivating social media graphic design, you won’t garner attention.

But your social media marketing doesn’t have to go south. By merely creating social media graphic designs that adhere to new trends, you’re catering to evolving audiences. And here are 10 social media graphic design trends to use in your next campaign:

 

1. Vintage-Inspired

In the world of fashion and interior design, vintage pieces hold value. And in the world of social media graphic design, vintage-inspired images are also more impactful. Social media users want to see realness behind every brand mission. And brands can reflect that by putting vintage elements on their social media posts. 

From camcorder watermark, sepia colors, light exposures to grainy film effects, and photos of past celebrities, you achieve that vintage uniqueness. Here’s an example of a SEMrush social media banner. 

 

2. Retro Analogue

In photography, imperfections such as light leaks, color washes, and blurs are embraced. They add natural beauty to the photo, which can live without cool effects or rigorous edits. The same goes for social media graphics. 

A retro-analogue look can spruce up your social media designs. Just like posting vintage-inspired graphics, this trend will also make waves this year and probably the next. Styles such as vignettes, blurs, crumpled papers, exposed shots, peeling billboards, folded magazine corners, and broken glasses are examples.

Here’s Wmag’s Instagram post with a retro-analogue appeal. The overall composure is also fashionable, and the broken glass adds an eye-catching effect. The post supposedly showcases the “topsy-turvy world of the photographer,” and it did. 

 

3. Pastel Colors

Pastel colors are excellent for social media graphic designs. They’re softer and subtler compared to their bold counterparts. Pastel colors also have the uncanny ability to lift moods and offer versatility. For instance, any subdued color can be paired with bold elements. Pastel colors also let you create fun graphics without appearing too childish. 

When creating your social media graphic design, make sure to complement it with a compelling copy. This is so you can capture your audience while scrolling, and when you do, you can hook them with your copywriting. And Canva did just that. 

The soft pastel colors are an excellent background for the main headline that says, “Create designs for your business.” Plus, they also did a stellar job writing the benefits of using their product with icons to emphasize each.

 

4. Muted Colors

Muted colors are the opposite of pastel or bold colors. The trick is to add black and white colors to make it beautifully dull. Otherwise known as desaturated or grayed, muted colors are here to stay on social media. 

To “mute” a color, you can mix colors with black, white, gray, burnt sienna, or desaturate any color. Muted colors are less vivid and are, therefore, softer to the eyes as well. Here’s an example of a social media ad from IKEA. 

 

5. Collage 

Collage graphics are playful and fun. This trend is suitable for brands with casual branding. Moreover, creating a social media collage graphic design hits two birds with one stone. For one, you can captivate your audience with several images. Secondly, you can showcase more of your products or services on one page. 

Here’s Netflix’s story that displays different movie suggestions. Brands don’t have to create several stories, not knowing if their prospects will click on the next story or not. 

 

6. Heavy Fonts

If there’s one tactic that will stand out on social media feeds, it’s using heavy and simple fonts. If you can’t beat them with awesome graphics, then at least hook them with your typography. Of course, it has to be extremely worth reading. 

In this case, Heineken banks on creative and punchy copy with a bold font. With only six words, anyone could’ve stopped scrolling and taking their offer on having more “beer breaks.” Because after all, who doesn’t want more beer breaks?

 

7. Animations

GIFs and animations are fun and appealing ways to present your offering on social media. However, it’s also one of the most disregarded social media graphic design trends. Animations are unique because no other brands can copy it, especially if you have them customized. And of course, branded animations are always better than stock ones.

One way to add credibility to your business is to show social proof on social media. And Revolut creatively did that by using animations. Check out their Twitter post. 

 

8. Illustrations

Another general graphic design trend that’s going to be making way into every marketing depository is illustrations. The upper hand of using illustrations is that you have carte blanche on whatever you want. Moreover, illustrations are an excellent way to tell a story creatively and lightheartedly. 

Here’s MailChimp’s way of presenting their feature and benefit through a monkey hanging from a tree. It seems to be delivering an envelope to a mailbox, which depicts MailChimp’s software.

 

9. Color Gradients

Color gradients continue to be one of the most used social media graphic design trends. That’s because of the texture and depth it adds to the graphics when mixed with color gradients. With a gradient effect, your graphics will also seem dreamy and subtle. 

Take this Eventbrite Facebook ad, for example. The different colors in various gradients are simple yet captivating. 

 

10. Lines and Shapes

Flowing lines and shapes are seeing an entrance in social media graphic design trend 2020. Bigger and more established companies have banked on more rigid shapes for authority. But this year (and probably the next), we’re going to be seeing smoother transitions. Flowing lines and shapes exude a natural flow, which makes them pleasing to the eyes. Check out how HubSpot used flowing lines and accentuated the photo with pastel-colored shapes.