3.3 Web Graphics. 1. So why are graphics important?

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1 3.3 Web Graphics In today s module we are going to cover the art of creating graphics for your online campaigns. We will be creating graphics for Facebook & your Mailchimp Newsletter but you will be able to apply the lessons to create graphics for any social network and for the posts on your website. Good graphics draw people into your website and keep them engaged so this is an important skill for every business owner to develop. 1. So why are graphics important? Content with relevant images gets 94% more views than content without relevant images. We are a visual audience and are influenced by attractive images that make it easier for us to interpret information. Business has fundamentally changed. In a traditional physical business you relied on face to face relationships and sporadic offline marketing efforts to boost your business and get your message to your audience. You now have unlimited direct access to your audience and that is powerful, however, so does everyone else. Being able to create your own graphics and marketing assets quickly and professionally gives you the edge against your competitors creativity always tops direct competition so create more beautiful and helpful work to help your clients they will thank you for it with repeat business. info@prosperily.com 1

2 Social media moves quickly and you often need to be able to generate something quickly to keep up with it this may not suit a graphic designers timeframe and you may not have the budget but being able to create something quickly that looks professional is an invaluable skill to boost your profile. First you need to understand some basic design terminology and principles to help you create beautiful graphics. 2. Graphics Terms & Guidelines: 1. Understand Image Types: There are three image types that are suitable for the web: 1. JPG you will use this for most of the images you use that have lots of colour and depth..jpg keeps the file sizes reasonably small while delivering a high quality image. 2. PNG this is when you need transparency it is used a lot for icons and logos. 3. GIF I would only use this for small animated images and even at that, not very often. It has a smaller size than the other two formats but doesn t handle complex colours or transparency. This is a particularly guady example but you get the idea. 2. Keep it simple. 1. ¾ of design is learning how to edit. Before you needed to have every piece of information in your graphic because the designer was costing you x and customers had no other way of getting information about your project. Now, you want your graphics to intrigue people, further information is at the touch of a button. info@prosperily.com 2

3 2. Always consider what is the core of your message are you getting your core message across or are you trying to throw everything you think your client should know at them in a small space? 3. Optimise your image: 1. Try to keep it under 600px where possible 2. Make sure you rename your image descriptively 3. Include your business name or logo on the image subtly so your brand travels with the image. 4. Respect copyright. Just because something is on Google Images doesn t mean you can use it. Always try to make sure that you have permission to use an image. Using stock images from the libraries I ve recommended and Canva will make sure you are not infringing on someones work. 1. Understand that you cannot control an image once it goes online so be careful and respectful with what you produce. It can and will be shared without your knowledge which is a power and a responsibility. 5. Consistency of brand is key keep a document with your font name and colour on hand so you can keep your branding consistant across all of your images and marketing. With those basic guidelines in mind lets create our first graphic a cover image for your company facebook page! info@prosperily.com 3

4 3. Creating a your Facebook Cover & Mailchimp cover graphics: Sign in to Canva.com and click on the Canva logo in the top left hand corner to go to the home page. Expand the Templates and choose Facebook Cover from Social Media & Headers. Follow the instructions on the tutorial video to create your Facebook Cover image. For the Mailchimp cover choose the Header template. The only way to learn with Canva is to play around with the different settings don t be afraid to make a mistake you can t break it. There are many free assets on Canva for you to use in your designs like photos, icons, fonts and shapes but there are also premium versions and you pay $1 per premium asset that you use. Images that are not free are watermarked so it is easy to tell which ones you can and cannot use for free. I rarely use any of these assets as I like to control my images I purchase them independently from any of the stock libraries that regularly use (links under the video). Having purchased them I can reuse them again and again in my campaigns. info@prosperily.com 4

5 You can upload your own photos and assets to Canva for use with your project. You are only limited by your imagination but Canva also has a huge amount of templates that you can use to generate any type of image you might need for your marketing. 1. Menus 2. Blog Posts 3. Book Covers 4. Invitations Explore all of the templates you will be amazed by what you can create your self quickly and easily with a little patience and trial and effort. info@prosperily.com 5

6 4. Its time to take action 1. Create your Facebook graphic to match your branding 2. Create your Mailchimp header that we will be using tomorrow when we create your newsletter. 3. Explore Canva to see what other types of graphic you could create. I hope you are now more confident in your ability to generate graphics to engage your audience. There are so many powerful amazing tools out there that are designed to make design more accessible for you. Learning how to use them gives you a creative edge over your competitors. Tomorrow you will be creating your Mailchimp account, connecting it with your website so people can signup, designing your template for future use and sending your first campaign even if it is just to yourself just yet. See you then. info@prosperily.com 6