---
name: social-media-templates
description: Generate complete social media template sets from brand identity. Creates platform-specific templates (Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube) with both filled examples and blank reusable templates. Use after brand-identity work is complete.
---

# Social Media Template Generator

## Purpose

Transform a brand identity into a complete, ready-to-use social media template kit. Output includes both **example posts** (showing the brand in action) and **blank templates** (for the client/team to customize).

---

## Prerequisites

Before running this skill, you need:

1. **Logo file(s)** — Icon version + wordmark version
2. **Color palette** — Primary, secondary, accent colors with hex codes
3. **Typography** — Heading font + body font
4. **Brand personality** — 3-5 adjectives describing the brand voice

If these don't exist yet, run the `brand-identity` skill first.

---

## Platform Specifications

### Instagram

| Format | Dimensions | Use Case |
|--------|-----------|----------|
| Post (Square) | 1080×1080 | Standard feed posts |
| Post (Portrait) | 1080×1350 | Higher engagement, more real estate |
| Story | 1080×1920 | Stories, Reels cover |
| Carousel | 1080×1080 (per slide) | Multi-image educational content |

**Safe zones:** Keep text 100px from edges (Stories: 250px from top/bottom for UI)

### LinkedIn

| Format | Dimensions | Use Case |
|--------|-----------|----------|
| Post | 1200×627 | Standard feed posts |
| Article Cover | 1200×644 | Blog/article shares |
| Company Banner | 1128×191 | Company page header |
| Profile Banner | 1584×396 | Personal profile header |

**Safe zones:** Keep text 50px from edges; mobile crops sides

### Twitter/X

| Format | Dimensions | Use Case |
|--------|-----------|----------|
| Post | 1600×900 | Standard tweets with images |
| Header | 1500×500 | Profile banner |
| Card | 800×418 | Link preview cards |

**Safe zones:** Center-weight content; edges get cropped on mobile

### Facebook

| Format | Dimensions | Use Case |
|--------|-----------|----------|
| Post | 1200×630 | Standard feed posts |
| Cover | 1640×856 | Page cover (desktop) |
| Cover (mobile) | 640×360 | Mobile-optimized cover |
| Event Cover | 1920×1005 | Event pages |

**Safe zones:** Cover text in center 820×312 area only

### YouTube

| Format | Dimensions | Use Case |
|--------|-----------|----------|
| Thumbnail | 1280×720 | Video thumbnails |
| Channel Banner | 2560×1440 | Channel art (safe: 1546×423 center) |
| End Screen | 1920×1080 | End screen elements |

**Safe zones:** Thumbnail text: large, readable at 120px height preview

### TikTok

| Format | Dimensions | Use Case |
|--------|-----------|----------|
| Video Cover | 1080×1920 | Video thumbnail/cover |
| Profile | 200×200 | Profile picture |

---

## Template Types to Generate

For each brand, create these template categories:

### 1. Announcement Templates
- Product launch
- Feature update
- Company news
- Event announcement

**Structure:** Bold headline + supporting visual + logo

### 2. Quote/Testimonial Templates
- Customer quote
- Team quote
- Inspirational quote
- Stat/data highlight

**Structure:** Large quote text + attribution + subtle brand element

### 3. Educational/Value Templates
- Tip of the day
- How-to step
- Myth vs fact
- Quick explainer

**Structure:** Clear headline + content area + brand footer

### 4. Promotional Templates
- Sale/discount
- Limited offer
- CTA-focused
- Product showcase

**Structure:** Attention-grabbing headline + offer details + strong CTA

### 5. Engagement Templates
- Question prompt
- Poll setup
- This or that
- Fill in the blank

**Structure:** Interactive prompt + response space + brand accent

### 6. Story Templates (vertical only)
- Swipe up/link CTA
- Behind the scenes
- Quick tip
- Countdown/hype

**Structure:** Full-bleed visual + overlaid text + interactive elements

---

## Design System Application

### Logo Placement Rules

| Position | When to Use |
|----------|-------------|
| Bottom-right | Default for most posts |
| Bottom-left | When right side has key content |
| Top-left | Stories (avoiding bottom UI) |
| Center | Brand-focused announcements only |
| Watermark (low opacity) | Photo-heavy content |

**Logo sizing:**
- Minimum: 60px width on feed posts
- Maximum: 20% of canvas width
- Stories: 80-100px width recommended

### Color Application

```
Background options:
├── Primary color (solid)
├── Secondary color (solid)
├── Gradient (primary → secondary)
├── Dark neutral (#1a1a1a or brand dark)
├── Light neutral (#f5f5f5 or brand light)
└── Photo with color overlay (50-70% opacity)

Text on backgrounds:
├── Dark bg → White text
├── Light bg → Dark text (brand dark or #1a1a1a)
├── Photo bg → White text with subtle shadow
└── Always verify 4.5:1 contrast ratio
```

### Typography Hierarchy

```
Headline (primary font):
├── Instagram: 48-72px
├── LinkedIn: 40-56px
├── Twitter: 36-48px
└── Weight: Bold or Semibold

Subheadline (primary or secondary font):
├── All platforms: 24-32px
└── Weight: Medium or Regular

Body text (secondary font):
├── All platforms: 18-24px
└── Weight: Regular
└── Line height: 1.4-1.5

CTA text:
├── All caps or sentence case (match brand voice)
├── Size: 20-28px
└── Weight: Bold
```

---

## Generation Workflow

### Step 1: Gather Brand Assets

```
Required inputs:
□ Logo (icon + wordmark, PNG with transparency)
□ Primary color hex
□ Secondary color hex  
□ Accent color hex (optional)
□ Heading font name
□ Body font name
□ Brand personality adjectives
□ Sample tagline or CTA
```

### Step 2: Create Base Templates

For each platform, generate:

1. **Grid/layout file** — Shows safe zones, logo placement areas
2. **Background variations** — 4-5 background options per template type
3. **Typography styles** — Pre-set text styles at correct sizes

### Step 3: Generate Filled Examples

Create 2-3 filled examples per template type showing:
- Real-looking content (not lorem ipsum)
- Proper hierarchy in action
- Photo integration (where applicable)

Use `nano-banana-pro` for generation:

```
Generate a [platform] [template type] template:
- Dimensions: [WxH]
- Brand colors: [primary], [secondary]
- Logo: [describe placement]
- Typography: [heading font] for headlines, [body font] for text
- Style: [brand personality adjectives]
- Content: [example headline/copy]
```

### Step 4: Generate Blank Templates

For each filled example, create a blank version:
- Same layout and structure
- Placeholder text: "[HEADLINE HERE]", "[Your message]"
- Clear visual hierarchy
- Logo already placed
- Background ready to use

### Step 5: Package Deliverables

Organize output as:

```
social-templates/
├── instagram/
│   ├── post-square/
│   │   ├── announcement-example.png
│   │   ├── announcement-blank.png
│   │   ├── quote-example.png
│   │   ├── quote-blank.png
│   │   └── ...
│   ├── post-portrait/
│   └── story/
├── linkedin/
│   ├── post/
│   └── banner/
├── twitter/
│   └── post/
├── facebook/
│   ├── post/
│   └── cover/
├── youtube/
│   └── thumbnail/
└── README.md (usage guidelines)
```

---

## Quality Checklist

Before delivering templates:

- [ ] All dimensions match platform specs exactly
- [ ] Logo is crisp at template size (not pixelated)
- [ ] Text contrast meets WCAG AA (4.5:1 minimum)
- [ ] Safe zones respected (text not in crop areas)
- [ ] Fonts are consistent across all templates
- [ ] Colors match brand palette exactly (verify hex codes)
- [ ] Both filled examples AND blank templates provided
- [ ] Templates tested at mobile preview sizes
- [ ] File naming is clear and consistent
- [ ] README explains how to use/customize templates

---

## Non-Designer Usage Guide

Include this in the deliverable README:

### How to Use These Templates

**Option 1: Direct use**
- Open blank template in any image editor
- Add your text over placeholder areas
- Export as PNG

**Option 2: Canva recreation**
- Create new design with matching dimensions
- Set background color to brand color
- Upload logo, place in designated corner
- Use brand fonts (or closest Canva match)
- Follow the layout shown in examples

**Option 3: Figma (for teams)**
- Import templates as frames
- Create text components
- Duplicate frames for new posts

### Do's and Don'ts

**Do:**
- Keep text within safe zones
- Use only brand colors
- Maintain logo placement consistency
- Test readability on mobile

**Don't:**
- Stretch the logo
- Use more than 2-3 text sizes per post
- Place text over busy photo areas
- Use colors outside the brand palette
- Cram too much text (less is more)

---

## Prompt Templates for Generation

### Instagram Post (Square)

```
Create an Instagram post template (1080x1080):
- Background: [solid color / gradient / photo placeholder]
- Headline area: top third, [font] at 56px, [color]
- Body area: middle third, [font] at 24px, [color]
- Logo: bottom right corner, 80px width
- Brand colors: [primary], [secondary]
- Style: [brand adjectives]
- Content: "[example headline]" / "[example body text]"
```

### Instagram Story

```
Create an Instagram Story template (1080x1920):
- Background: [full bleed color / photo with overlay]
- Top safe zone: 250px clear for clock/notifications
- Headline: center-upper area, [font] at 64px, white
- CTA area: lower third (above bottom 250px safe zone)
- Logo: top left, 100px width, white version
- Swipe up hint: bottom center
- Style: [brand adjectives], bold, attention-grabbing
```

### LinkedIn Post

```
Create a LinkedIn post image (1200x627):
- Background: [professional, clean]
- Headline: left-aligned, [font] at 48px
- Supporting text: below headline, [font] at 24px
- Logo: bottom right, 70px width
- Style: professional, credible, [brand adjectives]
- Tone: business-appropriate
```

### Quote Card

```
Create a quote/testimonial template:
- Large quotation marks as design element (subtle, brand color)
- Quote text: centered, [font] at 36px, [color]
- Attribution: below quote, smaller, [font] at 20px
- Logo: bottom center or corner
- Background: [solid brand color / subtle texture]
```

---

## Integration with Brand Identity

This skill is called from `brand-identity` skill at Step 7 (Application Mockups).

To run standalone:
1. Gather brand assets (see Step 1)
2. Run through generation workflow
3. Deliver packaged templates

To run from brand-identity:
1. Brand identity skill passes all context
2. This skill generates social templates
3. Templates become part of brand guidelines deliverable

---

## Related Skills

- `brand-identity` — Creates the brand system these templates use
- `nano-banana-pro` — Image generation for creating templates
- `graphic-design` — Design principles for customization guidance
- `marketing-mode` — Content strategy for what to post
