Creating compelling graphics online is more important to social media platforms, web design, and overall content creation than most may realize.
Because the majority of the web is driven by visual content, it is important to have compelling images that truly tell a story and serve your audience well.
Despite your background in graphic design or photography, here are some resources worth researching when creating visual content to use online.
Look into presets
Adobe Creative Cloud is the leading platform for professionals when it comes to visual artwork, using Lightroom well will likely lead to the highest quality content. Don’t have time to learn to be a photographer?
Still download Lightroom, but instead of creating your edits, purchase presets. Presets are typically designed by photographers, and unlike filters, edit the entire composition of the photo taken in a given environment. Looking into consistent presets to add to your photos will enhance your brand by posting edited photos that also have slight personal touches. Eventually, you can even create your own.
Download apps
If platforms like Adobe Lightroom seem intimidating, there are apps like VSCO, Color Story, and Snapseed to help edit your photos as well. Such apps will enable you to apply filters that match your brand directly from your phone, creating a cohesive theme. Many brands or companies will use the same filter, or a variation of a filter and color, repeatedly across all photos to create a signature look.
Canva and Crello
Canva and Crello are user-friendly graphic design websites with plenty of preloaded templates to choose from. From social media graphics and banners to presentations, and even event flyers, there’s a template for nearly everything. If you prefer creating something custom, there are plenty of tutorials on YouTube that offer instruction on how to use such platforms with ease to create your own custom content.
Use stock photo websites
Unsplash, Pexels, and other photo websites exist where you can download professional photos for free from photographers aspiring to put their name out, or at a small charge in comparison to the price it would take to hire a photographer to shoot for you.
Using such websites will give you a variety of photos to choose from and implement in your design campaigns, or to schedule on social media.
Hire a new photographer
When it comes to your photo content, authenticity matters. Depending on your audience or product, stock photos may not always be sufficient.
Consider hiring a photographer every few months, or for a full day to get custom shots of your product or service. Squeezing them into a day may prove to be more cost-effective in the long run, and just because you get the photos all in one sitting does not mean you have to roll them out at the same time.
If you have a low budget, look to find someone in college that wants to make extra income that has an iPhone that can even take some easy photos for your social media accounts. With an iPhone 10 or better, they can still take some great shots. Look through photography hashtags on Instagram and consider reaching out.
Look into pre-made templates on Etsy
Believe it or not, this website has many options when it comes to graphic design templates, presets, or stock photos. As a melting pot for creatives, you may be able to easily find some of the visual images you may be looking for. Such templates likely will be more custom than more heavily used websites like Canva considering Etsy does require purchases. You may even find a designer to create custom content just for you at a great price.
