How to Make Aesthetic Instagram Stories for a Consistent Look

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To create a consistent look on your Instagram stories, it's essential to establish a color palette. A color palette is a selection of colors that work well together and can be used consistently throughout your stories.

Choose a maximum of 3-5 colors that reflect your brand's personality and aesthetic. For example, if you're a fashion brand, you might choose a palette of neutral tones like beige, navy, and white.

Use these colors consistently in your stories to create a cohesive look. This will help your brand feel more polished and professional to your followers.

Consistency is key to creating a recognizable brand, so stick to your color palette and use it in every story.

Design Principles

The minimalist design is a popular trend in the world of Instagram stories, all about simplicity and elegance.

A simple white background is a great starting point for creating a minimalist design.

Sticking to a color palette of three or four colors is also crucial.

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Muted tones are a better choice than bright and clashing colors to create a calming effect.

Negative space is another key element of minimalist design, drawing attention to your message and creating a sense of simplicity and elegance.

Less is definitely more when it comes to creating a minimalist Instagram story, so keep your message short and sweet.

A pop of color can be used to emphasize a specific point, but use it sparingly.

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Visual Elements

We're visual beings, and Instagram is a highly visual platform with over one billion active users. To make your content stand out, you need to make it visually appealing.

Using images and videos is key to visual storytelling. By telling engaging stories through your Instagram stories, you'll keep your viewers hooked on your brand. Aesthetic Instagram stories are an excellent way to do this.

You can overlay beautiful text on your images, and Instagram now offers nine different typefaces to choose from. Experiment with the different fonts, shading, and border options to find a look that works for you.

Minimalist Design

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Minimalist Design is a popular trend on Instagram, all about simplicity and elegance. It's a great way to showcase your creativity without overwhelming your followers.

Choosing the right colors and fonts is crucial for minimalist design. Muted tones are a better choice than bright and clashing colors to create a calming effect.

Negative space is another key element of minimalist design. By using negative space, you can draw attention to your message and create a sense of simplicity and elegance.

Less is definitely more when it comes to creating a minimalist Instagram story. Keep your message short and sweet, and let the design speak for itself.

A simple white background is a great starting point for a minimalist Instagram story. Sticking to a color palette of three or four colors will also help create a cohesive look.

Using a consistent font is also important for minimalist design. A simple and easy-to-read font will help tie everything together and create a visually appealing mood board.

Monochrome Themes

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Monochrome themes are all about sticking to a single color palette and creating contrast and depth using that color.

Using a monochrome theme is perfect for highlighting product features, showcasing your brand's unique style, and creating a cohesive Instagram story.

A monochrome theme can be created by sticking to a single color palette, which helps to create a cohesive visual identity for your brand.

This visual identity can be used to highlight product features and showcase your brand's unique style, making it a great choice for Instagram stories.

By using a monochrome theme, you can create contrast and depth with different shades and textures of the same color, making your story more engaging and visually appealing.

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Overlay Text on Images

Overlaying text on images is a great way to add an extra layer of meaning to your Instagram stories. You can use Instagram's nine different typefaces, ranging from pretty cursive fonts to bold and bubbly, to create a unique look.

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Choosing the right text overlay is key to making your image stand out. Look for images that are aesthetically pleasing and complement each other, and use text overlays to highlight specific messages and tie everything together.

A collage-style Instagram story is a great way to showcase a transformation, and using images to show the progress and text to explain the process is a winning combination. For example, if you're showcasing a before-and-after transformation, use images to show the progress and text to explain the process.

You can easily make a creative text block in your Instagram Stories using Instagram's features, such as different shading and border options. This will help create a cohesive story that is both visually appealing and informative.

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Color and Contrast

Choosing a single color palette is a great way to create a cohesive look in your Instagram stories. Sticking to a single color throughout your story can add interest and depth with different hues.

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Contrast and depth are key to creating a visually appealing Instagram story. You can achieve this by using different tones of the same color.

Adding text and stickers can create contrast and make your story stand out. You can also use different fonts to add visual interest.

Here are some tips to create contrast and depth in your Instagram story:

Incorporating bold colors can also add contrast to your story. Neon accents like pink, blue, and green can make a big impact.

Remember, your brand colors are an essential part of your Instagram aesthetic. You can find your best-performing color palette in Plann's analytics section and use it to create a consistent look in your stories.

Fonts

To make your Instagram story truly pop, it's essential to choose the right fonts. Use a mix of fonts to add visual interest, just like mixing images and text in a collage-style story.

Choosing a single font can make your story look bland, so don't be afraid to experiment with different fonts to find the right combination.

Fonts can be used to highlight specific messages, just like text overlays in a before-and-after transformation story.

For example, you can use a bold font to draw attention to a key point, and a cursive font to add a touch of elegance.

Filters and Effects

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You can add animated filters to photos from your camera reel, jazzing up a boring selfie or old photo. These filters are a great way to make static photos feel more dynamic when you post them to your stories.

Some in-built Instagram stories filters are available for use, although you can't choose from the entire library of filters from creators in this mode. You can also use the Tone Studio App created by Do You Travel Presets to create your own unique story style, with a subscription starting at $20.00 per year.

To add a pop of color and emphasis to your text, try using the halo effect, which can be found in the paintbrush menu. This glowing effect is perfect for outlining elements in your photos or adding a fun touch to your story.

Filters and Effects

Polaroid frames are a fun and unique way to showcase your Instagram story, adding a vintage vibe and creating a cohesive aesthetic.

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You can also use the eraser tool to make shapes and frames in your Instagram Stories, which is surprisingly easy and has a big impact.

The eraser brush tool can be used to create patterns, making your stories visually appealing.

Polaroid frames are perfect for showcasing a series of images or products, making them a great choice for businesses and creatives.

Using the eraser tool to make creative Instagram stories is a great alternative to using pre-made templates, allowing for more flexibility and customization.

You can even use the eraser tool to create custom shapes and frames on the go, making it a great option for busy creators.

Watercolor Apps and Brushes

If you're looking to add a touch of watercolor magic to your Instagram story, there are some amazing apps and brushes to explore.

Procreate is one of the top choices, allowing you to add a wide range of watercolor effects.

Waterlogue is another popular option, offering a variety of watercolor styles to enhance your story.

Watercolor Studio is also worth checking out, providing a range of brushes and effects to create stunning watercolor looks.

Filters and Effects

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You can add a halo effect to your Instagram stories by using the sparkly paintbrush in the editing tools. This feature is perfect for emphasizing text or highlighting elements in your photos.

To draw attention to specific elements, play with light and shadow in your stories. Use contrast to your advantage and create a visually appealing effect.

The halo effect is also great for drawing on your own "halo" – yes, it's a fun feature that lets you add a glowing effect to your stories.

Filters

Filters can be a fantastic way to enhance your Instagram stories and make them stand out. With so many options available, it can be overwhelming to choose the right one.

You can add animated filters to photos from your camera reel, which is a great way to make static photos feel more dynamic. Unfortunately, you can't choose from the entire library of filters from creators in this mode.

Credit: youtube.com, Want to add some dreamy and creative special effects? | K&F CONCEPT Effect Filters

Some filters for videos are free, but if you want access to more, it's $20.00 for the year. You can also create your own story style using the Tone Studio App, which is a great option if you want a filter that's all your own style.

There are many Instagram filters to use and try, but it's best to pick one or two clean filters and stick with them. This will help you maintain a consistent aesthetic throughout your stories.

Here are some popular apps for creating animated Instagram stories, including Canva, Unfold, and InShot. These apps allow you to add a wide range of animations and effects to your stories, making them stand out from the rest.

You can use GIFs, boomerangs, or AR filters to add movement to your Instagram stories. These features are engaging for your followers and can be used to showcase different features of a product or create a fun and playful effect.

Layout and Composition

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You can create a visually appealing Instagram story by experimenting with different layouts. Experiment with Instagram's layout mode to create a collage-style graphic of up to six different photos.

To make your story cohesive, mix both images and text. This will help tie everything together and make your story more informative. Choose images that complement each other and use text overlays to highlight specific messages.

Experiment with Layouts

You can create a collage-style graphic of up to six different photos in Instagram's layout mode, perfect for showing off multiple photos from the same day or occasion.

Experimenting with different layouts can add visual interest to your Instagram stories. Mixing images and text is key to making your story visually appealing, so choose images that complement each other and use text overlays to highlight specific messages.

To create a cohesive story, use images to show progress and text to explain the process. For example, if you're showcasing a before-and-after transformation, use images to show the progress and text to explain the transformation.

Credit: youtube.com, Beginning Graphic Design: Layout & Composition

Layering is also important when it comes to creating a collage-style Instagram story. Use a combination of images, text, and stickers to create an interesting composition and add depth and interest to your story.

By mixing images and text and using creative layering techniques, you can create a unique and visually appealing story that captures your audience's attention.

Highlight Covers

Highlight covers are an effective way to give your profile some extra oomph. They're an opportunity to really unify your aesthetic.

Keeping them simple is key, as they're small on the screen. Less is definitely more.

A cosmetic company uses icons for their highlight covers, which are clean, clear, and communicative. They use a single color that matches the brand's visual identity and Instagram palette.

You can make highlight covers like these easily using Canva.

A tattoo artist's highlight covers feature some of their artwork, which have a unified, professional look due to a consistent background color. The actual drawings are quite different from one another.

If you're not sure where to start, Hootsuite offers 40 free templates for aesthetic Instagram highlight covers that you can download.

Branding and Identity

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To create visually appealing Instagram stories, it's essential to establish a strong brand identity. You can do this by adding your brand colors to your posts. Set up templates in Canva to access and schedule your stories without leaving the Plann app.

Using a consistent color palette will help your stories look cohesive. You can find your best-performing color palette in Plann's analytics section, complete with the exact code. This will ensure that your stories always reflect your brand's visual identity.

Adding your logo to your stories is another great way to reinforce your brand identity. You can copy and paste your logo from your camera reel and position it anywhere you want in your story. This can also be done using templates in Canva.

To create a cohesive look, stick to a single font and use it consistently throughout your Instagram story. This will help your story look more polished and professional. You can also add a sticker or two to create contrast and make your Instagram story stand out.

Using handwritten text in your Instagram stories can add a personal touch, but be sure to choose a font that resembles handwriting. This will help your story look more authentic and engaging.

Judith Lang

Senior Assigning Editor

Judith Lang is a seasoned Assigning Editor with a passion for curating engaging content for readers. With a keen eye for detail, she has successfully managed a wide range of article categories, from technology and software to education and career development. Judith's expertise lies in assigning and editing articles that cater to the needs of modern professionals, providing them with valuable insights and knowledge to stay ahead in their fields.

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