How to make social media graphics that grab attention
Design good social media graphics in pixels, not DPI: a post at 1080×1080 px (1:1) or 1080×1350 px (4:5), and a Story at 1080×1920 px (9:16) with a clear band of about 250 px at the top and bottom. Keep the text to a headline of 5–7 words set at a minimum of roughly 60 px, and move everything else into the caption. Keep text-to-background contrast at 4.5:1 or higher, and use the same 2 fonts, 2–3 colours and a single template layout across the whole series.
A graphic in the feed has a split second to make someone stop scrolling. It isn't the prettiest one that wins, but the one that can be understood at a glance on a small phone screen. Below are the principles we apply to our advertising projects: from the first 2 seconds, through the amount of text and contrast, to series templates, the differences between a post and a Story, accessibility and a posting plan.
What decides the first 2 seconds?
Viewers see patches of colour and shapes first, and only then start reading. That's why a graphic needs one clear focal point: a face, a product, a big number or a short slogan. If five elements are competing on screen, the eye doesn't know where to look, and the thumb keeps scrolling.
Check your design with the thumbnail test: shrink it on screen to the size of a postage stamp. If you can still tell what the post is about and what matters most, the composition works. If not, take elements away rather than adding more.
- One main element taking up roughly 40–60% of the frame
- Clear contrast between the foreground and the background
- Faces and gazes directed towards the slogan or the product
- Movement or direction (an arrow, a line, a gesture) that leads the eye
- A slogan that promises something concrete: a price, a result, a date, a solution to a problem
How much text can go on a graphic?
The graphic's job is to stop people; the caption's job is to explain. On the graphic itself, leave a headline of 5–7 words and, if needed, one supporting line. Put the full details, promotion terms and contact information in the post caption or on the following carousel slides.
On a graphic 1080 px wide, the headline should in practice be at least 60–80 px high, and supporting text no smaller than about 36–40 px. Smaller lettering blurs together on a phone, especially after the compression platforms apply on upload. Choose sans-serif fonts with a clear letterform and avoid thin weights (Light, Thin) over photos.
- Headline: 5–7 words, one idea
- No more than 2 fonts and 3 text sizes across the whole design
- No full sentences with promotion terms on the graphic
- A phone number or address only when that is the main aim of the post
Sizes: post, carousel, Story and link graphic
Phone screens are portrait, so a portrait format takes up more space in the feed than a square. For on-screen graphics DPI is irrelevant; what counts is the pixel count and the sRGB colour space. Export graphics with text as PNG and photos as high-quality JPG.
Stories and short vertical videos have interface overlays: the profile name and progress bar at the top, and the reply field and buttons at the bottom. So keep the most important text and the logo in the middle of the frame, with a clear band of about 250 px at the top and bottom. The profile grid crops thumbnails, so place the key elements of your posts nearer the centre as well.
| Format | Size in px | Aspect ratio | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Square post | 1080×1080 | 1:1 | Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn – all-purpose |
| Portrait post | 1080×1350 | 4:5 | Instagram and Facebook feeds, more screen space |
| Carousel | 1080×1080 or 1080×1350 | 1:1 or 4:5 | Step-by-step guides, product catalogues |
| Story / Stories / Reels | 1080×1920 | 9:16 | Full screen, leave about 250 px clear top and bottom |
| Link graphic | approx. 1200×630 | approx. 1.91:1 | Link previews on Facebook and LinkedIn |
Contrast and colour that work on a small screen
Contrast is the simplest way to grab attention and, at the same time, a precondition for legibility. The WCAG accessibility standard recommends a text-to-background contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large headings. You can check this with a free contrast checker by entering the colour codes.
Text on a photo almost always needs support: a solid bar, a semi-transparent dark overlay or a calm area of the image. Bear in mind that some people browse in dark mode and with reduced brightness, so light grey text on a white background or navy on black quickly stops being visible.
- Dark text on a light background or vice versa, no mid-greys
- One accent colour for highlights and buttons
- A bar or gradient behind text on photos
- Brand colours in sRGB, saved as HEX codes in the template
A consistent style and series templates
Consistency means people recognise your post before they read the profile name. Settle on a set of fixed elements: 2 fonts, 2–3 colours, a photo style (e.g. bright, close-up), logo position and margins. Save them as templates in which you change only the copy and the photo.
Series work best, meaning recurring post types with the same layout. They make publishing quicker and keep your profile looking tidy. If you don't have time to design from scratch, plakaty.shop offers the "Small Campaign" package (€35) with 6 different post designs at 1080×1080 px or Stories at 1080×1920 px, which you can use as the basis for a series.
- Tip of the week: a fixed background in the brand colour, the tip number and a single sentence
- Question for your audience: a large question mark and a short question, answers in the comments
- Before and after: the frame split in half, the same angle and lighting in both photos
- Product close-up: a photo on a plain background and the price in large figures
- Behind the scenes: a photo from the workshop or back office with a narrow bar and the series name
- Customer review: a quote in quotation marks, first name and a product photo, no long paragraphs
- Myth vs fact: two contrasting coloured panels, one sentence in each
- Event announcement: the date in large figures, the venue on one line, details in the caption
- Step-by-step carousel: each slide numbered in the same corner
- Number of the day: one big number with a short explanation underneath
Stories vs posts – how do they differ in design?
A post stays on your profile and shapes its image, so it should be polished and consistent with the series template. A Story disappears after 24 hours and is viewed quickly and full screen, so it can be looser, more spontaneous and interactive. You can keep selected Stories as Highlights, in which case it's worth having consistent covers.
In a Story, viewers spend a few seconds on each slide, so the text must be even shorter than in a post. Use poll, question and link stickers, but don't let them cover the most important content. One message per slide works better than everything on one screen.
| Feature | Post | Story |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 1080×1080 or 1080×1350 px | 1080×1920 px |
| Lifespan | Permanent, on the profile | 24 hours or Highlights |
| Amount of text | Headline of 5–7 words | One short line per slide |
| Style | Polished, template-based | Looser, interactive |
| Safe zone | Centre of the frame (grid cropping) | About 250 px clear top and bottom |
Accessibility: captions, alt text and contrast
Many people watch video with the sound off, and some viewers have weaker eyesight or use screen readers. Add captions to every video, ideally burned into the image or auto-generated and then corrected by hand. Place captions in the middle of the frame, away from the button area.
Platforms let you add alt text to a graphic. Describe in one sentence what's in the image and what text appears on it. Don't convey important information through colour alone; for example, red and green without a label are unreadable for people with colour vision deficiency.
- Captions on every video, high-contrast, on a bar or with an outline
- Alt text that includes the wording from the graphic
- Emoji and hashtags at the end of the caption, with each word capitalised in hashtags
- Text contrast of at least 4.5:1
A posting plan you can actually stick to
Regularity matters more than the number of posts. It's better to post 2–3 times a week all year round than every day for a month. The ideal frequency depends on your sector, the platform and your resources, and you'll find the best times in your own profile's insights.
Assign your series to days of the week and prepare graphics in batches, e.g. a whole month's worth in a single day. Leave room for timely content and respond to the results: after a few weeks you'll see which series get the most saves and shares, and those are the ones to develop.
- Monday: a tip or an educational carousel
- Wednesday: a product or service close-up
- Friday: a customer review or behind the scenes
- Stories: several times a week, polls and announcements
Checklist
- Size matches the format: 1080×1080, 1080×1350 or 1080×1920 px
- Headline is no more than 5–7 words and legible as a thumbnail
- Text-to-background contrast of at least 4.5:1
- In Stories, about 250 px left clear at the top and bottom
- Fonts, colours and logo consistent with the series template
- All wording, prices, dates and phone numbers proofread by hand
- Video has captions, graphics have alt text
- Exported in sRGB: PNG for graphics with text, JPG for photos
FAQs
What size should graphics be for Instagram and Facebook?
An all-purpose post is 1080×1080 px, while a portrait post is 1080×1350 px and takes up more space in the feed. Design Stories and Reels at 1080×1920 px. You can usually publish the same 1080×1080 or 1080×1350 px file on both platforms.
Do social media graphics need to be 300 DPI?
No. On screen, what counts is the number of pixels; the DPI value in the file has no effect on how it displays. 300 DPI only matters for print, such as flyers and posters, where the design is prepared in millimetres with bleed.
How much text can go on a social media graphic?
A practical rule is a headline of 5–7 words and no more than one supporting line. Put the rest of the information in the post caption or on the following carousel slides. The less text there is, the faster people grasp the message.
How do I create a consistent Instagram feed?
Choose 2 fonts, 2–3 colours and one photo style, then prepare templates for each post series. Always place the logo and headlines in the same position. In each new post, change only the copy and the photo.
Where shouldn't I put text in a Story?
Avoid the band of about 250 px at the top, where the profile name and progress bar sit, and about 250 px at the bottom, where the reply field and buttons are. Keep the most important content in the middle of the screen. This applies to video captions too.
How often should I post on social media?
It depends on your sector, the platform and how much time you can devote to it. For a small business, a realistic rhythm is 2–3 posts a week and Stories several times a week. Consistency kept up over many months matters more than frequency.
