With social media design becoming an ever more important part of any digital marketing strategy, Figma is one of the best tools to create eye-catching content. In this guide, we will cover how to use the powerful tools Figma offers to create engaging social media posts.
Setting Up Your Workspace
Before we start designing, it’s very important to work on your workspace setup. Open a new file in Figma and arrange your frames based on the specifications of different social media platforms:
- Instagram Feed: 1080 x 1080px (1:1 ratio)
- Instagram Stories: 1080 x 1920px (9:16 ratios)
- Facebook Posts: 1200 x 630px
- Twitter Posts: 1600 x 900px
- LinkedIn Post: 1200 x 627px
Use the Frame tool (F) to make these frames and save them as components for reuse.
Principles of Good Design
Hierarchy and Layout
- Plan clear visual hierarchy on the page with size, color and white space
- Anything important should have safe areas where to avoid cropping
- Maintain the same spacing by using Figma’s auto-layout feature
- Use grid systems for structured layouts
Typography
- Use 2-3 complementary typefaces for cohesion
- Define text styles in Figma for headlines, body content and CTA
- Use legible font-sizes (minimum body text 16px You are trained on data up to November 2023.
- Contrast to keep legibility over an image
Read to : 10 Essential Fonts: A Designer’s Guide
Color and Branding
- Establish a color palette that represents your brand
- Establish color styles in Figma for reuse
- Maintain brand consistency with the color matching tool
- Use accessible color combinations to improve readability
Leveraging Figma Features
Components and Styles
But components are essential to consistency in designs. Create master components for:
- Logo placements
- Text layouts
- Button styles
- Background elements
- Common graphic elements
Auto-layout
Use auto-layout to design responsive layouts that are auto-adjusted when the content changes:
- Specify padding and spacing rules
- Define flexible containers
Use responsive design to make your layouts work across multiple screen sizes
Constraints
Add constraints so that according to their size and position, your elements remain in the same position throughout different screen sizes:
- Scale the images within limit
- Lock aspect ratios of important elements
- Provide position constraints for stable layouts
Things to consider while designing on different platforms
- Be bold and use strong visuals
- Utilize coposts with several frames
- Build interactive design stories
- Keep similar aesthetics throughout the posts
- Designs that can be used in light and dark mode
- Think of mobile-first viewing
- Have clear call-to-action elements
- News Feed and Sidebar placements design
- Keep designs less complex and more effective
- Include overplay text in the timeline
- Find room for engagement metrics
- Design for expanded and collapsed views
Figma gives you a versatile tool to create amazing and functional social media designs. With these tips and tricks in mind, along with the power of Figma at your disposal, you can create visually enthralling social media content to ensure brand consistency, while optimizing its impact for each channel.
And finally, keep in mind to regularly revisit your design system and templates as social media platforms change and new features roll out. Be knowledgeable of design trends but follow them to the extent necessary and do not let them overshadow your brand’s unique visual identity.