Design on Instagram

I am sure you already know that Instagram design is just as important as the content you share.

It is the first impression that any user of this social network will have as soon as they land on your profile.

And considering that Instagram has over 1.074 billion users, any detail you can use to differentiate yourself from your competition is key to success.

Have you already convinced yourself that you need to take care of the design of your Instagram account? If so, follow us on this adventure to create your design strategy.

Starting with design on Instagram

Let’s start from the beginning… your Instagram feed! What is the Instagram feed?

The first impression is crucial to success on Instagram. In the same way, a well-arranged feed can attract new followers to your community. A careless feed can ruin users’ experience and make them flee in terror.

In short, creating a design strategy on Instagram will allow you to:

✅ Increase your community of followers, strengthening the commitment of those who already follow you and attracting new users.

✅ Improve your brand image by having quality content with a beautiful and worth visiting Instagram feed.

There are several ways to get a perfect feed: follow current trends, establish a color pattern, use a consistent style throughout the feed, etc.

In fact, among the trends, there is a current feed style that is very popular in multiple Instagram accounts: The puzzle feed.

It is an elegant style that arouses users’ curiosity since it manages to form a complete image with all the photos you have uploaded to your feed.

It takes a lot of organization and planning to create this style, so everything is in the right place.

Get an attractive feed for your Instagram

To get the most out of your Instagram feed, we propose several designs that are trending in 2021.

Apply them to your personal profile, your business profile or your personal brand.

Feed layouts according to the order of your posts

Here a wide range of possibilities opens, you can place the posts of your profile so that they have a different layout: vertical, horizontal, checkerboard or puzzle grid.

Here we will explain these four different layouts so you can decide which one you like the most or matches your brand image.

✅ Checkerboard grid

This is a classic design to use on your Instagram feed.

Checkerboard design in which two different types of posts always coexist in an alternate way. That is, when you publish the first type of design, the next post will be the other design and so on.

It is useful because you have several combinations and when you enter the feed you discover at a glance the type of post that interests you.

Example checkerboard layout

Tara Wagner’s profile combines two types of posts in her checkerboard-style feed. She combines and alternates a publication with  text with other publications with photos in which she is the protagonist with different backgrounds and shapes.

✅ Horizontal style

With this style, the distribution of the publications is done in horizontal format.

Each row contains three photos belonging to a specific theme or topic. It is useful to have the same content published in three different posts instead of sharing a carousel where you need to click on the post to see all the information. 

Also, it is a great resource to tell a story in three acts.  Remember that we read from left to right, think carefully about how you are going to distribute your publications to follow a proper order.

Example horizontal style

The “Personaljournalapp” user groups his content in horizontal rows. There is always a space dedicated to quotes and then another section with three photographs of an artistic nature.

✅ Vertical style

The style of this design is similar to the horizontal format, but vertically. The same rule of uploading three different photo styles is met, forming three columns covering different topics.

This facilitates the search to find content at glance.

Example vertical style

Cocó Constans’ profile perfectly represents this vertical style for the Instagram feed. In each column there is a type of content easily differentiated at a glance.

Each column is for a specific topic and style: quotes, recipes and physical exercises.

✅ Puzzle style

A real challenge and a great result when you have multiple posts on your Instagram feed.

This style consists of using different horizontal and vertical lines to form a complete image. That is, the image that you would upload in a single post, you divide it into several publications.

In this way, when entering the feed they see a great image formed in different publications.

The challenge here is being able to divide each image perfectly so that it looks good. 

TRICK
If design tools are not your thing, you can use apps like Griddy to build this puzzle effect.
Despite the fact that the process is more complicated than the rest of the designs, you will love the result.

Example puzzle style

The user PetitFit_Team uses this style with the first nine publications on the feed that make up a full image.

As you can see, there is a wonderful harmony between the nine images that have a great impact. Also, in each publication you can add a different copy.

Designs according to the style of the post

This type of feed layout is related to that of posts. Several profiles choose to reduce the size of the published photo in exchange for adding borders to the image.

In this way you can get a clean and minimalist feed because the photos are more separated than usual.

The result is a calm feeling, where each image stands out on its own. It is a clear and risky bet, because the moment you start with that style you must maintain it.

What kinds of designs can you find?

✅ With colored borders

Although you can add any color to the images, the most common is white. This color helps to highlight the post and helps the user to focus on the image.

It is useful for a feed full of bold colors or even black and white. Depending on the thickness of the borders, you will get more distance between the publications.

In this type of design you can use a horizontal or vertical style, depending on the arrangement of the photo. Also, you can combine both styles.

Example of colored borders

Lady.Austin’s profile is a clear example of this type of feed. Always use white for the borders and combine both horizontal and vertical styles depending on the type of photo.

As you can see, she uses a wide thickness that reduces the size of the photo so if you want to see it better you will have to click on the image, which will increase the chances of getting a like or comment.

✅ Designs for Instagram according to the color of the feed

Other alternatives to give your Instagram feed a personalized style is to set a pattern with colors or filters, always maintaining consistency in the publications.

These options combine perfectly with the rest of the feed styles, both in checkerboard grids and photos with borders.

Here are some examples that you can put into practice.

✅ Dominant colors

A common resource for users is to use three dominant colors throughout their feed. You can use a single color or more than one.

In any case, the idea is that these dominant colors appear in all the posts of your feed.

Example feed with primary colors

In Hailey’s profile (@dreaming_outloud) three colors predominate: green, orange and brown. They appear in all the posts.

The result is a colorful but harmonious feed thanks to the use of the same colors consistently.

✅ Dominant filter

As with the dominant colors section, an alternative for your feed is to always keep a design using the same filter in all your publications.

In this way the same aesthetic is maintained and it transmits harmony.

Example of dominant filter

The user AngelMagiccc applies the same filter for all her photographs. Far from having a monotonous experience, the chosen filter allows you to see a homogeneous aesthetic throughout the feed.

In addition, she combines the filter with a dominant color, such as the red of the sky and the dark tones in the silhouettes.

✅ Minimalist Style

If you have an online store, this type of feed is one of the most popular to highlight the products you sell.

The objective is to highlight the product and make it attractive to the user. The protagonist here is the product photo.

Example of minimalist style

MiinCosmetics is a clear example of a minimalist design to highlight the importance of the product.

In her feed, there is also room for a checkerboard style, dominant colors such as pink and the minimalist atmosphere itself.

✅ Vibrant Colors

This Instagram design aims to convey joy. To achieve a lively and cheerful Instagram profile, bright colors are a great option. It brings a wide variety of options in contrast to dominant colors. 

In general, it is a style used in food recipe profiles. The dishes themselves are responsible for giving color to any post, in addition to awakening the user’s appetite.

Example of the use of vibrant colors

Amina, the user behind the ‘Arabfruitdaily’ profile, uses the same dark background for all of her food posts allowing the recipe to stand out above the rest.

In each post the color of the food plays its role, achieving a feed full of vivid colors. You will want to start cooking all the delicious recipes!

✅ Monochromatic Style

The entire wall belongs to one color and its various shades. Most of these profiles play with whites, blacks and greys.

For instance, if you opt for the color pink, this color will appear throughout the feed, but playing with the shades of it: lighter pink closer to white, a darker pink tone.

Example of Monochromatic Style

Photographer Gabriel Blaze opts on his Instagram profile to play with black and white, to get a spectacular “photo album”.

It’s another monochromatic style option if a specific color doesn’t quite convince you.

Another example of color is Victoria’s profile, where she plays with the color pink and its different shades in all her publications.

What you find is a recognizable feed at a glance, as well as photographs that you will only find on her profile.

These are our design proposals for your Instagram feed to attract new users and strengthen your community.

However, remember that you need more than a good design on Instagram. The content is equally important since this is what will help to maintain your community and encourage followers to keep checking your publications.

“Graphic design is not what you see, but what you have to make other people see” (Edgar Degas)

You probably wonder how to move those “pieces” of the puzzle without deleting images or archiving some, considering that Instagram does not allow you to freely change or move the posts.

Can you imagine having a preview of your Instagram profile before publishing a post?

With Metricool’s Instagram Feed Preview, you can see your profile feed with the posts you schedule from the platform before they are actually posted. 

✅ If you want to assemble your puzzle feed and are unsure if the images are correctly arranged, you do not have to upload the image and check it from the Instagram app.

With this Metricool feature, you can preview it and change something that doesn’t look right in the image. 

Do you want to know everything about the Instagram feed preview?

Instagram design tools

If creativity is not your thing, don’t worry because here, we have prepared a list of various tools to improve the design of your Instagram profile and have an ideal feed: photo editing, video editing, and even templates for Instagram Stories.

The good thing about Instagram, and the Internet in general, is that you can learn from other profiles and gather post ideas that can help you create a content strategy and have an attractive feed.

Where do you get these ideas from? 👇🏻

Instagram Filters

Filters and effects on Instagram are an excellent opportunity to give your content a different and personal touch: learn how to search filters on Instagram to find the ideal one.

Of course, you have to be careful about adding them to your post. Make sure you use filters that combine well or opt for a dominant filter that maintains that harmony in the Instagram feed.

Filters are also available for stories. In this case, the use is different because this content lasts 24 hours.

However,  you can maintain the same style for your stories or the same filter that allows users to identify your content and profile the moment they see it. Take care of the design if you upload many stories and keep highlighted stories in your feed: Remember that you can add a cover for each highlight story on your profile.

Instagram Fonts

This Instagram design option is not entirely related to your feed because it is not seen at first glance since you have to enter the post to check it.

However, it is still an essential element of your design and serves to identify your profile.

Why use different font styles on Instagram?

▶️ ️ To highlight posts: Create key posts by playing with emojis, fonts, hashtags.

▶️ ️ To be different from your competition: stand out from other brands in your field through typography. They will identify you instantly.

▶️ ️ To emphasize some of the copy: an offer, a discount, holidays, any excuse is good to use different fonts on Instagram.

Change the background color of your stories

The possibilities of this social platform in terms of design surprise you every time you upload some content to the platform.

In stories, one of the options to maintain an attractive design is to change the background color: it allows you to play with your creativity and design the content as you wish to create personalized stories.

How to take advantage of this option in your Instagram design?

And if that’s not enough, there are a large number of applications on the Internet to edit your stories . Give your personal touch to your stories so your community can identify your style instantly.

Instagram video editing tools

If videos are one of your great content assets on Instagram, with the online or app tools out there you can get a lot out of it.

Some of them are free and some of them are also free but incorporate features for premium members.

You just have to choose which one you want and create customized videos for your account: Splice, Quick app, Horizon, InShot… variety to create your video content and succeed on Instagram.

Have you already prepared your strategy to create a perfect design on Instagram?

Any questions? We read you in the comments. 👇🏻

Isabel Romero , 07 March 2022