Do Images Matter with Digital Marketing?

Almost 85 percent of Americans describe themselves as visual learners. This is a significant amount of people who need visuals to truly understand a concept. As a Chicago graphic design agency with a social media marketing department, we realize the collaboration between graphic design and social media is more important than ever. Think about the social media posts (especially Facebook & Twitter) that grab your attention, they are likely ones that have images and possibly a link as well.

Images attract our eyes and thus, our attention. When you have a post on Facebook that has an image, it is 7x more likely to get shared compared to a post that is pure text. Twitter encourages people to post with an image or graphic as well, such as an infographic, if the time calls for it.

Psychological tests have confirmed that when we are shown an image and text, we spend most of our time looking at the image, which is wonderful news for a Chicago graphic design studio; however, that does not make the text useless, text with an image gets more looks than text with no image.

The incredible growth of visual-based social media platforms such as Pinterest, Instagram, and Snapchat is a true testament to the power of visuals in social media. Know what's one of the most popular and impacting features of Facebook? The images option. This is why Facebook and Twitter have made such great efforts to encompass images (and video).

Images work. Images sell. They grab attentions, which are getting shorter and desire more appealing objects. Sometimes an image is able to have the call-to-action that words just can't convey. Images stick in our memories longer, this is why having a great logo design is so important, too. The visuals improve our muscle memory, aiding content associated with that image to be more memorable as well.

However, using or creating images for social media posts have to make sense and be appropriate for the platform it is posted on; a blog post about baseball and showing a photo about your dog will not work. Another thing to remember is that you need to have appropriately sized images that are also cropped and not distorted.

It is time to make your social media posts, blogs, and website design stand out and use great images. Email Integraphix - a Chicago graphic design agency - about your graphic design needs and tips about images.

How to Make a Pinterest-Worthy Graphic for a Blog

There are lots of ways to create a graphic for your blog; however, for those who are not astute in Photoshop and Illustrator or those who have five minutes to create a blog graphic, here is a quick way to get the job done, according to our Chicago graphic design team.

1. Find a great image to use. You need to start with an image that is worth using. This is perhaps the most important part. If you do not have a good image, it makes the whole thing hard to accomplish. Avoid images that are blurry, stretched, too dark or light, and other faults. As a graphic design firm in Chicago, we have a particular set of standards that a photo must meet but we trust that you can spot basic faults such as those. 
2. Use an overlay. This is often done by adding in some shape (often with text) that is placed over the image. Colors like white, gray, or shadows are great for this; if you want to pick another color, as long as it matches, then go for it. A good trick here is to make the overlay a bit transparent so you can still see some of the image behind it. 
3. Use a headline. If you have read previous posts on this blog, you may have read that it is good to have some contrast in images… that applies here as well. You can have the font color contrast with the color of the overlay.
4. Add in your URL or logo. Having some way for readers to see your image and know it is you, just from the image and not the blog as a whole, is to add in your URL (site or blog) and/or your logo. Make them small and in a bottom corner but have them there. 

Having a good blog can be hard to do and maintain. Creating images for a blog can be even harder. That is why a Chicago marketing company like Integraphix exists! We have a whole team of copywriters and graphic designers that can help you get the blog you need! See what Integraphix can do for you!