Nowadays, Instagram is often someone's initial contact with a brand, and well-nigh half of its users store on the platform each week. If it's the entryway for half of your potential sales, don't you want your contour to expect clean and inviting?

Taking the time to create an engaging Instagram feed aesthetic is ane of the well-nigh effective means to persuade someone to follow your business's Instagram business relationship or peruse your posts. You merely have 1 chance to brand a good first impression — so information technology's critical that y'all put effort into your Instagram feed.

Finding the perfect identify to start is tough — where do yous find inspiration? What color scheme should you utilise? How do yous organize your posts so they look like a unit?

Nosotros know you enjoy learning by example, so we've compiled the answers to all of these questions in a list of stunning Instagram themes. We hope these inspire your own feed's transformation. But beware, these feeds are so desirable, you'll have a difficult time choosing merely one.

New Data: Instagram Engagement Report [2022 Version]

Tools to Create Your Own Instagram Theme

Creating a theme on your own requires a keen heart for particular. When you're editing several posts a week that follow the same theme, you'll want to have a design tool handy to brand that workflow easier. Pre-set filters, color palettes, and graphic elements are just a few of the features these tools use, but if you have a sophisticated theme to maintain, a few of these tools include avant-garde features like video editing and layout previews. Hither are our pinnacle five favorite tools to utilise when editing photos for an Instagram theme.

ane. VSCO

VSCO photo editing app for creating an instagram theme

Creators look to VSCO when they want to achieve the nearly unique photo edits. This app is one of the top-ranked photo editing tools among photographers because it includes advanced editing features without needing to pull out all the stops in Photoshop. If you're in a hurry and want to create an Instagram theme quickly, use one of the 200+ VSCO presets including name-brand designs by Kodak, Agfa, and Ilford. If you'll be including video as part of your content lineup on Instagram, you can use the same presets from the images so every foursquare of content blends seamlessly into the next no thing what format information technology'south in.

2. FaceTune2

FaceTune2 photo editing app for creating an instagram theme

FaceTune2 is a powerful photo editing app that tin be downloaded on the App Store or Google Play. The free version of the app includes all the bones editing features similar brightness, lighting, cropping, and filters. The pro version gives yous more detailed command over retouching and background editing. For video snippets, use FaceTune Video to make detailed adjustments right from your mobile device — you lot'll simply need to download the app separately for that capability. If you're starting to test whether an Instagram theme is right for your brand, FaceTune2 is an affordable tool worth trying.

iii. Canva

Canva photo editing app for creating an instagram theme

You know Canva as a convenient and free pick to create graphics, simply information technology tin can be a powerful photograph editing tool to curate your Instagram theme. For more abstract themes that mix imagery with graphic fine art, you can add shapes, textures, and text to your images. Using the photo editor, you can import your prototype and accommodate the levels, add together filters, and utilise unique effects to give each piece of content a look that's unique to your brand.

4. Adobe Illustrator

photo editing app for creating an instagram theme

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Have you ever used Adobe Illustrator to create interesting overlays and tints for images? You tin can practice the same thing to develop your Instagram theme. Traditionally, Adobe Illustrator is the go-to tool to create vectors and logos, but this software has some pretty handy features for creating photo filters and designs. Moreover, you lot can layout your artboards in an Instagram-style grid to see exactly how each paradigm will appear in your feed.

five. Photoshop

Photoshop photo editing app for creating an instagram theme

Photoshop is the most well-known photo editing software, and it works peculiarly well for creating Instagram themes. If you have the capacity to pull out all the stops and tweak every detail, Photoshop volition go the job done. Not only are the editing, filter, and aligning options most limitless, Photoshop is great for batch processing the same edits across several images in a matter of seconds. Yous'll also optimize your workflow by using photoshop to edit the composition, alter the background, and remove any unwanted components of an image without switching to another editing software to add your filter. With Photoshop, you have consummate control over your theme which means you won't have to worry virtually your contour looking exactly like someone else'south.


1. Transition

If y'all aren't assault one specific Instagram theme, consider the transition theme. With this artful, you can experiment with merging colors every couple of images. For example, yous could showtime with a blackness theme and include biscuit accents in every image. From in that location, gradually introduce the next colour, in this case, bluish. Eventually, y'all'll detect that your Instagram feed will seamlessly transition between the colors you choose which keeps things interesting without straying from a cohesive look and experience.

Transition Instagram Theme Example

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2. Black and White

A polished blackness and white theme is a practiced choice to evoke a sense of composure. The lack of color draws y'all into the photo'southward main subject field and suggests a timeless element to your business. @Lisedesmet's black and white feed, for instance, focuses the user's gaze on the image'south subject, like the black sneakers or white airship.

Black and white Instagram Theme Example

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3. Vivid Colors

If your company'due south make is meant to imply playfulness or fun, in that location's probably no ameliorate manner than to create a feed full of brilliant colors. Bright colors are attention-grabbing and lighthearted, which could exist ideal for attracting a younger audience. @Aww.sam'south feed, for instance, showcases someone who doesn't take herself too seriously.

Bright Colors Instagram Theme Example

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four. Minimalist

For an artsier edge, consider taking a minimalist approach to your feed, like @emwng does. The images are inviting and slightly whimsical in their simplicity, and cultivate feelings of serenity and stability. The pup pics only add wholesomeness to this minimalist theme. Plus, minimalist feeds are less distracting past nature, so it can exist easier to get a truthful sense of the brand from the feed lonely, without clicking on private posts.

Minimalist Instagram Theme Example

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5. One Color

One of the easiest ways to pick a theme for your feed is to choose one color and stick to it — this tin can help steer your artistic direction, and looks clean and cohesive from distant. Information technology's particularly highly-seasoned if you choose an aesthetically pleasing and calm color, like the soft pink used in the popular hashtag #blackwomeninpink.

One Color Instagram Theme Example

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6. 2 Colors

If you lot're interested in creating a highly cohesive feed but don't want to stick to the one-colour theme, consider trying two. Two colors can assistance your feed look organized and clean — plus, if y'all choose branded colors, it can help you lot create cohesion between your other social media sites the website itself. I recommend choosing ii contrasting colors for a punchy look similar the one shown in @Dreaming_outloud'due south profile.

Two Color Instagram Theme Example

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7. Pastels

Like to the ane-color idea, information technology might be useful to cull i color palette for your feed, like @creativekipi's use of pastels. Pastels, in item, oft used for Easter eggs or cupcake decorations, appear artless and cheerful. Plus, they're captivating and unexpected.

Pastels Instagram Theme Example

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8. One Subject

As axiomatic from @mustdoflorida's feed (and username), it's possible to focus your feed on ane singular object or idea — like embankment-related objects and activities in Florida. If y'all're aiming to showcase your creativity or photography skills, it could exist compelling to create a feed where each post follows one theme.

One Subject Instagram Theme Example

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ix. Puzzle

Creating a puzzle out of your feed is complicated and takes some planning, but can reap big rewards in terms of uniqueness and engaging an audience. @Juniperoats' posts, for case, make the most sense when you look at it from the feed, rather than individual posts. Information technology's hard non to be both impressed and enthralled past the final result, and if you postal service puzzle piece pictures individually, yous can evoke serious curiosity from your followers.

Puzzle Instagram Theme Example

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10. Unique Angles

Displaying everyday items and activities from unexpected angles is sure to describe attending to your Instagram feed. Similar to the way lines create a theme, angles use direction to create involvement. Taking an image of different subjects from similar angles can unite even the most uncommon photos into a consistent theme.

Unique Angles Instagram Theme Example

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eleven. Text Only

A picture is worth a thousand words, merely how many pictures is a well-designed quote worth? Confident Woman Co. breaks the rules of Instagram that say images should have a face in them to get the best engagement. Not and then with this Instagram theme.

The brilliant colors and highlighted text brand this layout aesthetically pleasing both in the Instagram filigree format and every bit a one-off mail on the feed. Even within this strict text-only theme, there's nonetheless room to break up the monotony with a blazon-treated font and textured background like the terminal epitome does in the heart row.

Text Only Instagram Theme Example

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12. Checkerboard

If yous're not a large fan of horizontal or vertical lines, you might effort a checkerboard theme. Like to horizontal lines, this theme allows you to alternating betwixt content and images or colors as seen in @thefemalehustlers' feed.

Checkerboard Instagram Theme Example

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13. Black or White Borders

While information technology is a fleck jarring to have black or white borders outlining every image, it definitely sets your feed apart from anybody else's. @Beautifulandyummy, for instance, uses black borders to draw attention to her images, and the finished feed looks both polished and sophisticated. This theme will probable be more successful if you're aiming to sell fashion products or want to evoke an edgier feel for your brand.

Black or White Borders Instagram Theme Example

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14. Same Filter

If yous prefer uniformity, you'll probably like this Instagram theme, which focuses on using the same filter (or set of filters) for every mail. From close upward, this doesn't make much difference on your images, only from afar, information technology definitely makes the feed announced more cohesive. @marianna_hewitt, for example, is able to make her posts of hair, drinks, and mode seem more refined and professional, simply by using the same filter for all her posts.

Same Filter Instagram Theme Example

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15. Flatlays

If your master goal with Instagram is to showcase your products, you might want a Flatlay theme. Flatlay is an effective mode to tell a story only by arranging objects in an image a certain way and makes it easier to direct viewers' attention to a product. Every bit seen in @thedailyedited's feed, a flatlay theme looks fresh and modern.

Flatlays Instagram Theme Example

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16. Vintage

If it aligns with your brand, vintage is a artistic and hit aesthetic that looks both artsy and laid-back. And, while "vintage" might sound a little flake vague, it'due south easy to conjure. Simply try a filter like Slumber or Aden (built into Instagram), or play around with a third-party editing tool to find a soft, hazy filter that makes your photos expect similar they were taken from an old polaroid camera.

Vintage Instagram Theme Example

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17. Repetition

In @girleatworld's Instagram account, yous tin count on one affair to remain consequent throughout her feed: she'south always property upward food in her hand. This blazon of repetition looks clean and engaging, and every bit a follower, it ways I always recognize one of her posts as I'm scrolling through my own feed. Consider how you might evoke similar repetition in your own posts to create a brand image all your own.

Repetition Instagram Theme Example

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18. Mix-and-match Horizontal and Vertical Borders

While this admittedly requires some planning, the resulting feed is incredibly eye-communicable and unique. Just utilize the Preview app and choose 2 different white borders, Vela and Sole, to alternate between horizontal and vertical borders. The resulting feed will look spaced out and make clean.

Mix and Match Horizontal and Vertical Borders Instagram Theme Example

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xix. Quotes

If yous're a writer or content creator, you might consider creating an entire feed of quotes, like @thegoodquote feed, which showcases quotes on dissimilar mediums, ranging from paperback books to Tweets. Consider typing your quotes and changing upwardly the color of the background, or handwriting your quotes and placing them near interesting objects like flowers or a java mug.

Quotes Instagram Theme Example

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twenty. Dark Colors

@JackHarding'due south nature photos are zero short of spectacular, and he highlights their beauty past filtering with a dark overtone. To do this, consider desaturating your content and using filters with cooler colors, like greens and blues, rather than warm ones. The resulting feed looks clean, sleek, and professional.
Dark Colors Instagram Theme Example

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21. Rainbow

One way to introduce color into your feed? Endeavor creating a rainbow by slowly progressing your posts through the colors of the rainbow, starting at red and catastrophe at majestic (and and so, starting all over once again). The resulting feed is stunning.

Rainbow Instagram Theme Example

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22. Doodle

Nearly people on Instagram stick to photos and filters, so to stand out, you might consider adding drawings or cartoon doodles on top of (or replacing) regular photograph posts. This is a good idea if you lot're an artist or a web designer and want to depict attention to your creative abilities — plus, it's sure to get a smile from your followers, similar these ambrosial doodles shown below by @josie.doodles.

Doodle Instagram Theme Example

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23. Content Elements

Similar elements in your photos tin create an enticing Instagram theme. In this example by The Container Store Custom Closets, the theme uses shelves or clothes in each image to visually bring the feed together. Rather than each photo appearing equally a separate room, they all combine to create a smooth layout that displays The Container Store's products in a way that feels natural to the viewer.
Content Elements Instagram Theme Example

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24. Structural Lines

Something about this Instagram feed feels different, doesn't it? Aside from the content focusing on skyscrapers, the lines of the buildings in each image turn this layout into a unique theme. If your brand isn't in the business of edifice skyscrapers, yous can still implement a theme similar this past looking for straight or curved lines in the photos your capture. The key to creating crisp lines from the subjects in your photos is to snap them in great lighting and find symmetry in the epitome wherever possible.

Structural Lines Instagram Theme Example

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25. Horizontal Lines

If your make does well with aligning photography with content, you might consider organizing your posts in a thoughtful way — for instance, creating either horizontal or vertical lines, with your rows alternating between colors, text, or fifty-fifty field of study altitude. @mariahb.makeup employs this tactic, and her feed looks clean and intriguing as a consequence.

Horizontal Lines Instagram Theme Example

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How to Create an Instagram Theme

1. Cull a consistent color palette.

Ane major factor of whatsoever Instagram theme is consistency. For instance, you wouldn't desire to regularly change your theme from black-and-white to rainbow — this could confuse your followers and damage your brand image. Of course, a complete company rebrand might require you lot to shift your Instagram strategy, but for the well-nigh function, y'all want to stay consequent with the types of visual content you post on Instagram.

For this reason, you lot'll need to cull a color palette to attach to when creating an Instagram theme. Perhaps you choose to use brand colors. HubSpot's Instagram, for instance, primarily uses blues, oranges, and teal, three colors prominently displayed on HubSpot's website and products.

Alternatively, maybe yous choose one of the themes listed above, such equally blackness-and-white. Whatever the case, to create an Instagram theme, it's critical you stick to a few colors throughout all of your content.

two. Use the aforementioned filter for each post, or edit each post similarly.

Equally noted above, consistency is a critical element in whatever Instagram theme, so you'll desire to find your favorite one or two filters and use them for each of your posts. You can utilise Instagram's built-in filters, or endeavor an editing app like VSCO or Snapseed. Alternatively, if you're going for a minimalist look, yous might skip filters entirely and simply use a few editing features, similar contrast and exposure.

Whatever you choose, though, you'll want to continue to edit each of your posts similarly to create a cohesive feed.

3. Use a visual feed planner to programme posts far in accelerate.

Information technology's vital that you plan your Instagram posts ahead of time for a few different reasons, including ensuring yous post a skillful diversity of content and that yous post it during a adept time of day.

Additionally, when creating an Instagram theme, you'll demand to plan posts in advance to figure out how they fit together — like puzzle pieces, your individual pieces of content need to reinforce your theme equally a whole. To program posts far in advance and visualize how they reinforce your theme, yous'll want to utilize a visual Instagram planner like Afterward or Planoly. Best of all, you tin can utilise these apps to preview your feed and ensure your theme is looking the way you want it to look before you press "Publish" on any of your posts.

four. Don't lock yourself into a theme you can't enjoy for the long haul.

In heart school, I ofttimes liked to alter my "look" — ane mean solar day I aimed for preppy, and the next I chose a more athletic look. Of course, as I got older, I began to understand what style I could stick with for the long haul and started shopping for clothes that fit my authentic style so I wasn't constantly purchasing new clothes and getting sick of them a few weeks later on.

Similarly, you don't want to cull an Instagram theme you can't live with for a long time. Your Instagram theme should be an authentic reflection of your brand, and if information technology isn't, it probably won't last. Just because rainbow colors sound interesting at the get-become doesn't mean it'southward a proficient fit for your company'due south social media artful as a whole.

When in dubiousness, choose a more elementary theme that provides you the opportunity to get creative and experiment without straying besides far off-theme.

How to Use an Instagram Theme on Your Contour

1. Choose what photos y'all want to post earlier choosing your theme.

When you start an Instagram theme, in that location are so many options to choose from. Filters, colors, styles, angles — the choices are endless. Simply it'south important to keep in mind that these things won't brand your theme stand up out. The content is nonetheless the star of the show. If the images aren't balanced on the feed, your theme volition wait like a photo dump that happens to have the same filter on it.

To curate the perfect Instagram theme, choose what photos you program to post before choosing a theme. I highly recommend laying these photos out in a 9-foursquare filigree as well and then you lot can run into how the photos alloy together.

two. Don't forget the captions.

Certain, no ane is going to run into the captions of your Instagram photos when they're looking at your theme in the grid-view, simply they will see them when y'all post each photo individually. There will exist times when an image you post may be of something abstract, similar the corner of a building, an empty suitcase, or a pair of sunglasses. On their own, these things might not be so interesting, only a thoughtful caption that ties the paradigm to your overall theme tin help continue your followers engaged when they might otherwise check out and keep scrolling past your profile.

If you're having a scrap of writer's cake, bank check out these 201 Instagram captions for every blazon of post.

three. Switch up your theme with color blocks.

Earlier, we talked about choosing a theme that yous can commit to for the long haul. Merely there's an exception to that rule — color transitions. Some of the best themes aren't based on a specific color at all. Rather than using the aforementioned colour palette throughout the Instagram feed, you can accept colors alloy into one another with each photograph. This fashion, y'all tin include a larger diversity of photos without limiting yourself to specific hues.

A Cohesive Instagram Theme At Your Fingertips

Instagram marketing is more than than numbers. As the almost visual social media platform today, what you lot post and how it looks straight affects engagement, followers, and how your make shows up online. A cohesive Instagram theme can assist your make convey a value proposition, promote a product, or execute a entrada. Colors and filters brand beautiful themes, just at that place are several additional ways to stop your followers mid-curl with a fun, unified aesthetic.

Editor'due south note: This post was originally published in August 2018 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

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Originally published Aug 9, 2021 1:thirty:00 PM, updated August 09 2021