Alfonso Cobo launched the 'Unfold' app in 2017 as a way for content creators to easily access beautifully designed templates for stories on social media. The Unfold app is highly ranked in the Photo & Video category of Apple's App Store and boasts stellar ratings from thousands of users.
Unfold is now introducing "Unfold for Brands" as a dedicated design agency for Instagram Stories. Already, a custom branded social media story series has been created for Equinox, with 13 templates that can be easily used by the luxury fitness company's team and trainers via a code in the Unfold app.
Interestingly, although the templates are designed for mobile-first sharing, Cobo takes much of his inspiration from paper products and analog technology. As he describes, "For the Clasico Series, I spent weeks studying how photographs and text were laid out in editorials and magazines. For the Film Frames 1 collection, I went to film photography exhibitions, studied and scanned old film, and collected hundreds of analog film pictures."
Social Media Story Agencies
'Unfold' is a Design Agency Expressly for Stories on Social Media
Trend Themes
1. Easy-to-use Design Templates - The success of the Unfold app highlights the trend towards providing content creators with readily available design templates for social media stories, presenting an opportunity for businesses to develop user-friendly design tools.
2. Dedicated Design Agencies for Social Media - The introduction of 'Unfold for Brands' showcases the trend of specialized design agencies catering specifically to the needs of brands on social media, presenting an opportunity for businesses to create tailored social media story campaigns.
3. Incorporating Analog Inspiration - The Unfold app's use of inspiration from paper products and analog technology demonstrates a trend of incorporating vintage aesthetics into digital media, presenting an opportunity for businesses to create unique and nostalgic social media content.
Industry Implications
1. Content Creation Software - The success of the Unfold app highlights the need for user-friendly design software for content creators in the social media industry, presenting an opportunity for businesses to develop innovative design tools.
2. Social Media Marketing Agencies - The emergence of 'Unfold for Brands' showcases the demand for specialized agencies that focus on creating social media story campaigns for businesses, presenting an opportunity for marketing agencies to specialize in this niche.
3. Photography and Design Exhibitions - The incorporation of analog inspiration by the Unfold app demonstrates a trend in the photography and design industries towards embracing vintage aesthetics in both digital and physical media, presenting an opportunity for businesses to showcase their work at exhibitions that celebrate this trend.