Easiest Way To Make Social Media Templates in 2024!

Summary

This video guide walks designers through the process of creating social media templates for clients, with a focus on increasing income through upselling extra services. It covers the essential steps of understanding the client’s brief, setting up artwork, designing functional and engaging templates, and transferring designs to Canva for easy client editing. The tutorial also emphasizes maintaining brand consistency, user engagement, and providing clear instructions for clients to use the templates. By following these steps, designers can create purposeful, high-quality designs that not only meet client needs but also enhance their business revenue.

Takeaways

• 😀 Understand the client's needs and goals to design effective social media templates.
• 😀 Create content pillars to guide your design process and ensure it aligns with the client's objectives.
• 😀 Use Adobe Illustrator for setting up the artwork with proper artboard sizes and safe zones for Instagram posts and stories.
• 😀 Customize designs with brand assets like logos, color palettes, and illustrations to maintain consistency.
• 😀 Prioritize functionality, brand identity, and attention-grabbing designs to create templates that will resonate with the target audience.
• 😀 Provide variety in layouts, such as incorporating different elements like images and call-to-actions, for flexibility in client use.
• 😀 Export templates from Illustrator to Canva for easy client editing, while maintaining design integrity.
• 😀 Use two main file types for transferring templates to Canva: AI (for text and color edits only) and SVG (for full layout control).
• 😀 Create a guide or short video to walk clients through how to use the Canva templates for a smoother user experience.
• 😀 Share templates with clients using Canva’s template link feature, ensuring they can easily access and modify designs.
• 😀 Consider adding engaging design features, like testimonials, client reviews, and abstract elements, to enhance visual appeal and engagement.

Q & A

Why is having a strong social media presence important for businesses in 2023?

In 2023, businesses recognize the importance of a strong social media presence as it helps build brand visibility, connect with audiences, and increase engagement, ultimately driving sales and awareness. Brands like Specsavers and those in the fashion industry leverage platforms like Twitter and Instagram to communicate beyond just selling products.

How can designers increase income through social media services?

Designers can increase their income by offering additional services to their existing clients, such as creating social media templates. Since clients already trust designers, upselling services like templates becomes a natural and effective way to generate more revenue.

What is the first step in creating effective social media templates?

The first step is understanding the client’s brief. It’s crucial to know what the client wants to post and how they intend to use the templates. This helps in creating content pillars that guide the design process and ensure that the final product meets the client's needs.

What are content pillars, and how do they help in designing social media templates?

Content pillars are the key themes or topics around which social media content is created. They help guide the designer by providing a clear framework for creating targeted, meaningful posts. For example, templates for a non-profit charity might focus on recruitment, education, inspiration, and event updates.

What are the recommended dimensions for Instagram templates?

For Instagram story templates, the recommended size is 1920 pixels by 1080 pixels, while square posts should be 1080 pixels by 1080 pixels. If a slightly larger size is preferred, an alternative dimension is 1080 pixels by 1350 pixels.

Why is it important to leave space around artboards when designing templates in Adobe Illustrator?

Leaving space around the artboards helps avoid overlap of design elements across multiple templates. This ensures that each template remains clean and avoids visual clutter, improving the overall user experience when editing or viewing the templates.

What is the importance of the safe zone when designing Instagram story templates?

The safe zone in Instagram story templates refers to the 250-pixel space at the top and bottom where key information should not be placed. Instagram uses this space for the user's handle and interaction buttons. By keeping these areas clear, important content remains visible.

How can designers make social media templates both functional and reflective of the brand identity?

Designers should ensure the templates align with the client’s content pillars and brand identity. This includes using appropriate colors, fonts, illustrations, and other design elements that reflect the brand’s voice and messaging, while also ensuring the templates are easy to use and functional.

Why might a designer choose to use Canva after creating templates in Adobe Illustrator?

Canva is a user-friendly tool that allows clients to easily edit templates created in Illustrator. By transferring designs to Canva, designers make it simple for clients to adjust colors and text without the need for advanced design skills, while keeping the layout and structure intact.

What are the two methods for transferring Illustrator templates to Canva?

The first method is uploading the AI file directly to Canva, where the client can only edit colors and text. The second method involves exporting the templates as SVG files, which allows the client more flexibility to modify the layout and color scheme while maintaining quality.

How can designers ensure that clients are able to use Canva templates effectively?

Designers can create a short tutorial or screen recording explaining how to use the templates in Canva. This helps clients understand how to navigate and edit the templates, boosting their confidence in using the tool and enhancing their overall experience.