Seven Ways to Successfully Structure Your Instagram Layout To Keep It Visually Exciting, Keep You Organized, And Bring Out YOUR Authenticity!

Hi Friends,

Are you an avid planner for your social media layouts or are you more of a post as how you are feeling with no real planning?

This blog post is for you if you want to know how to go about planning your feed, how to achieve a consistent theme, or if you just need inspiration to create a successful Instagram feed.

Visual appeal is one of the key factors in making or breaking your Instagram success as well as highlighting your first impression to viewers. Use Instagram to develop a strong visual brand strategy that sets you apart from your competitors and helps your business grow.

Here’s all the tips and tricks to create a great looking Instagram grid!

1. Tiles or Checkerboard

The most popular way to use the tiles or checkerboards layout is by alternating between posting a photo and a quote and to use a consistent font and background in your quotes. This gives your feed a consistent, coherent look and feel – perfect for branding!

It can be just like laying tiles in your renovations and is showcased in the photo below. Choose any colour for the background however, you must use it consistently. To keep true to your authenticity mix professional photos with your personal photos.

Using colour is a very effective way to create a memorable gallery. A few examples are alternating prominent colours and alternating between dark and light or white backgrounds.

2. Horizontal Lines

This layout is created, mostly to showcase landscape photography, by posting 3 consecutive interconnected images.  For example, you can use linear layouts for storytelling and for featuring whole pieces of artwork or products. Display one row to share photos related to a location, a particular style or mood, a photo shoot or a story, such as fashion, a hobby or a particular product.

The three images are spread across the 3 squares, making the combined split images appear as one photo, or one theme, split into 3, like the middle row in the image below.

3. Vertical Lines

For this layout you are effectively creating an entire column of words or quotes running vertically down your feed, with the aim of keeping your followers scrolling down through your feed.

To achieve this layout, as shown below, post one photo, then an image comprising of a quote, then post two photos and then another image comprising of a quote and continue in this format.

You will most likely be planning your feed in advance as you will need to be quite creative and well organised.

4.  A Jigsaw Puzzle

A Puzzle theme is when all your photos are linked together to form a bigger image. For this layout to be achieved, it involves placing 9 photos to create, in effect, a jigsaw puzzle. See example in below image. It entails careful planning and is most effective to showcase marketing campaigns, as the sheer size of 9 photo posts, as opposed to one photo post, is visually significant.

5. Colour Schemes

An Instagram layout grid using a consistent colour palette is achieved by choosing a specific filter or a particular featured colour scheme. Repeating the colours or filters in your posts will give a consistent look and feel to your feed, which will create important branding consistency. Showcase your brand by using a colour theme unique to you! It will be visually appealing, authentic to you and most likely increase your followers.

 6. White Borders

Choosing to create a layout using thick white borders between each image posted makes your overall feed stand out amongst the many Instagram users, as it displays a distinct difference from the usual thin, white lines which is the default for Instagram layouts.

This theme is popular for posting a mix of images rather than one type of photo. White borders add space between your photos and so each image stands out on its own. It is not necessary to post similar images. See the image below.

7. ‘Across-the-Grid’

This layout is achieved when all the images are placed in a haphazard way across the screen and each image appears to flow or be amalgamated into the adjoining images, giving the impression that the whole screen is filled and the illusion that the image is ‘fused’ together.

“Across-the-Grid” layout requires meticulous planning and thought and is most likely the hardest Instagram layout to achieve. Often referred to as an Instagram collage, this is one for the Creatives who love combining and joining images in a unique, creative way. This style has the increased potential for visual acceptance from your followers and customers.

These are just a few of the themes or styles you can set up for your feed. Remember, there are so many different Instagram themes you can create – tiles, colours or black and whites, borders or no borders, bright or dark moods, vertical or horizontal, puzzles or across-the-grid styles. There are many others and it is really up to your imagination! All images in this post are from SeaHouse Imagery!

Don’t forget, your Instagram theme reflects who you are and what you love and represent! There are no rules, or right or wrong styles. The secret to a successful Instagram gallery is to be yourself, stick to your style and your authenticity will shine through.

I’m hoping you learn something new from this blog post and give your Instagram gallery a spring clean or a refreshing new style.  Love to hear your feedback so please comment below and come say Hi on Instagram whenever you like! You’ll find me @seahouseimagery

Till next time... Much Love! Deb x