Every social media manager should have one magic trick in their back pocket: a terrific graphic designer.  All the major social networking sites –  Twitter, Facebook, Google+ - requires some graphic design work.  A good graphic designer can make or break your social media strategy, and here’s why:

1. Facebook’s new timeline requires not only a square profile picture (180 pixels x 180 pixels) but also includes a large cover photo (850 pixels x 315 pixels).  Most brand logos are not perfectly square and need to be stacked or resized to fit well into a square space.  The expanded cover photo is a great place to make a grand impression with consumers.  A trained graphic designer could effectively use this space to make a statement.  Below, McDonald’s has sized their golden arches to fit well into the profile picture while showcasing the Big Mac on the cover photo.

2. Twitter’s profile pages allow for a lot of custom design and editing.  Again, the stacked logo is a must in order to fit into the square avatar.  The background can be used to give more personality to the page.  This is also a great place to possibly include appropriate hashtags, URLs, or various other call-out icons, such as Facebook, LinkedIn or Google+.  Though they would not be clickable through Twitter, they would help guide navigation for the user.  Coca-Cola has done a great job of matching their profile colors with their existing brand color scheme and using a great image of their product in the background.

3. Google+, also allows for much customization for the profile page.  The banner allows for two options: five different cropped photos or one large banner photo (685 pixels x 125 pixels).  Either way, this serves a similar function to the Facebook cover photo in that it allows a brand to make a dramatic statement through images.  Save the Children has opted for the simpler five photo option, which allows them to show different ways their work is helping children around the world.

 

These are just three of the ways a graphic designer is essential for a successful social media campaign.  Other obvious applications for a graphic designer are sites centered around bookmarking, such as Pinterest, Delicious, and StumbleUpon.

Related articles

• A Beginners Guide to Being a Graphic Designer (machoarts.com)
• Definition of a Graphic Designer? (kerngirl.wordpress.com)
• Social Media Marketing: Explore a Niche Network (aweber.com)