Instagram Feed Ideas

Because of the highly competitive nature of social media, account owners are constantly fighting for followers and fans. This struggle is not possible without constant work on the look and content of the page. There are two extremes in this regard. One is the lack of any approach to the aesthetic component of the page, and the other is such meticulous content planning and such acute self-criticism that the entire account loses any signs of being organic, and publications appear once in a while. The key to success is not extremes, but a balance between aesthetics and the idea-driven theme of the profile. In this article, let’s talk about aesthetic Instagram feed ideas and different styles of photo content.

How to make a beautiful Instagram feed

The main purpose of your account is not to follow trends, but to reflect the ideas of your brand. So, the best feed design idea would be one that conveys your style, approach, story, and mood. Here are 8 general guidelines to help you with your content design.

Choose the feed style. It all starts with analysis and planning. Which style is right for you? Minimalist and delicate, bright boom, or maybe dark and aloof? At this point, you should think about your brand associations to reflect that in the feed. Don’t pinch yourself too much, but set a vector for further development.

Edit your photos in the same style. Even if you use stock images, appropriate processing will unify all the illustrations and add personality to your content. Choose 1 or 2 filters you like, that work well together and match your style. You can process your photos in Lightroom (using purchased or your own presets), as well as in special apps (Inshot, RNI Films, VSCO, Focos, etc.). You can change the filters regularly to make the feed look more organic.

Determine the main colors. If you make the photo by yourself, you can focus on the brand colors while taking the photo. Keep in mind that it’s better to alternate these colors and place them on the main objects, then in the details, then on the background of the images. The appropriate photo processing also helps to highlight the right hues. Mute the shades that fall out of the chosen color scheme and intensify those you have chosen for your profile. If you use stock images or suggested content, this recommendation can also be taken into account when selecting content.

Use an associative inventory. Once you’ve decided on the style, colors, and processing of the photos, shaping the content will be a clearer process. However, you also need to decide what will be on your photos, not just how they will be presented. Content on Instagram is about people, landscapes, subject shooting, additional inventory, and details… Try to pick up more associations within your brand and apply that when creating content. Let’s not get too pretentious in giving examples. For a backpack brand, of course, the backpacks themselves should be central. However, you can also use maps, cameras, passports, fire, hammock, mountain morning coffee pot, airplane, beautiful landscape, etc. as details.

Create compositional variety. This is important for the aesthetics of your profile. You should pay attention to it both in photoshoots and when forming your content plan. Alternate portraits and full-length photos, landscapes, and macro. This way, you’ll get an eye-catching Instagram feed and be able to hold the attention of your target audience.

Experiment with grid layouts. Like compositional variety, grid layouts allow the creation of an aesthetic feed and grab users’ attention. Some apps let you plan your Instagram grid and the overall look of your profile: Preview app, Planoly app, UNUM, and others. Canva service also offers ready grid layouts. Beautiful Instagram feed ideas related to the sequence of posts include vertical lines and horizontal content lines, composition feed, puzzle feed, publishing by color, and others. We’ll return to these ideas and provide examples of aesthetic feeds we’ve found on Instagram.

Combine the photo and the text. Text on a photo can both mess up your feed and embellish it. So, choose your text font carefully, don’t overload your photos, and alternate text content with minimalist images.

Add video. In addition to having a direct impact on the reach and promotion of your brand, video content is also a great tool for drawing attention to your feed. Even a little “play” icon in the corner of the image indicates that you often offer something interesting and it’s worth watching.

Have fun. Social networking is about creative work, communication, and creativity. So, find the golden mean between strict planning and fun. Turn this process into fun: have photoshoots, process photos in a comfortable and pleasant environment, look for new ideas, and implement what you like.

Find a source of inspiration. We advise you to always be on the lookout for aesthetics. Get inspiration from other users’ profiles, save interesting ideas, and share your impressions. Constantly looking at Instagram theme ideas, aesthetic photos and their combinations produces a sense of beauty and keeps the creative juices flowing. Thus, by constantly working on improvements, you’ll become someone else’s inspiration yourself.

Colour-coordinated Feed on Instagram

Now we suggest talking more about aesthetic Instagram feed ideas and seeing examples of beautiful Instagram feeds. You can use these references and combine approaches to create a unique style for your brand. As the book of the same name says, Steal Like an Artist.

Dark Instagram Feed Ideas

Dark Instagram feed ideas will be great for some brands, for example, if you’re promoting tattoos, a matching style of jewellery, clothing, perfume, photos, and music. Or if you run your blog and you like that style. The Dark Instagram Feed is about using deep colors, dark photos, b/w images, and relevant details. After all, this color scheme can suit any niche with the right approach. Here, for example, are profiles of jewellery, a photographer, and a personal blog as references for dark Instagram feed ideas.

Instagram @knottoself  

Instagram @michaelderahap 

Instagram @li.sense.a 

Beige visual

Profiles in beige tones look laconic, restrained, and elegant. This kind of visual is trending right now. However, don’t forget that it all depends on the nature of your brand or personal blog.

Instagram @stephieavalos

Colourful Feed

The feed with accent colors looks very nice. One or more colors can be used for it. Careful choice of location, objects, clothing, and details of photoshoots, as well as photo processing, help to create your individual color palettes.

Instagram @plantsonpink

Instagram @jacimariesmith 

Vertical lines Instagram Wall

The following reference uses vertical content lines in addition to accent colors: alternating color columns with a blue accent color and a column with black and white photos. You can also distribute several types of photos as follows.

Instagram @efharis_savva

Horizontal Lines Instagram Wall

The approach to feed design is similar to the following example. Only instead of vertical lines, horizontal lines are created.

Instagram @personaljournalapp

Compositional feed

This is a complex approach to forming a feed because it combines linearity, color correction, and compositional arrangement of photos. The disadvantage of this layout is the dependence on additional photos, which are often left out and have no value as individual posts. However, this can be changed by combining them with interesting and important content, adding text to the photo, etc.

Instagram @flaviaesantiago

Puzzle feed

One of the most complex approaches is the puzzle layout. It lies in splitting one image into several and publishing the separated images in succession. In this way, the parts of photos make up a coherent image when viewing the feed. You can also use ready-made layouts, where you don’t have to cut the image, and the details of the background and additional illustrations will go from publication to publication in the feed. This is an interesting and impressive approach, but weigh the pros and cons of the layout to avoid becoming dependent on strict planning without the ability to post on Instagram additional content.

Instagram @simplywhytedesign

Instagram @juniperoats

Feed With White Borders

Interesting results can be achieved by experimenting with white borders and non-uniform indents between images. This makes the feed look varied and interesting.

Instagram @lady.austin

Business Instagram Feed Ideas

All of the ideas we mentioned above will work for business pages. Separately, we should talk about feeds that combine photos and text blocks. This allows making your profile both aesthetically pleasing and informative.

Instagram @balancedbossco

You can find business themes for your feed and fill the ready-made layout with your images. Here, for example, is the layout from Elements.

Offer your own Instagram Feed Idea

By using and combining ideas, you can offer your followers interesting content on a consistent and regular basis. But also in the planning process, there is always the possibility of great ideas that no one else has thought of before. Don’t be afraid to implement them, experiment, make mistakes, and learn from mistakes. Let your feed not always be perfect, but you will stay in touch with your subscribers and with your muse. That’s much more important than just a nice profile.