Building a social brand

Developing a well-defined brand image on social media enhances content recognition and provides a clear framework for content creation. During my tenure at Nickelodeon, I played a key role in shaping the brands for various accounts, including Instagram and TikTok for Nickelodeon, TMNT, Avatar, Garfield, and Teen Nick. This experience underscored the importance of crafting a brand that is both accessible and authentic, avoiding an overly polished appearance that can seem disconnected from the digital landscape.

01 Social Language

It's well-known that users scroll rapidly through social feeds, giving you approximately 3-5 seconds to capture their attention. Consequently, it is crucial for our brands to be instantly recognizable. This is achieved through a consistent brand identity. By utilizing fonts, colors, textures, and other brand elements, my team and I developed numerous evolving style guides. These guides not only facilitated asset creation for our in-house team but also provided clear direction for external vendors working on various social handles.

02 The fans recognize the brand

Aligning graphics with the overall aesthetic of a show or brand is crucial. For instance, Avatar, which has a darker tone compared to other Nickelodeon content, required a more tailored color palette rather than a full application of Nickelodeon’s colors. We chose colors that resonated with the Avatar universe while incorporating certain fonts and colors that bridged to the Nickelodeon brand. This approach facilitated seamless cross-posting, ensuring that content created for Avatar felt cohesive and appropriately integrated when shared on Nickelodeon's platform.

03 Templates make us faster

Establishing a standardized approach for colors, typography, and imagery provides the team with a clear vision for asset creation. This removes uncertainty from developing effective content and fosters a more cohesive brand identity.