To be clear there are a million different ways to design your Instagram grid. My design aesthetic comes from years and years of being an artist and practice. (started at age 5) So I've had many years of thinking about art. I look at art very differently from most people. Even though I keep in mind my audience as it relates to my lifestyle photography I have practical advice for any business.
My first tip on what looks good is a clean layout. If you look at my layout for 2.21.20 you will see a clean black layout. I have a few images within a clean black layout of 9 black squares. I did this to emphasize the 2 images. Also the text with a black background is married with small text to not overpower the minimal black design elemnent.
Also if you look at the second image you see its a contrast from the second which is a black and white image to blend more with the black background. While this is a more advance layout idea it gives you an idea of how to keep things minimal while still attracting the eye. With this type of layout theory you can still get people to read text. In advertising this is the biggest problem, getting people to read.
While I think writing is important we constantly have to overcome people's short attention span. Currently like it or not we do this with the visual. On my Instagram I have countless design theory templates side by side to constantly attract the eye. This is what I'm an expert at. The photos are part of the design element. Visual design is a skill that extends across every type of tool. The artist if unskilled will simply need to learn the language of the tool but the base skill is easily transferable. That's important because non artists tend to think of what we do in resume format.
Its important if you hire someone for your business and you see a type of artist and you think in your head they cant do another type of creative job. I'm a photographer on paper but I built my website, designed my layouts, I've created my own logo you name it. My base skill is visual and its highly transferable to various forms.
On Instagram though this is just another way I chose to use it. This is why you see animation on my Instagram because I know my base skill but needed a new way to draw the eye. When I combine animation and words people tend to be more interested and then read what I posted. The more high quality visuals plus words I use the more consistently people read. This is what I personally have years of knowledge on as a business owner. How to attract the eye as a visual expert. I create new tools and refine the old ones. A quality Instagram layouts are always made with a good design theory.
Check back soon for more Instagram layout tips!
