Wow Your Audience with These Top 5 Graphic Design Trends
Capturing the attention of online visitors is every marketers’ challenge. Users today have shorter attention spans and interact with numerous devices and media channels regularly. Not only do marketers have to target the right user for their brand, they also have to ensure they’re providing content that is applicable and captivating to its intended audience. With web graphic design trends constantly changing, staying on top of what works and what doesn’t is critical.
We are a visual society. Images enhance a user’s experience by adding relevance to your message. According to AdWeek®, 84 percent of all marketing communication is predicted to be visual by 2018.
If you’re looking to make your brand stand out to capture the attention of its target market, keep reading. This blog explores 5 graphic design trends to help increase engagement with your digital brand:
#1: Authentic Photos
Users expect brands to put their best foot forward in the digital space. Authentic photos (as opposed to stock photos) can help communicate authenticity and reflect your brand personality. Customers often associate the quality of an image with the quality of your brand and its products or services. For example:
Authentic image:
Unauthentic stock image:
Authentic photos also tend to provide higher organic search rankings. Meta data (image file name, alt tags, captions, descriptions and supporting copy) surrounding the image can positively reflect your target keywords and enhance your search engine optimization (SEO).
Authentic photos used in social media tend to perform better, too, as they feel like a natural addition to your followers’ newsfeed.
#2: Animated GIFs
The GIF is one of the oldest image formats on the Web (turning the big 30 this year) and is supported by pretty much all web browsers and email clients. GIFs are typically short, looping clips that convey emotion better than a static image and can sometimes be used to create the effect of a video clip. Animated GIFs are a smaller file size, making them easy to share via social media. For example:
Animated GIFs are fun, easy to use and relatively easy to find and/or create. Typically, GIFs are uplifting, memorable and, at times, humorous. They can be a great way to influence the tone of your message or create emphasis.
Why should you consider using GIFs in your marketing efforts? First, animated GIFs encourage interaction with your brand. Dell® Computers, for example, started using GIFs in their email marketing campaigns and saw an increase of 103 percent for conversion, 42 percent for click-through rate and a 109 percent in revenue. Second, people search for animated GIFs often. In fact, a study by Experian Marketing Services found online searches for GIFs have risen by a factor of nine since mid-2012.
#3: Cinemagraphics (or Motion Graphic Designs)
Cinemagraphs offer a very elegant touch of motion to a still image and are a great way to obtain a dramatic effect. Motion graphic designs capture a single moment in time and then expand on it with depth and movement. They are also typically smaller in file size, which means they do not take up a lot of bandwidth to load and are easy to share via social media.
Can cinemagraphics really make a difference? Microsoft® found that using cinemagraphics in their social media ads dramatically increased engagement rates, while decreasing ad costs. That’s a win-win!
#4: Video
Video is one of the most consumed forms of media on the internet. Think about how many times you watch a video in any given day. You’re not alone.
At Blue Door Consulting, we created this video to showcase our new home, which our team is extremely excited about. Video was a great medium for us to visually share what’s coming next in our new space:
Numerous facts and stats show that video is an extremely popular medium for brands to deliver their message:
- Almost 50 percent of internet users look for videos related to a product or service before visiting a store.
- Online shoppers who view demo videos are 1.81 times more likely to purchase than non-viewers.
- YouTube® has more than one billion users. That’s almost one-third of all people on the internet.
- Marketers who use video grew revenue 49 percent faster than non-video users.
- One in every five Facebook® videos is a live broadcast-and over the past year, daily watch time for Facebook Live broadcasts has grown by more than 4x.
#5: Animation Design
Animations are a great way to enhance a user’s experience without being too distracting. They help break down complex messages into simple, consumable information. Be careful, as overwhelming animations can do more harm than good.
When humans aren’t a pheasible option to be the star of your marketing message, animations can be a great choice. It’s not surprising that Google®, Apple® and Facebook are top brands that feature animation in their marketing mix.
Every time a user interacts with you in the digital space of your website, blog or social media pages, they are engaging in your brand’s user experience. The quality of that experience can determine if you gain or lose a customer, increase or reduce your support costs, or strengthen or weaken your brand. Great user experiences, through great content, can create valuable
customers, who can become ambassadors for your brand. Try any one of these five graphic design trends to get started!
Need help creating content that can drive results for your brand?
If you are looking for a digital marketing agency that is going to work side-by-side with your company to help you achieve your goals, then contact Blue Door Consulting today and talk to us about how we can help!
