September 11, 2023
No bashing, no preaching, just giving some breadcrumb pieces of advice 😉
It is so tedious I KNOW (content creation)! Until you get the hang of it and start loving creating content, knowing your audience and creating posts that connect you with like-minded people. And not to mention the frictionless user experience as an extra bonus. For some people, it happens relatively fast, and for some is steady and slow (I am in the second group if you wonder).
But when it comes to creating the content itself I see some common slips and I just can’t unsee them. That’s why it is better to write them down and leave the algorithm to do its magic and show it to other business owners who want to appear more professional, and concise together with their content reaching the category of aesthetically pleasing. To be honest, my not-so-secret motive here is to make content more user-friendly.
1. CONTRAST — Yes I am screaming it. 😅
Guys, what are we doing? How do we put text on still or even worse moving background without having a proper amount of contrast ratio for legibility a.k.a. readability? Do you see how well the bold and black letters stand out here on Medium with a white background? That’s a classic pairing, you can’t go wrong with a high contrast ratio. Also making text easier to read you are improving user accessibility on your social or web page.
Solution: Use this tool to improve your upcoming designs.
2. Using too many colours — between 2–4 is a good practice, but you can consult with someone who knows colour theory.
Why minimise and keep the colour choice under four? Well, if not used properly (in alignment with your branding), it may be considered by your users as confusing, tacky or even overwhelming. If you aim for clean and cohesive you can’t go wrong. And on top of that if you keep the use of colour consistent throughout your online presence, well you are already winning here.
Solution: Check this Colour Wheel from Adobe and try to find your colour palette.
3. Choosing colours based solely on personal preference — It is not inherently a bad choice if you are going for a personal brand. Still, if you are thinking about branding and long-term positioning it is a good idea to consider the meaning of different colours, the emotions they evoke, your audience, industry standards and even a bit of psychology and what each colour can stimulate in the human brain.
Solution: These two articles on the topic can make your decision a bit easier, hopefully.
4. Cramping everything - or not having breathing room (white space).
Unfortunately, I have seen this way too many times not to mention it. Having blank space in your design is a good thing! Maintaining space around visual elements such as text, images, figures or anything that you want to showcase, provides focus and attention for your user. It goes hand in hand with the fact that people don’t initially read, they scan. Want to know more on the topic, check this article here.
Bonus mention from a colleague: Font sizes. Now after reading/listening about a few mistakes related to design, I hope you will consider this advice next time you post and try to improve one area at a time. You got this!
But if you still feel like you need help, then check my services and send me a message! 😊
Currently available for collaborations.
