How to Create Engaging Marketing Graphics That Convert

Graphics are an essential part of any marketing strategy. Well-designed graphics grab attention, communicate key information, and inspire action. But creating high-quality, effective marketing graphics can be challenging, especially for beginners.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk through the entire process of how to create stellar marketing graphics that convert viewers into customers.

Why Graphics Are Vital for Marketing

Before jumping into the how-to steps, let’s first look at why you should invest time and effort into honing your graphic design skills as a marketer.

• Graphics are more engaging – We are visual creatures Our brains process visual information 60,000 times faster than text Graphics can capture attention in an instant.

• Graphics quickly communicate information – A good graphic can convey in seconds what would take paragraphs of text. Icons, charts, and infographics simplify complex data.

• Graphics are shareable – People love to share interesting, inspiring graphics on social media A viral graphic can massively expand your reach

• Graphics build brand recognition – Using consistent fonts colors and design elements builds familiarity with your brand.

• Graphics inspire action – Well-crafted graphics persuade, educate, sell, and prompt viewers to convert.

The bottom line is that graphics are one of the most important tools in your marketing toolbox. Learning some graphic design basics will level up your skills as a marketer.

Identifying The Types of Graphics You Need

Marketing uses a wide variety of graphic formats and styles. Before starting any design project, identify exactly what types of graphics you need.

Some common marketing graphic formats include:

• Logos – Iconic visual symbols representing your brand. Logos build instant brand recognition.

• Social media graphics – Images optimized for different social platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Includes banners, posts, and ads.

• Blog images – Images add visual interest to blog posts. Include photos, illustrations, infographics, and more.

• Product photos – Showcase your products or services with high-quality images. Emphasize your unique selling proposition.

• Email graphics – Headers, banners, backgrounds, and images make emails more visually compelling.

• Presentations – slides, charts, and graphs visualize data and make presentations more memorable.

• YouTube thumbnails – The thumbnail image inspires viewers to click on your video.

• Reports and eBooks – Visuals like charts, diagrams, and illustrations enhance reports and eBooks.

• Ads – Graphics like banners, animated GIFs, and videos grab attention in ads.

• Landing pages – Hero images, screenshots, photos make landing pages more appealing.

Take inventory of all the types of graphics needed for your marketing. This will guide your design efforts.

Selecting The Right Graphic Design Tools

With the graphic formats identified, now let’s look at the best tools for creating marketing visuals:

Graphic Design Software

• Adobe Creative Cloud – The industry standard design software. Includes Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and more. Powerful but has a steep learning curve.

• Canva – Easy to use graphic design platform. Has templates and drag and drop functionality. More limited features than advanced tools but great for beginners.

• Figma – Interface design and prototyping tool. Has collaboration features. The free version has enough functionality for most marketing graphic needs.

• InVision – Prototyping, mockup and design platform. Features collaboration tools.

• Affinity – Serif’s alternative to Adobe programs. Affinity Designer for vector graphics, Affinity Photo for photo editing.

Apps and Tools

• Visme – Browser based graphic design app with tons of templates and assets. Makes it easy to create infographics, charts, and other visuals.

• Stencil – Plenty of templates for social media graphics, ads, thumbnails, banners, and more. Just customize the templates.

• Snappa – Intuitive graphic design and photo editing tool. Good free plan available.

• Pablo by Buffer – Easy to use tool for creating social media images. Just enter text and it creates a visual graphic.

• Easil – Drag and drop tool for infographics, social posts, ads, and more. Has collaboration features.

• Venngage – Specializes in infographic creation. Has many templates.

Stock Photos and Illustration Resources

• Unsplash – Collection of stunning free stock photos. Great for blogs, presentations, ads.

• Pexels – Free stock photos and videos shared by creators. High quality assets.

• Pixabay – Huge library of free stock images and videos.

• Freepik – Source for free photos, vectors, icons, illustrations.

• Storyset – Library of free customizable illustrations.

• Vecteezy – Collection of vector art, stock photos, and illustrations. Some free, some paid.

With these graphic design platforms, apps, stock images, and more, you have endless options for creating beautiful marketing visuals.

Design Tips for Graphics That Convert

Now let’s get into the design nitty gritty. Follow these tips and tricks to design graphics that engage viewers and compel them to take action:

Universal Graphic Design Principles

These foundational graphic design concepts apply to all types of marketing visuals:

• Simplicity – Don’t clutter graphics. Use minimal elements and text to communicate your message clearly.

• Visual hierarchy – Use size, color, contrast strategically so the most important elements stand out. Guide the viewer’s eye.

• Consistency – Maintain consistent fonts, colors, and design style across graphics to reinforce brand recognition.

• White space – Negative space reduces visual clutter. Don’t overcrowd graphics.

• Alignment – Position text/visual elements intentionally in pleasing, aligned ways.

• Contrast – Strategically use complementary or clashing colors. Bold contrast grabs attention.

• Scale and proportion – Ensure visual elements are sized appropriately relative to each other.

• Balance – Distribute visual weight evenly. Don’t create lopsided graphics.

• Unity -Ensure all visual components come together as a cohesive, unified whole.

Following these foundational design principles will instantly level up the quality of your graphics.

Design Tips for Specific Graphic Formats

Next let’s look at design strategies for specific marketing graphic types:

• Logos

  • Choose a bold, distinctive icon or company name font.

  • Limit to 2-4 colors.

  • Design in black and white first, then add color.

  • Make scalable to work on all platforms.

  • Avoid overly intricate details. Simplify.

• Social Media Graphics

  • Use high contrast, bold colors that pop.

  • Text should be short and readable at small sizes.

  • Save images in the optimal dimensions for each platform.

  • Add borders if needed for visibility against different backgrounds.

  • Include relevant hashtags.

• Email Headers

  • Limit text length so it doesn’t get cut off on mobile.

  • Use single, eye catching image.

  • Include branding colors and fonts.

• Infographics

  • Organize information in easily scannable sections.

  • Use icons and illustrations to visualize data.

  • Limit text. Only key information.

  • Include a headline and summary.

• Reports/eBooks

  • Break up text heavy pages with charts, graphs, diagrams.

  • Use illustrations to explain complex topics.

  • Leave whitespace – don’t fill pages.

  • Number pages.

  • Use consistent formatting.

• YouTube Thumbnails

  • Bright contrasting colors.

  • Facial expressions showing emotion.

  • Minimal but compelling text.

  • Consistent branding.

No matter what graphic format, apply strong design fundamentals tailored to how viewers engage with that specific visual style.

Optimizing Graphics for The Web

For marketing graphics to make an impact, it’s essential to optimize them for online use cases. Here are some key optimization tips:

• Choose the right file format – JPG for photos, PNG for logos and illustrations, PDF for documents.

• Reduce file size – Use image optimization tools to lower file size without losing quality. Improves page load times.

• Compress images – Set to 72 PPI resolution which is sufficient for web graphics.

• Optimize dimensions – Size images to the specific width and height needed for the web platform. Avoid stretching or pixelation.

• Enhance image resolution – Upscale images to the optimum pixel dimensions for crisp, high-resolution graphics on retina screens.

• Include alt text – Add descriptive alt text so graphics show up in web searches and are accessible.

• Use vector formats – Convert graphics to SVG or other vector formats that stay crisp when resizing responsive websites.

Taking