These days, one would be hard-pressed to find a firm, architect, or designer who isn’t on some form of social media. But if you’re focusing all of your efforts on Facebook or Twitter, you could be missing out on the best way to get your brand out there: Instagram.
The app-based, visual-heavy platform was practically made for the design industry, allowing the user space to share images or short videos with accompanying captions, relying on images portraying information rather than text.
The simplicity of the platform means less information for users to wade through on their feeds, which allows them to breeze through more content than on Facebook or Twitter. A recent study by Forrester Research found that compared to Facebook, Instagram users are 58 times more likely to like, comment on, or share posts by brands, and 120 times more likely than on Twitter.
Levi Higgs, whose colorful Instagram photos have gained him notoriety under the tag @Levi_Higgs, highlighted that while design and art may not change due to the social media platform, it has directly changed their accessibility. “[Instagram puts] people in touch with the things they are interested in in a more efficient manner. I doubt that art and design have changed implicitly in any real way simply due to Instagram, but the way people consume either has been vastly increased.”
For the design industry, this is a boon. Often seen as being unobtainable by many—hiding behind showroom doors, museum entrance fees, and limited budgets—Instagram increases accessibility, inviting a wider population to take part in art and design.
“The value found in increasing something’s accessibility is that the audience is inherently interested [in who they are following,]” explains Higgs. “When it comes to brands or publications, you can be sure
the people following you could more than likely be potential customers or consumers in some way.”
For Taylor Newby (@MetMuseum), online community manager for the Metropolitan Museum of Art and 2014 “Webby” winner in the Social: Arts & Culture category, greater accessibility means people who may not get the chance to ever view the museum in person are given a glimpse into its galleries. “Every day they get to enjoy and experience what we have to offer, even if they can’t come in person. For us, [Instagram] was a great way to get our account out to a much wider net, to people who may not typically think of the Met as a place for them. It is a really great way to let them see the Met in a new way, and also reach a different audience than the Met typically reaches.”
In addition to changing who has access to design, Instagram is able to bring lesser-known works, exhibits, and processes to the foreground. Newby is able to use the platform to highlight smaller exhibits that may get less foot-traffic than the larger, more permanent galleries.
Similarly, Aiden McGuire (@KIFurniture), senior marketing communications specialist for KI Furniture uses the increased accessibility of Instagram to bring more transparency to the manufacturing process. “As a manufacturer, transparency is key to everything we do. Visual social tools like Instagram allow us to grant unprecedented levels of access to our manufacturing and design processes. From the corporate office to the manufacturing floor, and everywhere in between, Instagram helps us bring the KI brand to life in surprising, highly visual, and memorable ways.”
This lifting of the veil on the usually Photoshop-perfect image of art and design gives the industry more personality, allowing us to see the cogs within the system before a chair makes it to the showroom or an exhibit has its opening night. “These days, it’s all about authenticity through photos,” continues McGuire. “Designers certainly love and appreciate the hi-res, retouched marketing photos they see in brochures and catalogs. But what our friends in the design community especially love is being able to see what the products we manufacturer actually look like in their environments. Instagram allows us to do that.”
But, like any sort of social media, Instagram isn’t without its drawbacks.
One of the main concerns in the past year has been Instagram’s change to their Terms of Service in the beginning of the year. The revisions seemingly indicated that Instagram owned the right to users’ photos, and could in turn sell the images for a profit. The backlash was swift, and in a blog posted in January, co-founder Kevin Systrom released the following statement:
“Instagram users own their content and Instagram does not claim any ownership rights over your photos. Nothing about this has changed. We respect that there are creative artists and hobbyists alike that pour their heart into creating beautiful photos, and we respect that your photos are your photos. Period.
“I always want you to feel comfortable sharing your photos on Instagram and we will always work hard to foster and respect our community and go out of our way to support its rights.”
However, one caveat in the Terms of Service opened a loophole which became a national debate this past May. Artist Richard Price printed the artwork of dozens of Instagram users on large-scale canvases, displaying them in a NYC gallery, and selling them each for over $9,000. While copyright infringement was apparent, the addition of the caveat, “Once you have shared User Content or made it public, that User Content may be re-shared by others,” in the Terms of Service agreement opened the back door in already murky internet laws.
These drawbacks have stopped neither more than 300 million users from being active every month nor 70 million photos from being uploaded every day. And the numbers are growing.
For designers and firms who want to make the move to Instagram or boost their numbers, the key is in providing content that is full of personality, relevant, frequent, and, of course, visually compelling.
◗ “Show your own personality,” says Newby. “Especially if someone is following a particular artist or a designer, they want to see your personality as well, not just ‘look at this work and look at this work.’ People really resonate with that.” Showing the world your brand is more than just another pretty interior will keep an audience coming back for more. But keep in mind that images should stick to common themes; a random gym selfie or cat photo in the midst of architecture and design can lead your audience to be confused about what content you’ll continue providing, or to believe the account has been compromised.
◗ “A user can create better content by making it relevant,” suggests McGuire. “Use lots of hashtags!” Newby agrees: “Instagram’s new Search and Explore feature really increases visibility of certain posts. We look to see what is trending that day. I would never latch on to something because it’s trending, but if we have relevant work or a way to connect to it, it provides more visibility on the Search and Explore page.” Recently, Newby had been planning on posting an image of President Obama and the First Lady on the President’s birthday, but before posting he saw that the hashtag (#) POTUS was trending. Adding the hashtag to his image put it on the Search and Explore page, leading to more interactions and gaining the Met more followers.
◗ While it can be easy to post only when you think about it, uploading several photos at a time, Newby says it’s a balancing act. He tries to post one or two photos a day: too many more and your users can feel oversaturated, while skipping days can make them forget your account is active. While events, such as the annual Met Ball, warrant more frequent updates, it’s best to stick to a handful of great images than risk overwhelming your audience.
◗ And, of course, the visual element is key. “I’ll take 25 photos per post, then go through and make sure I’m picking the best one, the best angle and best lighting. Really post the best photos you can,” says Newby. Instagram has become a tool in which to inspire users. Brightly lit, well composed images which catch the eye will earn you followers, but you can also use Instagram to inspire your own photos as well. “Follow accounts that inspire you, and look to the techniques and etiquettes that others who have the level of success you desire demonstrate,” suggests Higgs.
The success of social media platforms and the ways in which we continue to use them don’t show signs of stopping. How one rides the waves of that success relies on innovation. Corgan, an architecture firm in Dallas, TX, has embraced the advancement of video features on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram by providing clients with video proposals and highlights of finished works. These videos, which range in length, are cut down to 15-30 second bite-sized pieces and posted online with links to the longer versions as a means of providing a bigger look at their work.
The way we receive news and information is constantly changing through social media as well. As Higgs points out, “It’s already a huge source of information for news outlets and lets people and publications spot trends as they happen live, so [social media] will become the most consumed source of information regarding any event or happening.” As media as a whole begins to move more towards instant-communication, designers will have broader opportunities to present their work to a larger audience, making their mark on trends in the industry.
