Crafting a Consistent Social Media Aesthetic Using the Illinois Brand

Importance

A consistent visual aesthetic helps in building a strong and memorable brand identity. This training will provide you with the tools to maximize the Illinois brand and enhance your university social media accounts’ aesthetics. 

Target Audience 

• Social Media 

Brand Guidance 

• Social media guidelines

Crafting a Social Media Aesthetic

1. Unique Identities within the Illinois Brand

The Illinois brand platform establishes the foundation for all internal and external communications and marketing. It expresses both who we are and who we aspire to be and it should guide the messages, materials and communications we use to tell the Illinois story— including those on social media. Familiarize yourself with the brand essentials and brand platform.  

Clearly define your unit or college’s identity within the Illinois brand. Who are your target audiences? What are your values? What unique selling points do you have? What are you known for? This will set the foundation for your visual aesthetic. Think about the emotions and messages you want to convey through your content. 

2. Hail to the Orange, Hail to the Blue

Use of the university colors is one of the most effective visual communication tools we have at our disposal, and we want to leverage that as often as possible. Staying true to orange and blue in your visual aesthetic not only helps in building a strong and memorable online presence, but also provides a clear point of connection and community for our university audiences. 

Implement university colors consistently across your social media platforms by: 

• Using branded profile and cover photo templates on all accounts. 
• Applying brand colors to graphics and other visual elements in your content. 
• Including brand colors in the composition of your photography, including backgrounds, wardrobes, props or other objects in view. 
• Using branded video assets in your video production. 

When you consistently create and choose visual elements that include orange and blue, your social media accounts will reflect the clean, bright and vibrant aesthetic our university colors embody. 

3. Consistency in Style

Every logo, wordmark, color, font and graphic you use on social media reflects your visual identity. Align your unit’s visual style to the Illinois brand. 

Explore: 

• How to use the university Block I logo. 
• When and where to use the Illinois wordmarks. 
• The university colors including primary, secondary and supporting colors. 
• When and where to use the brand typefaces and fonts. 
• Various brand graphic elements and iconography. 
• How to tell a story with photography. 
• How to tell a story with videography. 
• Other resources include the image database, video database and brand downloads.

4. Practice Makes Perfect

When you begin making small changes to your social media content that reflect the Illinois brand, a compelling and memorable visual aesthetic will follow. 

Start with one post.
One photo.
One video. 

Then continue to choose visual elements that elevate the Illinois brand, and you will go from a few on-brand photos … 

To a robust, vibrant and Illinois-centric visual aesthetic and social media feed. 

For additional guidance on how to align your social media presence with the Illinois brand, visit the social media brand guidelines webpage. To explore successful examples of branded university accounts, refer to the Illinois Verified Accounts Directory.  

Contact

Lea Peck, Associate Director of Social Media & Digital Strategy, leapeck2@illinois.edu 

Essential Questions to Ask When Branding Your Illinois Social Media Accounts

Importance

As communicators, it’s crucial to navigate the complexities of branding on various social media platforms. Here are key questions to guide you through the process, ensuring a consistent and impactful representation of the Illinois brand platform on social media.

Target Audience

• Social Media Managers

Brand Guidance

• Social media guidelines

1. Creating branded messaging

• Is our social media messaging aligned with the brand personality, voice and tone?
• Is our social media messaging aligned with the brand messaging themes by audience?
• Is our social media messaging aligned with the brand editorial and style guide?
• How can we adjust our messaging style on each platform to better connect with the platform users?

 

2. Understanding our audience(s)

• Do we prioritize university’s key audiences when thinking about target audiences?
• What is the age range of our target audience?
• Where are they geographically located?
• What are their interests, preferences and communication styles?
• Are there activities or trends that resonate with them?
• What social media platforms do they use regularly?
• When are they the most active on social media?
• What types of posts or content generate the most engagement?
• How can we tailor content to resonate with them?

 

3. Setting strategic goals:

• What are our primary objectives for our social media account(s)?
• Do we want to increase awareness, drive engagement or direct traffic to our website?
• How do our goals align with broader university priorities and the brand platform?
• How do our social media goals reinforce the brand voice and identity?
• What specific metrics will we use to measure success on social media?

 

4. Choosing the right platform(s)

• Which social media platforms are most relevant to our audience?
• How do our social media goals align with the features and strengths of each platform?
• Does our content focus on photography, videos, written content or a combination?
• Which platforms best support the types of content we plan to create?
• How important are data and insights to our work and what platforms can provide it?

 

5. Staying informed

• How can we stay current with social media trends and platform changes?
• Are there emerging features or content styles that align with our strategy?
• How often are we participating in trends or new platform features?
• Do we have a network in place to consult with other social media experts on campus?

 

6. Maintaining consistency

• Do we have a consistent naming convention across all platforms?
• Is our visual style consistent with the brand style including colors, typography and graphic elements?
• Have we communicated our social media strategy and plan to all relevant team members?

 

7. Crafting compelling bios

• What key information should be included in our account bios to attract and retain followers?
• Can we incorporate brand essentials into our bio to align with the brand identity?
• Does our bio include a clear and compelling call-to-action, such as visiting our website?

 

8. Visual identity

• Are our profile and cover photos aligned with the established brand design standards?
• Have we downloaded and used the brand templates available to ensure visual consistency across platforms?
• Are our social media graphics consistent with the brand graphic elements and iconography?
• Is our social media photography and videography visually aligned with the brand guidelines?
• Do we prioritize accessibility in our social media visual content?

 

9. Anticipating challenges

• Do we proactively plan for potential crises or negative feedback on social media?
• In a crisis, what steps will we take to respond promptly and professionally?
• Do we have a list of contacts to alert when a crisis arises?
• Do we have mechanisms in place for monitoring social media channels in real-time?

 

10. Continuing to evaluate

• Do we regularly review and adjust our social media strategy based on performance and changes in objectives?
• What metrics and tools can we employ to measure progress toward our goals?

Additional Resources

For additional guidance on how to align your social media presence with the Illinois brand, visit the social media brand guidelines webpage.

To explore successful examples of branded university accounts, refer to the Illinois Verified Accounts Directory.

Contact

Lea Peck, Associate Director of Social Media & Digital Strategy, leapeck2@illinois.edu