While Richard Dawkins coined the term “meme” back in the 1970s, humans have been making them for thousands of years, as far back as 79 AD. Of course, way back then, “memes” existed in the physical space as funny graffiti or notes in books, which weren’t easily sharable.
Nowadays, memes are a mass-spread cultural phenomenon that most people associate with online spaces — and they’re easier to make than ever before.
Are you ready to join the billions of humans who have been making memes since the dawn of written language, but aren’t sure where to start? We’re here to help! Here’s your step-by-step guide on how to make a meme.
Pick a Program
There is no one way to make a meme. If you’re particularly driven and talented, you could even draw one by hand with good old-fashioned pencil and paper. But, if you’re looking for a slightly more streamlined way to generate a meme, you have plenty of options.
You can always make a high-quality meme on a program like Photoshop. But, if you’re looking for something a bit cheaper, there are plenty of free video editing software and easy-to-use meme-generating apps available.
Once you decide what program or app is right for you, you can start crafting funny and unique memes to share with your friends and family.
Start With an Image
Are you fluent in “meme”? Understanding the implications and nuance of specific images on the Internet is essential to creating relevant and understandable memes people will want to share. While you don’t need to be an internet historian and know everything about the source of the image you use, you do need to make sure you understand what that image means, especially if you want to use a well-known image.
Once you have your picture picked out, it’s time to move on to what makes online memes so unique: the caption.
Add Some Words
A picture may be worth a thousand words, but if you want to transform a simple image into a meme you’re going to need to add at least one word yourself.
There are quite a few unique meme formats out there, but two of the most common are “caption above” and “caption on” the image. The style you use depends on how many words you want to add.
The “caption above” style is primarily for memes that include a lot of words. If you want to add more than one or two lines of text to the image, this is the style for you.
The “caption on” style is probably the most recognizable meme layout, but it can be tricky to master because you need to be very concise with your wording. Too many words and you’ll block the picture or have to make your font too small to easily read.
How to Make a Meme: Your Complete Guide
Now that you know how to make a meme, it’s time to get crafting!
Are you looking for more tips on how to go viral? We’ve got you covered! Check out the rest of our blog for more helpful articles today!