Get Noticed: The Importance of Visually Compelling Avatars

A visually compelling, square avatar is the basis upon which all successful social media campaigns are built.

Many nonprofits, however, do not have the financial resources to hire an avatar designer, nor do they realize the importance of a well-designed avatar. They simply upload their logo to social networking sites, which in many cases is a poor substitute for a specially created avatar.

Logos are primarily designed with a horizontal orientation, whereas avatars need to be square. When horizontal logos are uploaded to social networking sites they either get cropped to the point of illegibility or are shrunk to a size too small to read, reducing their visual impact.

Recognizing the need for better designed avatars in the nonprofit sector, Microsoft recently teamed up with Tyson Cabral, an Imagine Cup student participant from New Zealand, to help create free avatars for numerous nonprofits in Asia Pacific.

Below is a small selection:

 
Original Nonprofit Logo New Avatar
 
   
   

Helping create visually compelling avatars is only one of many examples of Microsoft Citizenship’s commitment and activities in support of nonprofits around the world.

For more information on our capacity building work, follow us on Twitter at @MSFTctzAPAC, ‘like’ us on Facebook or visit our Asia Pacific Citizenship Blog.