When you think about social media marketing for your web design business, you may be inclined to focus on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Dribbble. After all, visuals play a major part in the conversations that take place there and you are in the business of creating engaging visual content.
That said, I would argue that Twitter is the best social media marketing platform for a web designer. This is especially so if you’re looking to do more than just show off samples of your work (which really isn’t a recommended practice anyway):
- Follow web design experts and thought leaders;
- Find inspiration for your own web design work;
- Stay attuned to what’s happening in web design and web development so you can become the go-to-expert for your clients;
- Have engaging conversations with other web designers;
- Have engaging conversations with potential clients and fans of web design, in general.
Twitter isn’t a one-trick pony like some other social media platforms you might find yourself on. While you should still take time to be active on those, Twitter definitely is deserving of your time and energy. Mostly because of how many kickass web designers are there.
To make the most of Twitter, I would suggest you follow the right people from the very start. Not only will this help you build a base of high-authority web design experts around you, but it will also give you a wealth of information to tap into it whenever you want it (or perhaps even when you least expect it).
The following are some of the best web designer accounts you’ll find on Twitter. As you’ll see, they don’t spend time talking about irrelevant matters or sharing content without any thoughtful insights alongside them. These guys and gals know their stuff!
1. Abduzeedo/Fabio Sasso
Google designer and founder of the Abduzeedo design inspiration website, Fabio Sasso’s ABDZ account is a must-follow. His direct tweets demonstrate a real dedication to sharing the work of other designers while his retweets never fail to provide followers with relevant and insightful tips from other design experts.
2. Andy Sowards
Although Andy Sowards is a web designer (as well as programmer, gamer, and all-around geek), I’m not going to promote his Twitter account for that reason. Instead, I’m giving it a shout-out because this is exactly the kind of content freelance designers (or any freelancers managing their own businesses) should be seeing on a daily basis.
3. Brad Frost
Brad Frost is a Pittsburgh-based web designer, writer, speaker, and consultant. Clearly, he knows his stuff.
So, if you’re looking for someone who knows what they’re talking about when it comes to web design, and, more specifically, about has some really great practical advice on things like UI design and design systems, follow him.
4. Catherine Dionne
Catherine Dionne, UX Director of the Kryzalid web agency, has an interesting Twitter feed. It may not be for everyone, but it’s definitely worth following along if you’re interested in the future of user experience; specifically, in technologies like AI and blockchain that are expected to come even more into play in the coming years.
5. Chris Coyier
If you’re a fan of the CSS-Tricks website or you spend a lot of time on CodePen looking for CSS and JavaScript snippets to streamline and enhance your designs, you’re going to really enjoy Chris Coyier’s Twitter (he’s had a hand in creating both). His feed has a good mix of original tweets and retweets around CSS and web design.
6. David Teodorescu
David Teodorescu is a UX designer with an awesome Twitter stream to follow along with. Even if UX design isn’t your thing and you opt not to follow him, please do at least take the time to glance through some of his posts this year. He shares a lot of process-driven insights as well as tips on how to work smarter as a designer. There’s a lot to learn here.
7. Ethan Marcotte
So, uh, you know that whole responsive web design thing? Yeah, well, Ethan Marcotte is the one who coined the term back in 2010. It’s almost a decade later and it appears that he continues to be a web designer and thought leader worth listening to.
8. Heath Howard
Heath Howard has been designing websites since the early 2000s, which makes any insights or advice he has to give on the matter quite valuable.
There is a good mix of content here, from launching a new business to learning how to code websites with HTML5 and CSS. He also shares the occasional web designer/developer meme, so it’s also a worthy follow if you appreciate a good distraction every now and again.
9. Jeffrey Zeldman
Jeffrey Zeldman has been a designer since 1995, but most of you probably know him as the man behind the “Apart” brands (A List Apart, A Book Apart, An Event Apart). There is a good hodgepodge of posts, not all of which actually have to do with web design (like a post about tattoo design from April). I’d say that if you find something like this post entertaining, Zeldman is a good one to follow:
Nobody is at your website or app to gaze lovingly at your navigation. ‘I didn’t like the Grand Canyon itself, but I did enjoy the fonts they used on their signposts,’ said nobody, ever (except maybe a graphic designer).
10. Jen Simmons
Jen Simmons, Designer Advocate at Mozilla, has a pretty clear narrative that runs throughout her Twitter: CSS Grid is essential if you want to design well for the web.
Whether you already have an interest in using CSS to improve your skills as a web designer or you want to learn more about how grids can streamline and improve design results, this is a Twitter account you must follow.
11. Jonathan Torke
One of my favorite things about this account is how often Jonathan Torke posts to it. It’s obvious he has a lot to say about the state of web design, so I greatly appreciate this steady stream of insights. And they cover so much: UI, UX, JavaScript library suggestions, upcoming design trends, design technologies, and so on. It’s just a really great collection of design information from around the web that’s sure to both educate and inspire anyone who follows him.
12. Jon Phillips
Jon Phillips is a UI and UX designer whose Twitter feed is much like what you’d expect. He promotes content that not only gets other designers thinking about UI and UX in smarter ways, but it heavily promotes the research and planning parts of the design process. I’d say that if you find your own research and setup of web design projects to be lacking or you just want to get a better handle on it, check him out.
13. Justin Mifsud
If you want to get better about designing for the user experience, Justin Mifsud’s Twitter account is a great one to start with. He is the founder of UsabilityGeek and, yet, with all the posts you’ll encounter in his feed, you probably wouldn’t know it because of how much high-quality content he shares from other awesome usability sources.
The best part is that he usually isn’t in the habit of throwing up a link and copying just the title into the message. He lends real personal insights to his posts, so you know he’s taken time to read the article and extract something valuable from it as well.
14. Katrin Suess
UX designer Katrin Suess has what I like to call a very vibrant Twitter feed. Yes, she shares content about user experience design. But there’s something very well-rounded about what she offers here. You’ll find content that has to do with SEO and marketing, for instance, which is great because it acknowledges that there’s more to web design than just the heavy-duty UX work that gets a lot of airplay.
15. Kostas Hatzis
Kostas Hatzis’s feed is a really well-rounded aggregation of web design, graphic design, and UX design articles from around the web. I would say this is a must-have regardless of what your particular specialty or areas of interest are. And you have topics ranging from fun and controversial (like “5 Times Nudity Shook the Graphic Design World”) to practical applications (like “Lesser known CSS quirks & advanced tips”).
16. Luke Wroblewski
Luke Wroblewski has worked for a number of high-tech, forwarding-thinking companies like Yahoo and eBay, which is a solid testament to his prowess as it pertains to the web. While he has done a lot in the way of designing products, I would say that his insights into UI design (especially for mobile interfaces) would be incredibly helpful for the modern web designer.
17. Val Head
What’s really great about Val Head’s Twitter account is that she shares content that is truly click-worthy. And it’s not just because it has to do with the subject of user interface design and animations (which isn’t always the case, though it’s the majority of it). No, it’s because she shares thoughts like this that really provoke followers to read more:
Why does brutalist web design even exist? Maybe it’s the bad influence we all need.
18. Webdesigner Depot
How could we possibly conclude a list of inspirational Twitter accounts without appending our own. Webdesigner Depot’s Twitter account is the best account to follow if you’re looking for community and inspiration, design news, tools, resources, and more.
Wrapping Up
Whatever it is you seek—more valuable social media connections, inspiration for your web design work, or a chance to engage more with your community—these web designer Twitter accounts are a great place to start.
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This content was first posted here:
18 Twitter Accounts Every Web Designer Should Follow in 2018
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