EB’s social media guru, Tanya Gill, O.D., teaches the finer points of instilling your posts with visual rhythm

What makes a beautiful, well-executed social media page? What makes you obsess over one social media account but ignore another? Here, social media is truly an art form.

This month we are going to discuss my favorite aspect of social media design—visual rhythm.

If you can learn how to create visual rhythm in your social media, you will master brand storytelling and thus small business marketing. Shall we begin?

WHAT IS VISUAL RHYTHM?

It is a regular repeated pattern you receive through your eyes rather than your ears. Visual rhythm is created by repeated positive shapes separated by negative spaces. A good example of this is a parking lot where parking spaces are laid out in a regular rhythm. Here, this parking lot has a symmetry that is pleasing to the eye. It has parked cars and trees (positive shapes), empty spots (negative spaces), and yellow lines (provides separation). You could almost call this modern art.

WHY IS VISUAL RHYTHM IMPORTANT?

A smart sales rep once told me that the No. 1 factor when selling is to create comfort for the customer. Offer a glass of water. Have a conversation at eye level. Smile. The operative word is “comfort.”

This is so true when creating visual rhythm because it creates balance, comfort, and familiarity to the eye. The message feels clear and not confusing. And BTW, the more comfortable a customer is, the more likely they are to stay on your social media page to scroll and “window-shop.”

WHAT CREATES VISUAL RHYTHM?

Surprisingly, creating visual rhythm is quite mechanical and methodical. An art school degree is not a requirement. Just remember that every brand story starts and ends with clear, bright photos. Here are my three steps to creating visual rhythm. Happy holidays. You got this.

1. Create positive shapes with portrait, lifestyle, and interior photos. Use the same filters for a consistent look.

2. Create negative spaces by using a light background with product photos & quotes. Keep your quotes short and sweet.

3. Create rhythm by alternating positive shapes & negative spaces in a pattern. Repeat the pattern.

—TANYA N. GILL, O.D.

TANYA N. GILL, O.D., is the owner of Oakland Vision Center Optometry in Oakland, CA. Dr. Gill is obsessed with ocular surface disease, female entrepreneurship, eating vegetables daily, mountain biking, and skiing. She lives in Oakland with her husband and is the founder of We Love Eyes, a company that makes natural cleansing products for the eyes.