To reach the largest audience possible, digital artists need to be active across a variety of social media channels. A wonderful way to showcase your work and market yourself as a creative is through platforms like Twitter and Behance. You’ll be able to reach more people and expand your following by being active on several channels.
Social media platforms offer a great way to interact with people. Your personal or professional goals will determine the social network you utilize and how you interact with others. For instance, uploading pictures of your most recent vacation on the professional networking website LinkedIn would be inappropriate.
Artists, photographers, and other creative professionals can display their work on dozens of social networking networks. But choosing which solutions to employ can be challenging given the abundance of options. We spoke to a variety of creative professionals—including artists, photographers, designers, and filmmakers—to gain insight into what they liked about each site and why it would be useful for showcasing various areas of your portfolio.
You might be wondering which social networking sites are currently the most beneficial to you as an artist or designer. Based on the information that other designers and artists have found useful, here are some responses. Check out our definitive guide to social media for creatives as well as our guide on how to make social media work for you. With these tools at your disposal, you ought to be able to use social media to your advantage in the most efficient manner possible.
These are some strategies graphic designers and other creative professions may use to maximize the effectiveness of social media:
1. Use them to stay informed about the latest industry news and trends.
2. Connect with other creatives and collaborate on projects.
3. Showcase your portfolio or body of work to potential clients or employers.
4. Use social media to drive traffic to your personal website or blog.
5. Find inspiration from what other creatives are doing online.
6. Use social networks to build relationships with potential customers or clients.
7. Stay current on the latest developments in your field of interest or expertise.
Depending on their particular goals and objectives, designers may want to use a variety of social networks, which will be covered in this article. Given the variety of potential uses for social networks, it seems reasonable to reason that some networks would be more appropriate for particular uses than others.
Dribbble
Dan Cederholm and Rich Thornett founded Dribbble in 2009 as a way to communicate brief excerpts of ongoing projects that couldn’t be shared in full. Since then, the website has grown to be a well-liked platform for designers to present their work and attract the attention of other creatives from across the globe.
Dribbble has developed into a platform for designers of all stripes to post their work and receive comments from their colleagues. On Dribbble, you can find like-minded creatives and see what they’re working on regardless of your interests, like web or app design, icon design, branding, animation, prototyping, illustration, or graphic art. Since its beginnings, Dribbble has been renowned for its casual method of disseminating brief screenshots (referred to as “Shots”). Users can now post detailed photographs and mark them suitably, even though this is still a significant component of the platform. Receiving feedback on your work and honing your craft is now easier than ever.
Since Dribbble Pro was introduced, designers have had a new avenue for job searching. The website facilitates the hiring of designers for businesses like Apple, Airbnb, Facebook, Google, Dropbox, and Slack.
Artstation
Professional 2D and 3D artists can present their work on ArtStation, particularly those in the gaming, film, media, and entertainment sectors. Since its debut in 2014, the website has been a favorite stop for artists seeking to expand their portfolios and network with other artists.
These days, a lot of recruiters advise artists to upload their work to ArtStation. Because they perceive it as a popularity contest, some artists might not be interested in participating. However, in most cases, employers don’t care how many fans or following an artist has. They are only interested in work that appeals to them and satisfies their criteria.
With plans to add more languages throughout the year, ArtStation is currently available in English, French, German, and Spanish. This makes ArtStation an excellent option for individuals who want to have access to a huge variety of artwork from all around the world.
Behance
For artists to display their work and network with other creatives, Behance is a fantastic platform. Users can follow one another on the website, post comments, and provide feedback thanks to its social features. In November 2005, Matias Corea and Scott Belsky founded the business; it was later purchased by Adobe in 2012, and its reach has since exploded.
A wonderful place for designers to display their work is Behance. Designers can post many images of their work on Behance, in contrast to other platforms like Dribbble or Instagram. According to Jesus Suarez, a motion designer and generalist in 3D, “Sharing the making-of and behind-the-scenes details on Behance is fantastic. It enables a more thorough examination of the project. ” Other design-focused platforms don’t offer the same value as Behance does because it doesn’t limit consumers to simply the finished product. Because of this, it is a necessary tool for any serious designer.
If you’re a creative professional, Behance is the ideal platform for you to display your work and attract potential clients. You may build a portfolio of your previous work using Behance, which is a crucial tool for any freelancer or creative hoping to land new jobs. Behance is helpful for both showcasing your work and finding up-and-coming talent. Behance is a site worth visiting if you’re looking for inspiration or simply want to keep up with the latest trends because it has a well-curated portfolio of excellent work from a range of creative industries.
DeviantArt
Amateur and hobbyist artists can present their work on DeviantArt and receive criticism from other artists on the site. DeviantArt, which debuted in 2000, has a more laid-back and informal vibe than ArtStation, making it the perfect platform for emerging artists or those trying to advance their craft. Even while you’re less likely to receive commissions directly through DeviantArt, it’s a fantastic opportunity to expose your work to new audiences and expand your portfolio.
In 2008, Wix.com paid $36 million in cash and stock options to acquire DeviantArt. Within the range of web services offered by Wix, DeviantArt is still run as a separate business.
To inform users of site news and updates, DeviantArt uses an email-based registration system. Users can decide whether they wish to be informed when someone comments on their work or sends them a message using the optional notification system. The user’s account settings can be used to configure all of this.
There are forums on DeviantArt where you can interact with other artists and have discussions about all facets of creativity. This is a fantastic area to receive feedback on your work, pick up knowledge from others, and meet others who share your interests.
Over 500 million individuals use the website or app daily, making up more than 1 billion active Instagram users as of today. Instagram is the perfect platform for creatives like designers and painters because it is a visual social network. Although Instagram is more popular among photographers, it is also popular among graphic and web designers.
Building a sizable following is a goal that many Instagram users who are engaged believe is achievable. When another user posts a picture or a video that they like, people on this social network frequently follow them right away.
It’s a little trickier with Instagram than with other social networks to get them to go back to your website. Although you can put a link in your profile, there won’t be any clickable links in individual posts.
The best aspect of Instagram is how it fosters originality, promotes your work, and heightens brand recognition. Additionally, it’s wonderful for networking with others in business, sharing advice, and learning new things.
Similar to Reddit, Pinterest is a virtual bulletin board where users can find and curate photos and videos. Instead of saving your own photos like other photo sharing websites, Pinterest places more of a focus on the discovery and curation of other people’s material. You’re likely to find something to pique your inspiration among the billions of pins available. To keep your ideas organized and simple to access, save the Pinterest boards you like to your computer when you find them. You can also make your own pins to share your thoughts with other users of Pinterest.
You must produce images that are tailored exclusively for Pinterest in order to succeed there. Utilizing vertical photos (Pinterest suggests 600 x 900 pixels) will help your pins stand out to consumers who are browsing through their feed and persuade them to click on them.
On Pinterest, you don’t need a lot of followers to be successful. In fact, with just a few followers, you may even be able to rank your pins in the Pinterest search engine. Your pins will receive more exposure the more followers you have, but if you’re just getting started, don’t worry.
Pinterest is a fantastic choice if you’re looking for a location to find content and inspiration from other websites. The social media app is ideal for browsing to discover intriguing content, and the search engine tool makes it simple to find what you’re looking for.
By making pins with links back to your website or blog, you may utilize Pinterest to increase traffic to those locations. It can also be used to gain new knowledge and find inspiration in other people’s actions.
Whether it’s for personal or professional reasons, Twitter is the social network of choice for sharing information and contacting individuals rapidly. With over 500 million active users, Twitter has grown into a strong platform for both individuals and corporations.
If you’re a designer, Twitter is a fantastic medium for connecting with other creatives and potential clients. While Dribbble and Behance are better options for this, you can share photographs of your work there as well.
Connecting with present and new clients, as well as other companies in your sector, can be made easier with the help of a Facebook business page. A business page enables you to share details about your goods or services, to publish news and promotions, and to build a community around your company. Writing concise, SEO-friendly paragraphs is crucial if you want to get the most out of your Facebook company page.
Your company may benefit greatly from having a Facebook page. Other Facebook users can interact with you by liking or following your page, sharing your posts, leaving reviews of your services, and liking or following your page. There is still some advantage to having a high number of followers even though Facebook has limited the reach of posts from your page (measured by the percentage of your followers who will see your post) over time without paying for ads.
Facebook Groups may be a great resource for networking and establishing connections with people in your sector or industry. Joining a few groups for designers will assist you as a designer in staying current on trends and networking with other experts. You can also join clubs of local business owners to network with potential customers.
By searching Facebook, you can find more groups. This will enable you to focus your search and locate the ideal organization for your needs.
Discord
Millions of people all over the world use the voice, video, and text chat service Discord. Digital artists can hang out there, show off their work, get criticism, and even collaborate on projects. Find one that suits you from the countless art-related Discord servers available, and hang out there!
As a graphic designer or artist, Discord is a fantastic platform for connecting with other creatives and getting feedback on your work. On Discord, there are many vibrant design communities where you may obtain ideas, counsel, and criticism. Because it was designed with gamers in mind, Discord is also simple to use and has low latency, making it ideal for real-time cooperation.
Twitch
Twitch is a streaming service that was first developed for gamers but has since become well-liked by many types of creatives. Twitch offers artists a great opportunity to share their creative process, teach painting, have live discussions about art, or get feedback while still working on a new piece, thanks to its average daily audience of 31 million. Joining Twitch is a simple way to connect with groups of individuals who share your interests on a global scale.
You could find Twitch to be a valuable resource if you’re a graphic designer or artist. You can interact with other creatives on the website and receive feedback on your work, which can be motivating and inspiring. Additionally, Twitch can give you a ton of fresh concepts to consider if you ever feel creatively blocked
Tik Tok
The popularity of short-form videos is rising, with TikTok leading the pack. The platform, which surpasses even Google in terms of global traffic, has more than 1 billion users. Young people, who use it to submit videos with pre-recorded audio or make original audio tracks, make up its main audience. The well-liked audio content on TikTok makes it simple to follow trends and refine themes.
By viewing a variety of video content, graphic designers and painters can use TikTok to hone their sketching talents. The software is helpful for those trying to boost their creativity because it also lets users make and share their own films.
For graphic designers and painters, using TikTok is a terrific way to develop their drawing abilities. Users of the app have access to a variety of videos, including user-generated content, that can teach them new skills and help them improve their trade. Users can also make and post their own videos on TikTok, providing them with a platform to promote their work and connect with other people.
Reddit may be a fantastic resource for creating an artist community. It serves as a resource for artists to learn more and meet others who share their interests. Reddit, however, differs significantly from other social media networks, so it’s vital to keep that in mind. It isn’t primarily intended for one to market themselves or their work. Therefore, rather than utilizing Reddit as their primary marketing tool, artists should think about using it as a way to foster community and interact with others.
The creative community can benefit much from your knowledge and expertise shared on Reddit. There is a subreddit for everyone, regardless of whether you are a graphic designer, 3D modeler, or just enjoy making stuff. Additionally, Reddit can be useful if you’re looking to pick up new talents or locate individuals who share your exact interests. Feel free to join the discussion and share your knowledge if you wish to support your local creative community.
You ought to absolutely visit Reddit if you’re a graphic designer or artist. You can get inspiration from other creative experts as well as useful tips and criticism on your work thanks to its large user base. You can be sure you’re viewing the best Reddit has to offer because the site’s upvote/downvote algorithm promotes the most popular and helpful material to the top.
A Final Summary of Social Networks for Designers
Before diving into social media, determine your purpose for being there. Then, get everyone on board with an agreed-upon plan. By having a specific purpose and following a few rules of etiquette, you will be successful in achieving your goals.