Social Media Design Aesthetics: How to Get Your Team on the Same Page

Whether you're an agency or a brand, it's crucial to differentiate yourself from the competition across your social presence. One key aspect of standing out from millions of active users is by having cohesive design styles and an aesthetic that reflects your brand identity.

Whether you're just starting out, or you're an agency that's neglected your own social media presence and branding for too long, we've got you covered!

In this article, we will explore:

• How to establish your own aesthetic
• How to help your team get on the same page with design
• 8 collaborative social media tools & platforms to improve your team's workflow

Understanding the Importance of Design Aesthetic in Social Media

There are currently thousands of marketing agencies in the US - if you want to stand out from the crowd, you're going to have to give your branding some love.

With millions of posts being shared every second of every day, it's so easy for your content to get lost in the sea of updates. Visual social media content plays a significant role in capturing users' attention.

And this is where design aesthetics come into play - to create a recognisable, memorable and cohesive brand identity that resonates with your audience.

Think of design aesthetics as the personality of your social media presence. It's not just about choosing the right colour palette and fonts (although we'll come to this later!) it's about creating a visual language that reflect's your agency's values, vibe and mission.

Establishing Your Social Media Design Aesthetic

So where to start?

First, clarify your brand's core values, voice, and target audience or customer persona. These elements will guide the visual choices you make across your social media channels.

When it comes to establishing your social media aesthetic, there are several key factors to consider. One of the most important aspects is defining your brand's overall visual identity. This involves carefully considering elements such as logo design, color palette, typography, and overall style and encompasses all of your branding, not just social media.

Starting with logo design, it's crucial to create a logo that accurately represents your brand and its values. Your logo will serve as a visual representation of your brand, so it's important to invest time and effort into designing a logo that is both visually appealing and meaningful.

Next, consider your color palette. The power of color is real - it evokes emotions and conveys meaning. Choose a color scheme that effectively communicates your message. Whether you opt for bold and vibrant colors or a more muted and subtle palette, consistency in color usage across your social media posts enhances recognition and contributes to a visually cohesive feed.

Typography also plays a significant role in your brand's visual identity. Selecting appropriate fonts and typography is great for maintaining a consistent look and feel across your social media profiles. Consider fonts that align with your brand personality and are easy to read on different devices. Consistency in font usage creates a unified look and strengthens your brand recognition.

However because social media changes so quickly, you may want to keep your overall visual identity as the baseline for your social media aesthetic, but not necessarily tie yourself to it. For example, user-generated content may not fit your visual identity perfectly but can greatly add to the value of your social media presence.

Choosing Your Social Media Color Palette

When selecting your social media color palette, it's important to consider the psychological impact of different colors. For example, warm colors like red and orange can evoke feelings of excitement and passion, while cool colors like blue and green can create a sense of calm and tranquility. Think about the emotions you want to evoke in your audience and choose colors accordingly.

Another factor to consider is color symbolism. Different colors are often associated with specific meanings and can convey certain messages. For example, yellow is often associated with happiness and positivity, while black can represent sophistication and elegance.

It's also important to consider the practicality of your color palette. Some colors may look great on a computer screen but become difficult to read on a mobile device. Test your color palette across different platforms to ensure consistency and readability.

Selecting Fonts and Typography for Social Media

There are a few key considerations to keep in mind when selecting fonts for social media. First, consider the readability of the font. Ensure that the font you choose is easy to read, even at smaller sizes or on mobile devices. Avoid overly decorative or complex fonts that may hinder readability.

Fonts have their own personalities and can greatly impact the overall perception of your brand. For example, a clean and modern sans-serif font may convey a sense of professionalism and simplicity, while a handwritten script font may evoke a more personal and creative vibe.

Select a primary font for headings and titles, and a secondary font for body text. Stick to these fonts across your social media posts to create a unified and cohesive look. Avoid using too many different fonts, as it can create a cluttered and inconsistent visual appearance.

Lastly, consider the legibility of your chosen fonts. Ensure that the font size and spacing are appropriate for easy reading.

Remember! Test your chosen fonts across different devices and screen sizes to ensure optimal legibility.

Strategies for Aligning Your Team with Your Aesthetic Vision

Once you have established your design aesthetic, you need to align your team's efforts to ensure consistency in your social media presence.

Communicating Your Design Aesthetic to Your Team

Clearly communicate your design aesthetic to your team members. Make sure everyone understands the visual guidelines and the reasoning behind them. Use visuals, examples, brand kits, design templates and discussions to ensure that the team is on the same page and can effectively contribute to maintaining your brand or project's visual identity.

Regularly Reviewing and Updating Your Aesthetic Guidelines

Aesthetic guidelines are not set in stone. Social media trends evolve rapidly, and it's important to keep up with them. Regularly review your aesthetic guidelines to ensure that they remain relevant and in line with current design trends. Update your guidelines as needed to adapt to changes and to continue engaging your audience effectively.

Tools and Platforms for Collaborative Design

Collaboration is key to maintaining a consistent design aesthetic. Use tools and platforms that facilitate collaborative design processes, like Canva or Figma.

These tools allow multiple team members to work together seamlessly, ensuring that everyone has access to the latest graphic design assets and can contribute to maintaining a cohesive visual style.

You can also created shared Pinterest boards to create a style guide for your brand or invidual projects.

Here are 8 social media content creation and collaboration tools that you can use to help your team get on the same page:

1. Canva is a graphic design platform that allows users to create a variety of designs, including social media graphics, presentations, and posters. Canva offers a variety of templates and pre-made elements that users can customize to create their own designs. Canva also has collaboration features, which allow multiple users to work on the same design at the same time.
2. Figma is a cloud-based design tool that allows users to create and collaborate on digital designs, including user interfaces, wireframes, and graphics. Figma is known for its real-time collaboration features, which allow multiple users to work on the same design at the same time.
3. Sketch is a vector graphics editor and prototyping tool for Mac users. Sketch is popular among designers for its user-friendly interface and its wide range of features. Sketch also has collaboration features, which allow multiple users to work on the same design at the same time.
4. Slack is a team communication platform that allows users to chat, share files, and collaborate on projects. Slack can be integrated with a variety of design tools, which makes it a popular choice for teams that need to collaborate on design projects.
5. Notion is an all-in-one workspace that allows users to create and share notes, tasks, wikis, and more. Notion can be used to manage design projects, share feedback, and collaborate with team members.
6. DaVinci Resolve is a professional video editing software that offers a wide range of features, including color grading, visual effects, and collaboration tools. DaVinci Resolve is used by filmmakers, video editors, and YouTubers to create high-quality videos.
7. Kapwing is a cloud-based platform that allows users to create, edit, and share videos, images, and GIFs.
8. MixBloom is a white label social media agency to help full service marketing agencies scale their social media services. We provide all the content creation (as well as posting) for you, and all content approvals and feedback take place inside our intuitive dashboard, which comes with a white label view that is branded with your agency's logo and colors:

Boosting your Social Media Presence with MixBloom

We get it, running an agency is tough work, and keeping your own online presence consistent can be hard. Things get in the way (client work, admin, acquisition, finance 🤯) leaving your own social media to slip from the to-do list.

MixBloom can help you and your clients be consistent with social media content creation and posting, freeing up your time and resources for other aspects of your business (like all the ones listed above).

If you sign up to use our services, you'll be introduced to our Lead Social Media Manager, Jessica (she'll be your main point of contact) during onboarding to discuss strategy and your all-important design aesthetic!

You'll then be assigned a dedicated Social Media Manager, who will work with you to learn your aesthetic and goals, and will evolve with you over time. Think of them (and us) as an extension of your team.

We also have a simple approvals process - with our own interactive dashboard, you can provide feedback and approvals easily, and your Social Media Manager will be able to pick these up and refine each post with unlimited revisions.

Sound good? Start your free 14-day trial now!

Conclusion

By prioritizing your design aesthetic and implementing effective strategies for maintaining it, you can get your team on the same page when it comes to your social media presence.

A cohesive aesthetic not only improves brand recognition but also enhances engagement and fosters a sense of community with your audience. Invest the time and effort into establishing and maintaining your social media design aesthetic, and watch as your brand flourishes.