3D elements are not just for movies and games. They can also make your social media designs stand out from the crowd and create a more immersive and engaging experience for your audience. In this article, you will learn how to use 3D elements in your social media designs, what tools and resources you need, and what best practices to follow.
3D elements can add depth, realism, and dynamism to your social media designs. They can help you showcase your products or services in a more appealing and interactive way, or create eye-catching visuals that capture attention and spark curiosity. 3D elements can also help you convey your brand personality, values, and message more effectively, as they can evoke emotions, tell stories, and express creativity.
In a world with so many companies, partners and users being on social media platforms - utilising 3D elements throughout your creative can be a fantastic way to 'surprise and delight' social media users to encourage them to spend more time consuming your messaging. This provides a fantastic opportunity for your brand to gain further opportunity to aid your customer decision making journey through social media marketing.
The visual appeal of the 3D elements is more impressive and impactful when compared with 2D. It is immersive and makes the content look more real. It can be used for brand storytelling. It creates more engagement.
3D elements are assets that have full 360 degrees of viewability / interactivity. A 3D asset can be rotated to be viewed from the sides, back etc. And in a 3D environment such as the metaverse, an asset can also have volume such that you can "bump" into it or manipulate it like a physical object in real life
You don't need to be a professional 3D artist or animator to use 3D elements in your social media designs. There are plenty of tools and resources available online that can help. Canva, for example, is a free online design platform that offers thousands of templates and stock images, as well as 3D elements such as shapes, stickers, text, and animations. Blender is a free and open-source 3D creation suite that lets you model, sculpt, animate, render, and edit 3D elements. Sketchfab is a platform that hosts and displays 3D models and animations with millions of free and premium 3D elements available for download or upload. Finally, Adobe Dimension is a software that enables you to create photorealistic 3D scenes and mockups with materials, lighting, and effects imported from Adobe Stock or other sources.
There are multiple resource libraries for 3D elements but it's important not to allow the word '3D' to scare you! Even using 3D elements such as text in your still creative can really help to stop 'feed-scrollers' and enable them to engage with your content.
AI tools are saturating the market with easy to use & zero expertise required, to industrial mass production engines such as Nvidia. These AI tools can either generate and animate them from text inputs, or convert existing 2D images into 3D objects.
When it comes to using 3D elements in your social media designs, the possibilities are endless. You can use 3D models to highlight your products or services, create a unique logo or icon, add some fun and personality to your posts, or tell a story or convey a message. For instance, you could show a 3D model of your product from different angles, use a 3D shape or text for your logo, add a 3D character or emoji to express emotions, use a 3D sticker or badge to add flair and humor, set the mood with a 3D scene or background, or illustrate data with a 3D infographic or diagram. With these tips and examples, you'll be sure to find the perfect way to incorporate 3D elements into your social media designs.
3D elements used together with an environment(also 3D) such as the Metaverse can help create an immersive VR or AR experience such that a user feels completely immersed into your world. Evoking feelings and memories will give much more recall power and motivation for a call to action.
To make the most of 3D elements in your social media designs, you should keep them simple and relevant, ensuring they add value and match your brand identity. Consistency is also key, using the same or similar 3D elements across channels to create a cohesive visual identity. Additionally, optimize your 3D elements for size, resolution, and format of your social media platforms, as well as consider accessibility and usability for your audience.
Even when implementing 3D elements into your social media designs, ensure that they continue to align to your brand values/identity. Whilst 'surprising and delighting' your audience with lesser used design can be a way to engage your audience and capture their attention, you will need to ensure that the creative feels authentic and genuine.
To learn more about 3D elements and how to use them in your social media designs, you can explore resources such as Canva Design School, a free online learning platform offering courses and tutorials on various design topics; Blender Guru, a YouTube channel featuring videos and guides on how to use Blender for 3D modeling, animation, and rendering; Sketchfab Blog, a blog showcasing and explaining the latest trends and techniques in 3D design and art; and Adobe Dimension Tutorials, a collection of tutorials and videos that teach you how to use Adobe Dimension for 3D design and visualization.
think outside the flat screen Adding some 3D pizzazz to your social media is like turning a 2D movie into a pop up book. People will be like, "Wait, what? Is this a magic show?" an example There was this cat meme in 3D, with the cat popping out of the screen. People were double tapping like crazy, thinking they could pet it. Hilarious, but also effective! ???? Now, for the nitty gritty: you'll need some tools and resources, like 3D modeling software, or you could go full caveman and use clay (just kidding, don't do that). And of course, always follow best practices don't make your 3D elements so complex that your audience needs a Ph.D. in geometry to get your message! ????