Reflect The Best Of Social Media

Aaron Griffiths, design director at Battenhall, outlines what social media can teach designers.

It’s safe to say the simple days of web design are long gone. Designing for the internet used to be text and image working together to connect with the user. But with the growth of mobile and social media, as well as a younger generation of consumers, sites now have to suit new behaviours and expectations.

The biggest drivers of this shift have undoubtedly been Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, as over the last decade they’ve essentially changed how web traffic is funnelled, building entirely new user journeys. That’s ultimately a path we’re still on – as it continues to evolve around us now – but there are already some clear lessons that we, as web designers, can learn and factor into builds.

SIZE OF IMAGERY IS KEY

If you look at Instagram, the platform has typically attracted a younger audience but today there’s an older demographic that’s getting involved. That has in turn had an impact on how we use it, as often now the image to copy ratio per post is tailored to each specific audience – younger versus older audiences. For example, Gatwick Airport’s Humans of Gatwick series on Instagram has a very long caption aimed at a more mature audience who will read all of it, whereas a brand like Adidas focused more on the visual and less on the copy when releasing the new Solar Boost range, aimed at younger consumers.