Insta Insight

Back here we talked about how to define your look. Now, we’re taking the concept and applying it to something more concrete. Not to diminish the real strategy involved with creating strong brand identities, this is a more simplified approach and also just a fun place to start building a cohesive image.

Instagram was created around the idea of communicating through imagery. The platform still holds true to that mission but has expanded into a mainstream marketing tool. Instagram is responsible for launching the modern day influence (here’s a whole post on the history of the influencer) and has created a culture that uses the service as a tool to legitimize brands.

The importance of the medium is no longer debated especially if your profession or business is seen as part of the creative world. Today, people can often identify posts as being “so on-brand” or not. Creating a brand that is strong enough for people to identify takes time and planning. Below are a few ways to get started on designing an Instagram grid, and a tool like Planoly will be essential in this process.

1. Color

Creating a specific color palette is one of the best ways to start, but it isn’t possible for everyone. If you are able to curate your life/business into a few colors then it becomes very easy to identify when you have an opportunity to post. You can also play with editing apps to pull out certain colors or tones in pictures to create that desired cohesion. For example, if blue is one of your designated colors then be sure to saturate the sky in your pictures. If yellow is your color and you’re shooting a table scene, then make sure you add a lemon to the pic and then bring out that color when editing.

2. Color Threads

When consistent colors aren’t an option for you, then use color to create flow on your page. This means spacing out pictures with dominant common colors to transition the eye through your page. Here’s an example: you are a graphic artist and featured 5 pictures from a project with a lot of green. To transition from that project while maintaining consistency, you would want to post other pictures with green elements. This concept is more about looking at the grid as a whole so you would post the green element pics about every other time and then gradually decrease the frequency of the color.

3. Post in Threes

Since an Instagram grid is designed in rows of three, this organized approach might be helpful. If you’re posting about your work, you would post three pictures from the same project. Fashion influencers use this approach and often post three pictures of different aspects or angles of their outfit. Also you can use any multiple of three, so six or nine will work great too. Whatever you decide, just be consistent. Another cool way to adapt this style is to create a pattern – maybe you always post six consecutive pictures of one concept and then a row of three from another.