6 Unique Ways to Curate & Upgrade Your Instagram Feed

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Instagram has changed a lot since this blog first went live. Reels, Stories, carousels and paid social all play a huge role now, but your feed still matters. It’s often the first place people go when they want to get a feel for your brand, your style and whether you know what you’re doing. No pressure, then.

Whether you’re managing a brand account or trying to make your own profile look less like a camera roll accident, a curated Instagram feed can help everything feel more considered. Colour, layout, crops, filters and planning all play a part.

Below are six simple ways to organise your Instagram feed, improve the look of your grid and make your content feel more joined up.

6 Instagram feed ideas at a glance

Short on time? Here are the six Instagram feed ideas covered in this guide:

1. Use a consistent colour palette to create a more cohesive grid.
2. Add divider posts to break up content and improve structure.
3. Experiment with frames and image crops to create a more distinctive look.
4. Stick to the same filter style to keep your content visually consistent.
5. Mix different methods together for a more balanced and flexible feed.
6. Try the puzzle grid approach if you want something a little more creative.

The best approach is usually the one you can stick to. A perfectly planned feed that lasts a week is far less useful than a good one you can maintain.

Organise your Instagram feed by colour

An easy way to create a beautiful grid is to stick to a chosen colour palette. Our tip here is to try and design at least six posts in advance to make sure that they look good sat next to each other. If you struggle to pick a specific palette then simply try to keep to a similar hue, such as bright colours or pastels.

You can also experiment with a “rainbow feed” which fades colours from one to another. To achieve this seamless transition between colours, use images that feature both the original colour and the one you want to fade to. To create the effect we recommend posting at least 6 images with the same colour before fading it to the next one. This method works well for professional Instagram feeds where you have access to all the content already.

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Use dividers to structure your grid

If you’re happy with your day-to-day posts but they don’t always sit together too well on the grid, then a clever way to make the whole feed feel more curated is to post some block colour ‘divider’ images, or images with text.

To do this, try and use the same font or at least similar style fonts and a carefully chosen colour palette.

Create consistency with frames and image crops

A clever and easy way to make your feed more artistic is to create posts with different frames. This will give your feed a more minimalist feel as it creates more negative space around your content. You can also stress less about the actual image content and whether your posts precisely complement each other.

An effective way to do this is to choose your content by alternatively cropping vertically and horizontally. This creates a lovely style to your feed and makes it look more curated and uniform.

A word of warning though… if the aim is to market a product or a service this method makes the actual image very small, and perhaps not the best approach for making it stand out.

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Use the same filter style

Anyone who has ever used Instagram knows that it has a great variety of filters built in. To create a consistent look for your feed, choose a filter that suits any occasion or any image and stick with it. This way your feed will automatically look more curated.

Mix methods for a more balanced Instagram feed

Sometimes sticking to one design direction with your feed doesn’t create the impact you were hoping for. Especially when talking about brands and getting their product or service out there. Therefore a good way to boost your feed’s appearance is to mix things up!

You can use the brand’s colour palette as the main design direction and create some dividing posts by using this palette. You can also mix up black and white photography with colourful images. You should also make sure that you don’t post similar colour posts next to or on top of each other. It’s always good to spread the feed out so there is a variety of light posts, dark posts and dividers.

Here too, it is beneficial to design at least 6 posts in advance to make sure they sit well together.

Try a more experimental puzzle grid

If you have more time on your hands and feel extra creative, a good way to express that is to design a feed that spreads the content between posts. This so called “puzzle method” uses several images within one post and creates a wholesome art piece. To do this you need some careful planning, keeping in mind that only posts that are vertically aligned on the feed will stay in their position. As soon as you post an uneven number, the feed will break.

Why not try using some minimal overlaps initially, and see if they bring any impact to your feed.

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Use an app to plan your Instagram feed

If you don’t own design software but would still like to design a nice feed for yourself, there are a variety of apps that can help you out. We’d recommend Plann, Planoly, Preview and Unum.

Make your social content feel joined up

A well-organised Instagram feed is not just about making the grid look nice. It helps your content feel more consistent, more considered and more recognisable as part of your brand. Tiny squares, bigger picture. Annoying, but true.

If your social content needs a clearer direction, our social media team can help you plan, create and manage content that feels on-brand, works across platforms and gives people a reason to keep paying attention.

FAQs

How do I make my Instagram feed look good?

Use consistent colours, filters, crops and image styles. Mix close-up shots with wider images, avoid placing too many similar posts next to each other, and think about how each post affects the grid as a whole. Individual posts matter, but the feed needs to work together too. Annoying, but true.

Should brands still care about their Instagram grid?

Yes, but not at the expense of good content. Reels, Stories and carousels all matter, but the grid still helps people get a quick feel for your brand when they land on your profile. Think of it as your shop window. Tiny square shop window, but still.

How many posts should I plan in advance?

Planning at least six posts in advance is a good starting point. It gives you enough content to see how colours, crops and formats will sit together on the grid. You can plan more if you want, but do not make the whole process so rigid that you never actually post anything.

How do colours and filters improve an Instagram feed?

Colours and filters help create consistency. Using a similar palette or editing style can make your feed feel more polished and easier to recognise. The trick is not to overdo it. If every photo looks like it has been dragged through the same filter from 2014, maybe have a rethink.

Why is it important to curate your Instagram feed?

Curating your Instagram feed is important because it helps people understand your brand quickly. When someone lands on your profile, the grid gives them an instant feel for your style, tone and quality of content. A messy feed will not ruin everything, but a considered one can make your brand look more consistent, credible and worth following.