50 Instagram Themes Ideas (& How to Get Them)

Have you been thinking about trying a new look for your Instagram grid, but don’t know where to start? Well, you’ve found the right place. With so many possible Instagram themes to choose from, the best way to figure out what style fits your brand is to get some inspiration through a variety of Instagram feeds that are rockin’ the IG game.

Why You Need A Theme

Choosing the right theme can help your brand stand out. After all, when a potential follower comes to visit your webpage, the first thing they’re going to look at is your top 9-12 posts. If they’re arranged in a cohesive theme, it could increase your chances of converting this user to a follower. 

Beyond that, sticking with a theme can also help you easily make decisions about what to post. While choosing and posting within a theme might feel hard, it also lets you easily know when a particular photo won’t fit.

Posting within a theme helps your followers associate your brand with your theme. This way, even when they’re just scrolling through their feed, they’ll know your posts when they come across them.

“Make sure you choose an Instagram theme that matches and aligns well with your brand so that creating images to fit with it feels natural and like a good fit.”

– @kicksta.co

We’ve collected 50 popular Instagram theme ideas and how to create them. 

Tools For Creating Instagram Themes

Maintaining a consistent look and brand identity on Instagram requires the use of tools for theme creation. With the help of these tools, users can easily update, arrange, and organize their material, guaranteeing uniformity in the composition, color schemes, and filters used across their feed. 

VSCO

VSCO (Visual Supply Company) serves as a versatile tool for creating solid Instagram themes by offering a wide array of high-quality filters, editing tools, and presets. Thanks to its user-friendly interface and vast collection of artistic effects, users may effortlessly edit their images to fit their preferred style. Whether you want to go for a bright, minimalist, or retro aesthetic, VSCO gives you plenty of options to adjust photos and keep your Instagram feed looking consistent. 

FaceTune2

FaceTune2 takes a different approach to creating Instagram themes by offering robust yet approachable photo and selfie editing capabilities. Using tools like teeth whitening, skin smoothing, and blemish removal, users may edit their images to have a perfect appearance that matches their preferred style. Furthermore, users may assure consistency throughout their broadcast by adjusting lighting, contrast, and colors with FaceTune2’s extensive editing features.

Canva

With its extensive collection of design tools and templates made especially for social media content, Canva transforms the process of creating Instagram themes. Users may easily create visually attractive and coherent posts that are consistent with their corporate identity thanks to the platform’s huge collection of customisable templates and user-friendly interface. Canva offers several options for crafting an engaging Instagram feed, from making eye-catching fonts and visuals to adding in-vogue features like stickers and drawings. 

Color-Based Themes

  1. Yellow Instagram Theme

@thedrybar focuses on creating an aesthetically pleasing feed that incorporates their signature brand color yellow. Whether it’s showcasing product shots or behind the scenes posts, they make sure to follow their motto by “focusing on one thing and being the best at it.”

How to Get the Look

Yellow is a color that represents happiness, positivity and energy. If you’re choosing a single color to be your theme, make sure you pick one that aligns with your brand. Once you choose yellow, make sure that each and every post somehow incorporates it. Whether it’s a small accent piece or the entire background, yellow will be the one common element linking all of your posts together.

2. Orange Instagram Theme

Choosing orange as an Instagram theme is a great option. No matter what color you choose, if you decide to go the color route, remember that there are many different shades of that color. It’s up to you if you want to stick with one shade throughout your whole theme, or if you want to mix it up depending on the day.

How to Get the Look

Bright orange is a great color to show playfulness, light orange is excellent as a calming color – especially like in a sunset. Orange also communicates enthusiasm, so it can be a great color to use when you’re getting ready to share an exciting announcement or if you just want to brighten up a Monday. Get creative to find things around you that are orange, or use a filter to add some orange tones to your photo.

3. Blue Instagram Theme

Blue is a calm, cooling color that can really make your Instagram stand out. Whether you want to associate with the blue shades of water and the ocean or if you’d rather get inspiration from the deep blue of an evening sky, the choice is yours.

How to Get the Look

.In nature, blue is a very prevalent shade. If you want to stay true to your blue theme but would still like to include a quote or a message in your post, blue sky make stunning backdrops. Blue is a wonderful color to convey significant thoughts since it represents knowledge and tranquility.

4. Black & White Theme

Almost everyone loves a classic black and white photo. There’s something beautifully nostalgic and yet modern about it. It’s simple and elegant and can add an air of mystery to just about any photo you choose.

How to Get the Look

Luckily, there are a few black and white filter options within Instagram itself. Try them out and see which one looks best on your photo. 

5. Red Theme

With a name like The Reds, The Cincinnati Reds had their theme easily picked out for them. Their page does a great job of ensuring that something red is in every photo – and that it’s the correct shade of red.

How to Get the Look

If your brand has an easily-recognizable color, go with that one. But if you’re just picking a color that you like, you might want to consider red. Red symbolizes strength, determination and desire. If you feel like your customers would resonate with those feelings, then consider this look for your page.

Lifestyle Instagram Themes

6. Food Themed Instagram

Choosing a food theme can seem obvious for a restaurant, food blogger or food critic, but what about for a brand or influencer? Don’t worry, you don’t have to be a professional to partake. While you might not be able to go all-in like @thedetroitdiet, you can certainly still showcase your love of food. Start by strategically placing food in the pictures you take, talking about it in your Stories or even dedicating one day a week to showing a favorite dish you made.

How to Get the Look

Food photography is gorgeous, but it’s not easy. The biggest tip food bloggers have for getting the right shot is by using natural light. Make sure you’re going to be taking your photos early in the day, as opposed to the evening, and set your food up near a window if you can. Play around with some different angles and remember that practice makes perfect.

7. Travel Theme

Many people have some form of wanderlust within them, but not many are able to travel as much as they’d like. No matter the reason, finding travel accounts on Instagram can be a fun substitute while dreaming about the next trip. It’s not the real thing, but it can provide inspiration or even help bring back positive travel memories.

How to Get the Look

The next time you’re out of town, take plenty of pictures – more than you think you need. You’ll be able to repurpose and reuse these for weeks after you’re back. Not traveling anytime soon? Take pictures of your hometown. Chances are someone’s going to travel there. Remember the rule of thirds when taking travel photos: place your subject slightly off-center to create a dynamic, interesting image.

8. Pet Themed Instagram

It’s no secret that people on Instagram love to show off their pets. Some people go so far as to create a new account just for their furry friend, while others prefer to just share some favorite shots on their own page.

How to Get the Look

If you’re a brand and you’re worried this won’t work for you, fear not. People love animal pictures, so if you or someone on your team has a pet, it’s time to start getting some photos. Whether they’re helping you work, sitting on your computer or just napping nicely nearby, showing off your furry friend can add to your brand’s personality.

9. Fitness Instagram

There are plenty of different ways you can create a fitness-themed Instagram. You can focus on healthy eating, workouts, sleep, mental health – the list really goes on and on. Choose something you’re passionate about so you’ll always have something to share.

How to Get the Look

Depending on which aspect of fitness you chose, you’ll have some different options here. You can follow what physical therapist @docjenfit does and post videos that show the proper way to do various exercises, or you can take your followers through your favorite smoothie recipe. Health and fitness is incredibly important, and this is a great way to show your journey and your passion.

10. Makeup Theme

Makeup can be a great Instagram theme. You can share your own makeup, your tips and tricks, or you can show makeup that you do for someone else if you’re a makeup artist. People love to see makeup ideas on Instagram because it helps them get inspiration for their next great look.

How to Get the Look

Experiment with different types of light when you’re taking makeup photos. Natural light can be great, but sometimes you’ll want to fill in with a ring light or other form of artificial light. Like any other type of photography, it can take some practice. Consider not using a filter when you post makeup photos since you want your followers to see what you created.

Bright Instagram Themes

11. Bold & Vibrant Theme

Justine Blakely, designer at @thejungalow, focuses on getting to know her audience and how to reach them. She advises to “think about your series as stories. People like stories, and enjoy following along a thread and seeing how the stories progress.”

How to Get the Look

Justine believes that creativity is the key to having an amazing home. @thejungalow perfectly captures this ideology as it celebrates the beauty of color, pattern and plants. The natural colors paired with vibrant textiles and bold accents help make the page pop.

12. Nature Themed

Over at @naturesrim, the account is full of gorgeous shots of nature, from waterfalls to flowers to lakes to mountains. Keeping a clean, bright look purely from photos of nature is breathtaking.

How to Get the Look

To get started with this theme, just get outside and start snapping photos. It’s okay if your nature photos aren’t perfect – that’s where learning and experimenting can come in. Do some research and watch videos on YouTube for tips on the best ways to capture nature. 

13. Neon Instagram

Bright neon colors are a great way to stand out and pop in your followers’ feeds. Incorporating neon in your product, designs, or even cakes (as seen below) is a good way to use this theme.

How to Get the Look

Add a little neon in every photo you post. It could be a subtle sign in the background or an entirely lime-green jumpsuit that you’re wearing. No matter what it is, just make sure you’re consistent with your neon so that your followers come to expect it.

14. Summer Theme

It’s hard not to love the endless feeling of summer. With bright, beachy colors and thoughts of warm destinations, having a summer-themed Instagram can help you stand right out, especially in other seasons. You can also easily create graphics or quote images that use traditional summer colors that you pull from surrounding photos.

How to Get the Look

Stock up on summertime photos. When it’s summer in your neck of the woods, capture as many images as possible. If you travel to a summer-type destination, take some there, too. Then, add a bright, bold filter like Perpetua to highlight the natural colors.

15. Floral Instagram

Floral patterns are absolutely gorgeous. You can create an Instagram focused on flowers themselves, or you can branch out and include floral prints, like clothes, bags, artwork and more. Keep up with the flower theme to keep it consistent.

How to Get the Look

Plan a photo shoot day. Find a local botanical garden or get some flowers from a local florist. Then, mix and match them with your outfits, products, models or whatever you want to be the focal point of your photos. With a little strategic planning, you could probably do a few shoots a year and have plenty of content.

Muted Instagram Themes

16. Light & Airy Theme

The simplicity of the @ryleeandcru aesthetic portrays the pure relationship between a mother and her child. The light color scheme and low contrasts truly complement the unique and artistic clothing made for the modern child.

How to Get the Look

Natural lighting and a white background provide a bright and airy feel to a photo before you’ve even edited. Composition is also key. Although there is no “perfect formula” on how to create this look, aim for your photo to have 75% white space in the background. That means experimenting with different angles and backdrops.

17. Pastel Theme

Classic light pastels can be so satisfying to look at, especially when they’re in the form of yummy baked goods like those from @wishuponacupcake_. You can see they not only show their products, but they use the same pastel coloring for their logo and graphic with text.

How to Get the Look

Pastels create a very muted, calming feel, so make sure that aligns with your brand. Once you have the images you want to use, consider using a filter like Valencia to highlight the look of your pastels and make them really stand out.

18. Mystical Instagram Theme

Mystical themes are light and airy with a bit of mystery to them. Maybe it’s a hazy filter, maybe it’s a slightly blurred image. Whatever it is, it creates a feeling of excitement and maybe even a bit of suspense.

How to Get the Look

Mystical themes can often benefit from having a warm undertone, like a pink, orange or red. This gives it some warmth and helps to round out the mystery without being cold. Add a hazy filter like Slumber to complete the look. Just for fun, try posting the slightly-blurry shot that you typically would have deleted. See what your audience thinks.

19. Grayscale Instagram Theme

Grayscale is a bit like black-and-white, but it gives you a bit more room to play around. You can take it as extreme as you like. Some people like to only have their photos in the true grayscale, others like to have a bit of fun and add some colors.

How to Get the Look

Influencer @k.els.e.y uses grayscale with a slight addition of color. Her backgrounds and accessories are often all grayscale, but some photos have one element that’s in color. In some that’s her face, in others it’s a plant. You can easily do this yourself, either by finding black, white and gray walls and accessories, or you can do a little photo editing to gray-out the pieces you don’t want in color.

20. Winter Theme

Winter can be harsh and cold, but it can also be beautiful. Some people truly love the look of snow, ice and clear blue skies all year long. Whether you live somewhere cold or just love the snow, creating a winter-themed Instagram can be a neat way to stand out to your followers.

How to Get the Look

If you don’t want to just post pictures of snow and ice, take some inspiration from the colors here. Stick with bright blues and crisp whites to create that feeling of a cold winter’s day, even if you aren’t sharing a photo of a snowman. Of course, if you have a snowman photo to share, go for it.

Intense Instagram Themes

21. Color-Blocking Theme

With its series of colorful photos and vibrant hues @walltraveled encourages their followers to document local artists in various cities. They keep their followers wanting to scroll as they continuously transition from color to color.  

How to Get the Look

Collecting user generated content is key here. Provide a branded hashtag such as #welltraveled in your bio so followers will tag you in their photos. Using scheduling apps such as Later or Planoly will allow you to preview your grid ahead of time to ensure a smooth shift from one color block to the next.

22. Dark and Moody

Dark and moody doesn’t just mean black and white. In the case of @darknightpoetry, they’ve also brought in purples, blues and even oranges. All of these color choices mimic the look of a night sky with a bit of the fading sunset leftover. It gives off a bit of a somber tone and is serious yet classy.

How to Get the Look

If you’re creating graphics yourself, consider trying to find some sort of filter that can change the color of your image. That will be the easiest way to capture these dark colors without needing to be an expert in nighttime photography.

23. Colorful Theme

Creating a colorful profile is a great way to capture your fun, playful side on Instagram. The great part about this theme is that you’re not really limited to one particular color. Just make sure your photos are bright and beautiful. Some people can view this as intense because of all the color-switching, especially if you use really vibrant colors.

How to Get the Look

Avoid black-and-white, grayscale and sepia photos at all cost. That’s the main piece of advice for this theme. Otherwise, have fun and make sure you have plenty of colors in all of your photos, even if they don’t necessarily match with the photos around them.

24. Changing Theme

You don’t have to stick with your same theme forever. If you’re going to change, though, do so gradually so your profile looks beautiful and your followers stick along for the ride. Here you can see how @lizyfied switches from a predominantly blue-green theme to a theme that’s more pink-based.

How to Get the Look

Whether you want to make this a normal rotation or if you’re just ready for a change, you can alter your theme at any time. Consider creating about three photos that include your old theme and your new theme to create a nice blend and crossover effect.

25. Bright & Different

The heart of this theme is being intense, bold and bright. No matter what the subject of the photo is, make sure your colors are ready to pop. This makes them vibrant and easy for your followers to enjoy looking at whenever they appear in their feed.

How to Get the Look

Use a bright filter like Lark or Juno. This will help the subject of your image stand out, and it will make sure that your photos are full of color. A highly-saturated image is truly something beautiful.

Antique Instagram Themes

26. Vintage Theme

LA blogger Courtney, loves all things vintage clothing and thrifting, which she perfectly portrays in her @prettylittlefawn aesthetic. Her advice – a variety of photos is key, while still maintaining a consistent color palette centered around warm earthy tones.

How to Get the Look

A wide array of photos keep your feed interesting and your followers wanting more. Courtney of @prettylittlefawn first edits in Afterlight, as their basic editing is more precise, then finishes in VSCO to create the same look in all her photos. 

Instasize is another good option.

“One of the easiest ways to establish a consistent brand identity is through strong visuals,” says Natasha Ponomaroff, Managing Director of Intstasize. Instasize makes this easy, with an easy-to-use app that allows fast and high-quality photo edits.

27. Retro & Nostalgic

@grlfrnd_denim was invented by denim scientists who pair modern tailoring with a vintage-inspired twist. Inspired by nineties supermodels, Grlfrnd Denim keeps their brand relevant amongst pop culture with their retro red aesthetic.

How to Get the Look

For a retro vibe, use a combination of stock photos of current high fashion models and vintage throwbacks. You can use the apps like HUJI Cam, Photomosh, Camcorder and Glitchr to replicate this restored yet classic look. Your feed will look like you just picked up a stack of recently developed photos at the drugstore.

28. Grunge Theme

Sometimes you’re simply reminiscing over the old rock vibe. A grunge theme can help you capture the eighties and nineties feeling you just can’t seem to shake. This is a great option for people and brands in the music industry who have a real connection to grunge.

How to Get the Look

Juno is an awesome filter to use here. It will help intensify your warm colors and add a deep richness to your photo. The heart of the grunge style, though, begins with the actual photos you take. Plan them out ahead of time to make sure you get the shots that you want.

29. Gloomy Theme

The hazy, fog-filled photos of a gloomy theme can really make an impact and create emotions for your followers. If you live in an area that gets a lot of rain, like the Pacific Northwest, you have a great chance to really capture and share some beautiful gloomy photos.

How to Get the Look

Even if you live somewhere that’s sunny all the time, you can create a gloomy look with some expert editing. Decrease the saturation, increase the blur and add some cool colors as undertones. You’ll create this look in no time.

30. Faded Look

Going for the faded look can be a great option. This theme helps you come across in a muted way, which gives off a sort of vintage look. By dimming the intensity of the colors you can make your photos look like they’ve been well-loved and faded by the sun.

How to Get the Look

You can make any photo look faded. You can either turn down the brightness in your favorite editing software, or use a filter like 1977 within Instagram. Your whole goal here is just to lessen the intensity of the colors and make the image look a little older.

Warm Instagram Themes

31. Warm and Cozy

Cuddling up under a blanket, drinking coffee and reading a book is a perfect day for many people. These photos by @lookingforabura show a great cozy theme that just warms your heart.

How to Get the Look

The key here is to embrace the warm undertones. That means adding reds, oranges and even some deep yellow colors wherever you can. Depending on your editing platform you can try some different combinations to see what works best for you. Adding a little bit of a brown tinge to the photo could also work out well.

32. Fall Theme

Now that we’ve covered summer and winter, let’s focus on autumn. Between pumpkins, flannels and the leaves changing color on the trees, there’s plenty to love about fall. For many people, the season is the epitome of warmth and comfort.

How to Get the Look

With a theme as classic as fall, you’re going to want to make sure that your photos themselves are capturing key fall elements, like beautiful leaves, pumpkins and football. As with any warm theme, highlighting the orange and red tones will be key. Also, if you’re creating your own graphics or text images, you can still include things like falling leaves or pumpkins – they can help your graphics stand out.

33. Coffee Theme

Even if you’re not a coffee expert, you could create a coffee-themed Instagram. In fact, it’s fairly easy. Whenever you have a picture of yourself, hold a cup of coffee. If you create an image with a quote on it, make sure the background image is of coffee. Just thinking about it warms you up inside, and for many people it can be a conversation-starter and connection point.

How to Get the Look

Beyond adding styled photos of your most recent latte, you can also create a coffee theme in a more subtle way. Highlight the dark undertones of your photos, whether those are cool undertones like greens and blues or more coffee-colored with browns and blacks. Keep your images somewhat dark (without being black-and-white). And when in doubt, simply post a picture of coffee.

34. Romantic Theme

A light-yet-warm theme, romantic Instagrams capture the brightness of a light theme but the pink and red undertones of a warm theme. This is a great option for photographers, influencers or anyone who likes to combine warmth and brightness.

How to Get the Look

As with many themes, this begins with the pictures themselves. Simple pictures often work better, with one primary subject and a fairly simple background, like the beach or even just a table. When editing, less is often more, although you want to make sure it’s bright but still warm.

35. Mild Warmth Theme

The creators of @modernthriftco have made a beautiful stylistic choice here. They keep their background plain so you can truly focus on the image they’re showing in the center. The overall feel of the images is warm, which creates a positive feeling and might make you want to browse their shop.

How to Get the Look

Creating a plain, common background like this is an excellent trick for making your feed look cohesive. Then, when thinking about your filters and editing, think about how you want your followers to feel. When you look at these photos you feel invited and warm, so you want to stay awhile. Consider choosing a warm filter to echo those feelings.

Eclectic Instagram Themes

36. Rustic & Rural Theme

@upknorth is a lifestyle brand that is dedicated to designing products that are durable yet functionable and revolve around the rugged outdoor style. The simplicity of the cleanliness of nature is reflected in their design, natural materials, and photos on Instagram.

How to Get the Look

If you want a look that will tickle your wanderlust, tone down the contrast, lower the saturation, and make sure each photo is taken in natural light. Make sure your followers get their fix of outdoor adventure, even on days they’re stuck inside. You’ll truly make them feel like they’re off the grid.

37. No Filter Theme

The #nofilter look has been growing in popularity over the past few years. It can apply to influencers, people in the beauty space or just any brand. Accounts that follow a no filter theme can often be viewed as real, genuine and honest. They have nothing to hide and don’t edit out their imperfections or insecurities.

How to Get the Look

This might be the easiest one of all: just post your photo. No filter needed. If you’d like, add the #nofilter hashtag to join in that social conversation, and then you’re ready to go.

38. Patterned Theme

Patterns are eye catching and stand out among the normal photos in someone’s Instagram feed. The best part of this is that patterns are all around, so they’re fairly easy to find. Whether you spy them in flooring tiles or in the landscaping in your neighborhood, share the patterns you see and talk about them with your followers.

How to Get the Look

Most of the patterns that you’ll want to share will just be found in the world around you. However, if you’re extra creative, you can always make your own patterns. Create some graphics that are pattern-based or have some fun staging a photo with some new patterned fabric. The patterned theme allows you to be really creative with your photos.

39. Overhead Theme

Flatlay photos are incredibly popular because they’re really beautiful. It’s a great way to capture a gorgeous, well-thought-out design of everyday items, from books to coffee to jewelry. Many stores use this technique to showcase products that are on sale, but you could do it with just about anything.

How to Get the Look

You’ll obviously be shooting from above, so you want to make sure you have a clean, flat surface for your objects. You can use a table if you’d like, but a good piece of poster board on the floor can work just as well. Then, because you’ll be shooting from overhead, your next challenge will be lighting. Add as much light from the sides as you can so you don’t get your own shadow in the photos.

40. Tropical Account

Not everyone can live on the beach, but plenty of people wish they could. Having a tropical theme for your Instagram account can be a great way to share vacation vibes with your audience all the time. The teal, blue and light orange color combination can make just about anyone think of the ocean.

How to Get the Look

Posting beach pictures year-round is an excellent idea. Then, when you want to mix it up a bit, rely on that teal-light orange-blue color scheme, or any other inspiration you get from your tropical photos. Use that as you take new pictures (whether you’re somewhere tropical or not) or as you create graphics. Stinson can be a good filter to use for beach shots, too.

Clean Instagram Themes

41. White Minimalistic Theme

Say hello to the queen of minimalism, @k.els.e.y From her black and white wardrobe to the simplicity of her home decor, there’s no doubt that Kelsey has adopted this style to every aspect of her life.

How to Get the Look

If you believe in “less is more” this look is the way to go. Big white open space is your best friend here for your photo composition. Desaturate your photos for a cooler feel and try to use neutral colors such as black, white and nude. This will make editing a lot easier to recreate this look.

42. Bright, Beachy & Relaxed Theme

Tracy Komlos, a 27-year-old girl from Montreal, mesmerizes with her wanderlust. Komlos took the idea of passion and combined it with purpose as she began her journey as an entrepreneur, offering brands content creation in beautiful destinations.

How to Get the Look

With over 90K followers, @tracy_komlos stuns with images of lonely bays, crystal-clear waters and overlooking cliffs. Komlos brings up the exposure and enhances the saturation, making her photos come to life. 

43. Quotes

If you aren’t posting quotes on your Instagram account, you’re missing out. They’re a really easy type of post for your followers to share with their friends, in their Stories or even save to reference later. You can even build a whole theme around your quotes, whether you choose to follow a posting schedule to keep them organized or if you just want to use a template for making your graphics.

How to Get the Look

You can see here that @jaschamikka has a combination of types of posts, but that most of hers have words on them. She has a few different colors of backgrounds she uses to keep her branding in the same blue family, and even the smaller graphics she uses on her various quote posts are similar. This is a great way to create consistency. Create a few templates for yourself and then use them whenever you want to post a quote moving forward.

44. Dreamy Theme

Instagram accounts with a dreamy theme are downright beautiful. They get their dreamy feel from a combination of the photos they post, colors they feature and filters they use. Good accounts like this will inspire your next daydream.

How to Get the Look

If you choose a dreamy theme, you want to make sure it captures your followers’ attention and their imagination. Use consistent colors and pick a filter that gives just the right amount of mystery. If you’re looking for a good filter, Crema is a great bet. It will help your photos come out smooth.

45. Neutral Theme

The neutral look is a classic that just about anyone can use, but not everyone should use it. For brands or people who have big, bold personalities, a neutral-themed account just won’t work. But, if you have a chill, calm vibe, choosing neutral could be great. It gives you a fairly blank slate to occasionally do something bright and fun.

How to Get the Look

Find or take photos that are all in the same or similar color scheme. You don’t want anything too bright. White, black, brown and gray are the obvious neutrals, but some light green and blue could work, as well, like @french.creative used here. Gingham is a great filter choice if you have a photo you really want to use but it has too many colors – it will help wash out some of the intensity.

Design Themes

46. Borders Theme

Alternating between both horizontal and vertical borders, @Cuyana reinvents the typical clothing catalog by showing their latest products as an artistic collage. Take notes on how this visual platform can work to your advantage.

How to Get the Look

Challenge Instagram’s square photo grid by changing the aspect ratio of your photos. Despite posting pictures with a variety of colors, your feed will appear elegant, sophisticated and chic. Just be sure that the white frames are always consistent in size.

47. Background Design Theme

While this can be a lot of fun, it can also be a lot of work. Look closely at @jenerationpr’s feed here. You’ll see that the palm tree leaves line up, as well as the diagonal coloring of the blue stripe. It’s certainly an extra design element, but the results are really impressive. This is often a better idea than creating one big image using multiple posts. Your followers won’t get too much out of just seeing your knee on your feed, but these posts still provide plenty of value while still being stylistically beautiful on the profile.

How to Get the Look

This one takes some planning. If you work with a graphic designer, talk to them about this before you jump into the project. If you’re doing this on your own, you’ll want to sit down and plan out probably 9-12 photos at a time, and you’ll want to rearrange them to make sure they’ll look good even when more photos are posted later.

48. Repeated Theme

We briefly mentioned earlier that you can organize your posts to create a theme within your posting schedule, especially with quotes. This is an excellent example of how beautiful a profile can be when you put time and effort into planning out your layout.

How to Get the Look

This particular repeated pattern is fairly easy to do: post a quote, then a photo, and repeat. By posting every-other, you create this beautiful checkerboard effect on Instagram’s three-across grid. You can even go farther, as @coffeewithrach did, and coordinate the design or color of your quote images to create a pattern within them.

49. Geometric Shapes Theme

Shapes capture your attention, and that’s one of the primary goals of the image part of your Instagram post. You want to compel your reader to stop scrolling and read your caption. Posting a photo with a geometric shape in it is a great way to do just that.

How to Get the Look

Just like with patterns, begin to look around you. Look for shapes in your everyday life. They might be on pillows, in flowers or on your shirt. Whatever you see you can post. You can also incorporate yourself into the photos, either by holding the shapes, wearing them, or anything else you can imagine.

50. Organized By Height Theme

Finally, this is a really fun theme that @happygreylucky uses consistently with their family. While it’s not in every picture, take a look at their profile and notice how they’re quite often in height order. This is both interesting to the eye and interesting to the brain – we like patterns. This is a great way to create a pattern and a fun photo opportunity.

How to Get the Look

If you’re comfortable sharing your family on social media, you could certainly create photos like this. If that doesn’t work for your brand, consider doing the same thing with your team members, or even with your various products. Creating visually interesting photos like this can be a lot of fun.

Planning Tools

When you’re looking to achieve the perfect theme, you can probably tell it takes a lot of planning. You can try to do it in your head, but the best way to plan and know what your grid will look like before you post it is by using an Instagram planning tool. We have a few tools that we love:

• Planoly: the first visual planner for Instagram, Planoly lets you create a visual content calendar so you know what you’re creating.
• Preview: Preview also lets you have a sneak peek at your grid before you ever hit “publish.”

Implementing Your Instagram Theme

So there you have it: 50 Instagram theme ideas, how to get them and three tools you can use to plan out your content before you post it. Not all of these themes will work for every brand or business, but we’re sure that you’ll find at least one that will definitely work for you. Which one are you excited to use?