At UBC, we use social media to amplify stories that celebrate new ideas and encourage people to maximize their potential.
Social media is a powerful resource and tool for capturing and sharing moments that exemplify UBC’s drive to develop opportunities for people who want to create a better world. Our social content is inclusive and should always inspire a feeling of belonging to the UBC community.
General Guidelines
Keep your social media content “on-brand.” The content you share on an official UBC social media channel should be representative of a leading university. Use imagery to align with your message, brand positioning and to enhance the post theme, message and topic. Please review our resources on Who We Are and Brand Voice to ensure you communications align with the UBC Applied Science Brand.
For more Social Media guidelines, refer to UBC Brand Social Media.
Social Media Templates
Whether you are looking to feature an image, showcase a quotation or promote a key message, you’ll have a branded head start. Each template suite has several variations with or without an image, logos or text.
Adobe InDesign Tutorial
All of our social media templates have been developed using Adobe InDesign. Adobe products are available to UBC staff and faculty at no cost. For details on how to access the software learn more from UBC IT. If you are new to Adobe InDesign, please watch this tutorial to learn how to use our templates.
Usage Considerations
- Think about your social feed and a variety of template uses to keep it visually engaging and stimulating for your audience.
- Clean photography is still okay. The templates are available to add as a visual layer to your comms mix.
- Remember the screen size. Keep it clean, big and simple to be legible. We design on desktops and laptops but majority of people browse social media on small screen devices.
- Reflect on the purpose of your post when selecting the most appropriate template. Are you trying to encourage a “click through to learn more” or a “general awareness/top of mind message”, i.e. no call to action.
- Logos vs no logos – Is my post intended for my brand channel and feed (logo discretionary) or am I hoping for re-circulation and wider exposure outside my network (logo recommended).
- Will a shortname logo add value or context? Some templates contain a placeholder space in the upper left to accommodate your shortname logo. Our recommendation is to use this sparingly or as required to clearly display the associated unit or department.
- Give the greatest impact and let the text OR image grab the reader’s attention. When using the template with both, ensure that you keep one variable as the primary element and one as the secondary. Try not to make them compete with each other.
Sample templates for Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Instagram Story/Reels
Requesting More Templates
If we do not have a Social Media template for your unit or if you have additional template needs, please contact communications@apsc.ubc.ca.
Download Assets
Social Media templates are available on the APSC intranet – EAD\CWL login may be required.