By It’s no secret that humor serves as a highly effective tool to persuade people. It’s also safe to say that memes go beyond their humor, especially when it relates to marketing. However, meme design that is effective, humorous and with it’s own viral edge is tough to create. If you try to make a meme that is only relevant to a small group of people, it may not be as widely shared as an image that has more universal appeal. For designers as well as marketers, there are multiple things to consider when coming up with an effective meme design.
The word ‘meme’, originated first with evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins in 1976. Combining the Greek word mimeme—translated to “imitated thing”—and gene. By Dawkins’ definition, memes are cultural ideas that spread and repeat themselves across society. Add the Internet and an evolving sense of humor, and you have the Internet meme. The internet meme is a vessel of communication, a signifier of the comedic zeitgeist, and a device for channeling the inherent anxieties of youth.
Meme design, mass appeal, and audience!
Memes hold great power to influence the way people think and act. A meme that doesn’t consider its audience, or chooses shock value, can backfire and be tough to come back from. A meme that’s offensive, irrelevant, or out of touch can quickly lead to some facepalms.
Overall, a good meme is successful when it is simple, funny, and appeals to a large audience.
For instance, the following memes in this article will focus entirely on snippets from Slim Jim’s Instagram page. What’s led to their immense popularity is their authentic approach to using appropriate meme culture etiquette.