B.R.E.A.D. - Use your loaf when designing!
A while ago, when we first launched the site, Sammy wrote a series of posts talking about B.R.E.A.D. for non-graphic designers (like me!).
I thought it was a great series and definitely helped me so I decided it was worth bringing them to your attention in this round-up blog post.
Use your loaf!
In the first blog, Sammy started by explaining that you don’t need to be a graphic designer to design great looking social media posts. What you do need is B.R.E.A.D., which she described as five hacks. These represent the 5 main areas of graphic design:
Sammy then went through each of these in individual blogs.
B.R.E.A.D. is an easy way to remember the five main principles of graphic design - Branding; Relationship, Echo; Alignment, and Difference #BYOGD #BREAD Click To Tweet
Blog 2 - Quick definitions of B.R.E.A.D.
The next blog post in the series covered gave quick definitions of the five principles and was called ‘Is designing your own Social Media posts stressing you out?‘. Click on the title to read the full blog!
As Sammy said, we buy bread by the loaf, not by the slice, so it is important to remember that these 5 slices never happen alone. To be your own graphic designer, you need to understand the function of each slice!
I also loved the quote from Jeff Bezos of Amazon about branding:
“Your Brand is what other people say about you when you are not in the room.” Jeff Bezos
“Your Brand is what other people say about you when you are not in the room.” Jeff Bezos #BYOGD #BREAD Click To Tweet
Blog 3 - B is for Branding
Next came a more detailed explanation of each term, starting with branding. This was the third blog ‘B is for Building your Brand on Social Media‘.
Building your brand on social media is about applying the following five elements over and over again consistently in EVERY interaction your business has:
-
-
Logo
-
Colours
-
Typefaces
-
Attitude
-
Voice.
-
Going through each of these, in turn, Sammy helps you understand how they interact.
Building your brand on social media is about applying your brand logo, brand colours, brand typefaces, brand attitude and brand voice over and over again consistently #BYOGD Click To Tweet
Blog 4 - R is for Relationships
Not personal relationships! This was ‘Using Design Relationships on Social Media‘ and there were some great examples of good and bad design. There was also a really useful set of design relationship rules and ideas on how to test your design to see if it was working.
A few of the design relationship rules just to give you a flavour:
-
-
Always use your logo but it doesn’t need to be overly big;
-
Don’t be afraid of leaving space in your design;
-
Be accurate;
-
Be bold.
-
Blog 5 - E is for Echo
There were three main principles in ‘E is for Using Echo on Social Media‘:
1. Use your branding consistently;
2. Choose no more than three typefaces and stick with them;
3. Choose consistent images and graphics.
Included were examples to help you work out how to incorporate echo into your designs. By sticking to these principles, you’ll develop a signature style that sets you apart and makes you instantly recognisable.
Once you have found your signature style, Echo really is your brand’s best friend. #BYOGD Click To Tweet
Blog 6 - A is for Alignment
‘A is for Using Alignment on Social Media‘ came with a warning!
The really BIG thing to remember, whatever layout you choose, is to ALWAYS ALIGN ACCURATELY. Because nothing jumps off the screen and screams ‘amateur’ like wonky alignment.
A couple of the basics that Sammy covered were:
1. Know where you want your viewer to begin reading and where you want them to end up. Lead them through your pre-planned path.
2. Make sure your message is readable. Don’t sacrifice your message – that’s why you are posting after all!
You’ll need to read the full blog for all of them.
Once you've learnt how the basic rules of alignment work with the eye, you can lead your viewer to where you want them to go. #BYOGD #alignment Click To Tweet
Blog 7 - D is for Difference
The final blog in the series, ‘D is for Using Difference on Social Media‘, covered whether it was important or not to be different. The bottom line was that difference can be a real no-no if done badly, however, it can be show-stoppingly good if done with flair!
The rule of thumb here is if something is not ‘the same’ in graphic design it should be REALLY different.
Brand recognition, which leads to KLT (know, like and trust) happens subconsciously over time so it is important to be consistent. If an element is part of your branding and it’s not EXACTLY the same every time, it is damaging.
Be different like you did it on purpose – NOT different like you hoped no one would notice! #BYOGD #graphicdesign Click To TweetI hope you get a chance to read all the blogs but, if not, I hope this summary of the series will help you improve your designs for social media.
Now you know why savvy social media users like B.R.E.A.D.! 🙂