Do you make your own instagram graphics with Canva, or maybe another tool? If you do, I want to give you this simple checklist to improve your typography and make your message more effective! The goal of your graphics is to communicate a message, right? Let’s make sure nothing is distracting from that message and that your graphics look clean and professional!
>> Do you keep hearing about Canva and want to know what all the hype is about? Canva is my FAVORITE tool for creating instagram graphics, facebook graphics, PDFs and more. It’s easy & intuitive to use, and the resources within make creating your graphics SO fast and easy. Try it for yourself ere. (affiliate link) If you’re not ready to upgrade to Canva Pro, check out my blog post about the ONE Canva shortcut you need to know, if you have a free account.
1. Is your font readable?
The more text you have, the simpler your font needs to be. Although there are so many elegant, fun, hand-written fonts to choose from, they are harder to read, AND they will make every single step in this list harder to achieve.
2. Are things lined up?
In typography and graphic design, we talk a lot about the grid. The elements of your design should follow a grid, so that your eye can move along easily and not be pulled in different directions.
Likewise, your different blocks of text shouldn’t be floating in space. When in doubt, choose ONE alignment and make everything the same. Left-align the header, and left-align the text underneath. Make sure those text blocks are left-aligned to each other, unless there is a clear reason to indent one or the other.
If you’re using center-aligned text, make sure each text box is center-aligned to each other. Watch out though: center alignment is hard to read because the irregular starts and stops disrupt the flow of our eyes. Only center align small amounts of text, and never center align if the lines of text are long!
3. Is there contrast between the text and background?
The color of your text needs to really stand out from the background so it’s easy to read. I see this on social media SO MUCH, now that everyone can make their own instagram graphics with Canva!
If you’re not sure what color will work, start by making your text white or black and see which is better. If neither is very readable, make your background darker or lighter, and try again.
A fun trick with Canva (or other tools) is to add a drop shadow. But here’s the thing: if the text color does not contrast with the background already, a drop shadow will not help.
If you are overlaying text onto a photo, you have to watch out for the variation of colors. The text could be readable in some spots and not in others.
Here are some creative ways to make your text stand out from the background.
Image Transparency with Black Background:
Block of Color:
50% Transparent White Block:
Use a photo with White Space:
Outlined Text:
4. Is there clear visual hierarchy?
Your typography choices should all be working together to help the reader’s eye flow through the page. When your hierarchy isn’t clear, the reader doesn’t know what to read first. They’ll usually scan all over the page like a fly trying to find an open window, and then move on.
The title or main point should be most prominent, and in most cases at the top of the page, and the secondary point should be less so, and so on.
Give different text varying degrees of importance by having different sizes, fonts, and colors, where appropriate.
5. Do you have any orphans or widows?
In typography, a “widow” is a lone word that appears at the bottom of a paragraph, column, or page.
An “orphan” is a lone word at the end of a paragraph that appears at the top of the page.
Give your workbooks and text-heavy designs a once-over and make sure there are no single words hanging out on their own. Adjust so that they fit in with the rest of the paragraph.
This is a tiny detail that really can make a difference to the comfort of the reader.
6. Is your rag cleaned up?
Here’s another typography term for you. A “rag” is the jagged edge of a block of text. When your text is left aligned, you have “flush left / rag right” text. When you have center aligned text, both left and right are ragged.
So when we talk about cleaning up your rag, we’re taking a look at the irregular edge of text and making sure it is as even as possible. This is another one of those tiny fixes that actually make a huge difference in the look of your designs.
Do you ever wonder if your audience is really getting what you’re trying to say?
I created my Design & Messaging Audit to help coaches, therapists, and thought-leaders like you pin-point where their core message is getting lost. Whether it’s unclear messaging or unclear graphics, so many coaches are fumbling their opportunity to create impact online.
Sign up for your 1:1 session where I’ll give you personalized feedback on the overall design and messaging of your social media and marketing visuals.
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