background preloader

Visual Communications

Facebook Twitter

ImageShack - Best place for all of your image hosting and image sharing needs. How to Create Social Media Images That Support Your Brand. Official Social Media Logos. As social networks grow from a bootstrapped tech start-up to a thriving social platform, they’re bound to undergo some logo changes.

Official Social Media Logos

I have a particular sensitivity to when these social media logos change because branding is one of the things I do for a living. So when I see someone use a social media logo that is out-dated, or worse— a cheap knock-off of a logo, it really bothers me. It not only hurts my eyes, it gives the impression that the individual using it either doesn’t know better (they’re not paying attention to what they’re talking about) or they don’t know the importance of using credible visuals. Sparkling Ways to Make your Online Brand Shine. Case study: BuzzFeed. 5 mind-blowing lessons from BuzzFeed on Pinterest 1.

Case study: BuzzFeed

Pinterest is a huge driver of traffic. BuzzFeed first saw a spike in Pinterest traffic when Peggy Wang, BuzzFeed’s first editor, did a post in June 2012 about DIY projects. The post quickly gained traction on Pinterest, and convinced BuzzFeed that they should be focusing on Pinterest. Since then, they’ve seen over 2.3M views to that first DIY post from Pinterest alone, and have ramped up their posts in multiple categories.

“Pinterest is BuzzFeed’s second largest social network referrer. 2. Pins that get the most repins aren’t always the ones that drive the most traffic. 3. BuzzFeed posts from classic categories like Beauty, Home, Crafts, Fitness and Food do well on Pinterest, but they’ve learned that other topics like tattoos, books, Disney-inspired posts and humor do well, too. Visual thinking. Visual thinking is a way to organize your thoughts and improve your ability to think and communicate.

Visual thinking

It’s a way to expand your range and capacity by going beyond the linear world of the written word, list and spreadsheet, and entering the non-linear world of complex spacial relationships, networks, maps and diagrams. It’s also about using tools — like pen and paper, index cards and software tools — to externalize your internal thinking processes, making them more clear, explicit and actionable. Why is visual thinking important? There’s more information at your fingertips than ever before, and yet people are overwhelmed by it. When faced with too much information we shut down. We think in pictures. How to Make Visual Content That Doesn't Suck. Three basic design principles to help you create stunning visual content.

How to Make Visual Content That Doesn't Suck

So you want to create awesome images that get attention and, more importantly, get shared? You’re not a designer though? Is that right? Well strap in, because you’re going to get a crash course in visual design without any fluff. Plain, simple, practical design principles to get you creating fast. This is part of the Essential Guide to Sharing Images Online series. 16 Instagram Statistics You Need to Know. Think you know Instagram?

16 Instagram Statistics You Need to Know

Think your visual content strategy is built and targeted for maximum effectiveness? These Instagram statistics from JustUnfollow may make you reconsider how you’re doing business on social. Watch for the large infographic at the end summarizing everything your business needs to know! 1. More Engagement Engagement is the lifeblood of social media, and with the recent decline in reach and engagement on Facebook, it’s good to know that some social networks – like Instagram – still deliver. 2. 40 Free Resources Every Designer Should Know. Ever wondered where designers get their resources to help them succeed with a project?

40 Free Resources Every Designer Should Know

Here is a list of great resources including sites, PSD. files, actions, UI elements, mock ups et cetera and best of all, they are totally free and available for you to download. WordSwag shifts visual content creation up a gear with 2.0 release. 242 Flares Twitter 94 Facebook 76 LinkedIn 39 inShare39 Google+ 13 Pin It Share 0 Buffer 20 242 Flares × If you have followed my blog for the past year or so you will know that I am a big fan of WordSwag.

WordSwag shifts visual content creation up a gear with 2.0 release

It’s my go-to-tool for creating images on the go. Now my favourite “graphic designer in your pocket” has been cranked up a gear. In this post I share the new features of WordSwag 2.0! Lisa Monks - Photos from Lisa Monks's post in Visual... How To Create Amazing Graphics With Phone Apps. Can I Use that Picture? The Terms, Laws, and Ethics for Using Copyrighted Images. Need to use an image but not sure if you have the legal and ethical right to do so?

Can I Use that Picture? The Terms, Laws, and Ethics for Using Copyrighted Images

Understanding the laws for using images can be a bit tricky, especially because there is wiggle room within the laws. And, with the mass distribution of images on the internet, it’s no wonder we’re all asking the the same question over and over again: can I use that picture? Whether for your business presentation, your school project, or your organization’s brochure, you’ve likely placed in images to make your designs more visually appealing. But did you use the images according to legal and ethical standards? I created the guide below to help sift through the complexity of it all.

My rule above all else? For a similar graphic on plagiarism violations, see the Did I Plagiarize? For more information about taking good images yourself, see the Six Tips for Taking A Good Picture blog post. To purchase a 20×30 poster, please visit the online store. How To Set Up Twitter Cards and Why You Should Do So. The 10 Plagues of Visual Content Marketing. Now that it’s ridiculously cheap and easy for anyone to take photographs and videos, marketers may overlook the fundamental power of quality visual content.

The 10 Plagues of Visual Content Marketing

With over 350 million photos uploaded to Facebook on an average day (250 billion images uploaded to-date) it’s easy for your visual content to get lost in the social media content stream. Therefore you must plan ahead to ensure that you avoid the 10 plagues of visual content marketing. 10 Plagues of visual content marketing 1. Plague of not having any visual content. How to Use Visual Content for Real-Time Engagement. Writing a note!