Arts & Science Social

Design
# Branding, Motion, NYU, Social Media

Summary

Set of static and motion design templates for NYU Arts & Science’s Instagram.

With a minimal yet striking design, these templates streamline the team’s content creation while bringing brand cohesion to increase engagement.

Created For

NYU Arts & Science

Role

Graphic Designer

Goals

Establish a visual identity for Arts & Science consistent with NYU brand guidelines

Empower our social media manager to produce high-quality graphics, expediting content creation

Capture our audience’s attention, increasing engagement and shareability

Process

To cut down on the editing process while maximizing brand recognition, we relied on fixed elements based around 3×3 and 4×3 grids. Vertical and horizontal ribbons evoke NYU’s City Grid graphics, while lavender and ultraviolet photo treatments bring freshness and vibrancy.

Drafts

In the process of defining our intended look and feel, I made over 30 variations to show our Creative Director.

Templates

After finalizing the design for each template and variations, I split them into individual files, organizing layers and guides on Illustrator.

Guide

Finally, I wrote up a 22-page guide breaking down each template, my suggested workflow, and best practices for adjusting typography, images, and composition.

Motion

I expanded the static templates into proof of concept motion graphics, adding a new dimension of energy and vibrancy through the animation.

Gallery

Impact

The comparison below shows how our Instagram feed can transform, contrasting a real screenshot from before I joined Arts & Science with mockups integrated into our current content plan as of April 2024. The before-and-after is being used in presentations to get buy-in to expand our social media efforts across other channels under the Arts & Science umbrella.

Tina designed several social media templates for our team’s account rebrand. Not only was she critical in bringing the design ideas to life, but she provided a step-by-step guide of how to use each template properly. The templates have transformed our feed on Instagram and continue to elevate our brand identity with each post. Her attention to detail towards and clear communication about the templates was second to none. It’s an absolute pleasure partnering with Tina on projects, and I am so grateful for her work!

Tina Solo