Social media has always been an important aspect of branding and marketing a brewery. In the current situation of COVID-19, it has become a crucial way to stay engaged and relevant with your customers. You could go all willy-nilly and shoot posts off from the hip (that does have a time and place), but if you want to build and maintain a strong brand on social media, these design tips will create a solid foundation.
#1 - Reference and Utilize Brand Standards
Brand Standards is a guideline created for your visual branding. A Brand Standards guide often contains your official brand colors, how to properly use your logo, what fonts to use, and how to format your text.
#2 - Use Brand Fonts and Consistent Typography
If you have Brand Standards, you may already have a roadmap for using type. If not, here’s some tips to stay consistent, which will result in a stronger brand.
I try to avoid using the font from your logo on marketing applications. This can have the effect of diluting the importance of your logo.
Use fonts that are very decorative sparingly - otherwise your design will look cluttered and busy.
Keep visual interest in your fonts by varying weights of bold, regular, thin and alternating between all uppercase and standard upper/lowercase.
Having breathing room around your text is important. Have space between text and the edges of your image, so it is not cramped. Keep ample space between lines of text on your image for the same reason.
Create hierarchy and rhythm. Make sure the important text is large and eye catching. Supporting details can be smaller, as they backup the headline messaging.
To learn more about using brand fonts, read: Beer Brand Messaging Through Type Hierarchy
#3 - Use Brand Colors
Using consistent brand colors will help your audience quickly recognize that a post or image is yours. If the post is overall about your brewery, I would suggest sticking with the brand colors you have set from your Brand Standards, or the colors from your logo/website. Once exception here would be for posts promoting individual beers, which can take on their own identity.
#4 Dissected Images
You don’t need to have just a photo, or just a design-based image in a social post. Why not have both! Split a post image into sections by dividing it up with a solid color block complimented with a photo. The solid color block makes a great area to lay text over while the photo element helps create visual interest. You can even get tricky and overlay a transparent color block over an image.
#5 Use Filters
The hashtag #NoFilter partly grew out of everyone going crazy with filters in Instagram. However, photo filters are still relevant and can be a way for you to set your profile and posts apart from others.
HERE’S THE TRICK - Stay consistent!
Consistency is what builds a brand and helps people remember your brand. If you find a filter that you really like and fits your brand, create a “recipe” for how to reproduce that filter. Make sure that anyone posting on social has the recipe to create the same filter. There are numerous photo filter apps in the app stores so you don’t have to just rely on Instagram’s filters.
#6 - Create a Narrative using Carousels
This one can be a bit tricky, but the end result is really cool!! The idea here is to have Instagram images that are in a carousel “stitched” together so when the user swipes across your post images, they are connected. It creates a seamless visual and interesting experience for the customer. Once you have that down, you can create a timeline of sorts by telling a story on each image that bleeds into the next carousel image. You can create this by making one very wide image that fits the dimensions of Instagram’s image size. You can then layout your story and supporting visual elements along the wide image, and then crop and generate individual images that stitch together perfectly for the multi-image carousel post!
#7 - Create “Campaigns” using Label Art
You’ve invested time and money creating kick ass labels, use that artwork in more places to promote your beer! The most common use case for creating individual beer brands through your label art is on tap handles. Many folks take the label artwork and create a tap handle label that matches. You can take this a bit further and create social images, posters, merchandise, etc., that carry the brand visuals of your label. You can implement the main label color on a post, pull out the stylized beer name and use that as an element, or use a background design or pattern. The more places you are creating a consistent look for that beer, the better recognition you will build.
#8 - Color Backdrops for Photos
You likely have seen the styled beer photos that Hop Culture creates on Instagram. This style of photography has been used in other industries, but Hop Culture really helped to bring this into the world of beer. You can set up a small photo studio on a flat surface and create a color background that matches or compliments your label art. Hit up the craft store and purchase some colored butcher paper rolls or posterboard to create a full color background.
#9 - Photo Lighting
You don’t need professional photography lights to create awesome photos. Interior lights can actually be fairly dim to a camera, so one killer trick is to set up a photoshoot next to a bright window. This flood of natural daylight will create a nice and large light source for photos. If you are set up by one window, you only have one light source, so a good trick to balance out light in your images is to place a large white foam core board on the opposite side to reflect light back onto your photo subjects. This can really help balance out the lighting!
#10 - Make a Scene!
Adding elements around your beer product shots can make a huge difference in visual interest. Having some ingredients surrounding your can or glass can really paint the picture of experience and the taste of that beer. Chocolate, coffee, hops, grains, fruit, or any other ingredient used in the beer can help create an enticing scene. If your label has some sort of thematic name and artwork, try to find some real-life objects you can place in the background that reflect the art and make it more interesting.
— Advice by Ryan Wheaton of Craft Brew Creative and the Craft Label Co.