10 Design Tips for Your Social Media Campaigns

Why Design Matters More Than Ever on Social Media

In a sea of scrolling, design is what stops the swipe. Think about how many brands and ads you come across every time you’re on social media. What design elements make you stop and pay attention to branded social media content?

You will definitely catch your audience’s eyes on Instagram or Facebook with a nice design. But, great social media design isn't just about looking good. It’s about communicating clearly, building recognition, and driving action. Your design reels your audience in, and then builds a connection with the right elements.

In this blog, we’re offering 10 practical, high-impact design tips that elevate your content and keep your brand front and center in the sea of scrolling. Northwest Brand Design’s best design tips for small businesses and non-profits on social media platforms like instagram are key to developing a social media branding strategy and how to build a consistent social media presence.

Let us show you why branding matters in social media design.

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Tip 1: Keep It Consistent

Consistency is one of the most powerful tools in branding, and when it comes to design for social media campaigns. It’s important to use your brand colors, fonts, and tone across all posts because it helps your audience instantly recognize you—no matter the post or platform. Even small details make a major difference.

Consistency is what establishes and promotes who you are in your market or industry. When you keep your design consistent, you build trust, familiarity, and credibility, all of which translate into loyal customers and donors.

NBD Pro Tip: Use branded Canva templates for non-profits and small businesses. Create these templates for social media posts to not only save time, but also to make sure all your content looks on-brand.

Tip 2: Design With Your Goal in Mind

Every post you create should serve a purpose: whether that’s building awareness, boosting engagement, driving sales, or community-building. You need to design with your goal in mind.

Once you have your purpose in mind, let your goal drive the design layout, CTA, and content. It should shape everything.

For example: if your goal is education, a carousel post is effective because it enables you to break down information step by step. If your goal is sales, a bold, clear CTA is direct and gets straight to business.

Your design helps you get the job done, making sure your audience knows exactly what to do.

Tip 3: Embrace Simplicity

When it comes to social media design, less is more. Overcrowded graphics or walls of text can overwhelm your audience. If you were scrolling, would you take the time to figure out what’s going on?

Instead, avoid clutter and use whitespace.

Each design should have one clear focal point: whether that’s a graphic, a curiosity-piquing headline, or a CTA. Cramming in too many elements dilutes the message, making it too difficult and time-consuming for your audience to understand what’s important.

Additionally, simple, scannable posts with clean layouts perform best. (Make content easy to scan, especially for mobile-users.) Simplicity means your design can communicate what’s important at a quick glance.

Tip 4: Prioritize Readability

Great design isn’t really great if your audience can’t read it.

Prioritize readability and use legible fonts, high contrast, and strong hierarchy. Readability encourages scrollers to stop, read, and instantly absorb your message.

Hierarchy is especially useful here. For example, big, bold headlines can provide the main takeaway, while smaller text can offer supporting details. Remember, most people are scrolling quickly on small screens and need the details right away.

The way in which your content is divided is equally as important to readability as fonts, contrast, and hierarchy. So make sure to avoid text-heavy graphics—instead, break up content into multiple slides or carousels for a more digestible, user-friendly experience.

Tip 5: Design for Mobile First

Let’s be real: you’re probably reading this blog post on your phone.

Over 98% of users view social media content on their phones, meaning designing your social media posts for mobile-users is essential. To keep mobile-first design in the spotlight, use vertical formats—your posts should naturally fill a phone screen.

Use bold type and attention-grabbing visuals that stand out in the sea of scrolling. Remember, simplicity is key, so avoid designs that feel cramped or require zooming. Tiny text and too many graphics are difficult to read on your mobile phone. Nobody really wants to zoom in to read anything.

Making your content work for mobile-users considers 98% of people who will see your posts. Your content should be easy to consume for this audience.

Tip 6: Use On-Brand Motion Strategically

Adding motion like subtle animations, reels, or GIFs can be a powerful way to increase engagement. We’re naturally drawn to movement and motion, so these extras can add a level of intrigue to any social media design.

But with any good branding strategy, the key is to keep your motion on-brand.

The same way you don’t want overcrowded graphics or too much text, don’t overuse motion. Motion should always support your message, not distract your audience.

When used effectively, motion adds energy, highlights key points, and encourages viewers to engage.

Tip 7: Lean Into Trends With Intention

There’s a reason people hop on the bandwagon of current trends.

Visual design trends like collage effects, gradients, or bold type are familiar and useful, showing you’re staying relevant as a brand. These trends are effective and popular, but what’s important is to use them with intention.

Make the trends your own.

Importantly, avoid chasing every trend. Not all of them will fit your brand’s identity or the goal of your posts. Plus, chasing every new style can impact your brand’s consistency.

Instead, choose trends that fit with your brand and adapt them to support your brand’s goals and audience. Strategically incorporating the right trends keeps your visuals modern and engaging while maintaining your brand’s identity.

Tip 8: Use Templates (But Customize!)

Templates are game-changing for busy small businesses and non-profits because they save time and maintain visual consistency. With branded templates, your efforts to produce content for social media is streamlined.

Branded social media templates for small businesses and nonprofits mean efficiency and impact. They’re ready-to-go tools for creating cohesive social media visuals that ensure consistency. And with any brand, consistency is key for building trust and recognition.

For example, branded Canva templates for nonprofits and small businesses can be your new favorite tool. However, avoid default Canva styles. You don’t want your posts to look like everyone else’s. Don’t you want your brand to stand out? Customization is the key.

Tip 9: Include a Clear CTA in Your Designs

Tell your audience what to do.

Every great design should include the proper CTA—“Learn More,” “Donate Now,” “Share This,” or “Sign Up!” The CTA is how you guide your audience and viewers.

Isn’t the purpose of your social media post to grab attention and cause action, after all?

Visually, your CTA buttons or statements should stand out. Keep it simple and direct—your audience should understand the action in seconds.

You should also make sure your CTA fits the goal of your social media post. Small businesses promoting a giveaway when a post is shared need to make sure the post says “Share Now!” A non-profit raising awareness in a post might invite readers to “Swipe to Learn.” Aligning the CTA with your goal ensures your design gets the results you need.

Tip 10: Audit and Evolve Regularly

Design is always evolving. To know the efficacy of your brand visuals, track which posts perform well and why. Was it the bold headline? The simple graphics? The CTA? Regular audits show you’re dedicated to elevating and evolving your brand. Understanding what works and why helps you refine future designs and strategize.

Never be afraid to update templates and styles seasonally or during brand shifts. Even small adjustments (or taking into consideration some of NBD’s tips in this blog) can make a difference. This keeps your visuals aligned with your brand’s strategy and trajectory, while also tapping into audience psychology.

While you want to maintain consistency when you evolve, consistency doesn’t mean stagnation—allow your brand to grow…just make sure it grows holistically.

Your Social Media Should Look as Good as Your Brand Feels

Strategic, beautiful design makes your brand more engaging, more memorable, and more effective online. These tips should help you launch an effective social media campaign that reaches your audience, boosts engagement, and gets the CTA you’re looking for.

Whether you need a full social strategy, branded templates, or someone to manage the visuals, we can help create on-brand social media content. NBD can collaborate with you on how to build a consistent social media presence that looks as good as your brand feels.

Let’s build something scroll-stopping together.