In marketing, the core message matters even more than the aesthetics, no doubt. However, in a highly visual platform like Instagram, it is about getting noticed in the first place. That’s where the Instagram theme comes into the picture. 

What if you are presented with 2 different Instagram pages? One where every image has a mood of its own and another where the posts together create a harmonious aesthetic, a unified mood. Which of these pages are you probably more likely to pay closer attention to? We’re guessing it’s the second one. That’s the power of a well-defined Instagram theme. 

If you do not already have a clear theme for your brand’s Instagram page or if you are wondering how to come up with an idea for an Instagram theme, look no further. We have 7 beautiful ideas to craft the perfect Instagram page for your brand and deliver the perfect visual experience to your customers. 

Benefits of having a strong Instagram theme for your brand 

• About 62.3% of consumers follow brands and research them on Instagram before making a purchase. Which means that this platform is introduced in a buyer’s journey at a very early stage. If your aesthetic Instagram page manages to impress potential customers at an early stage, it gives your brand a competitive edge. 
• Instagram is the top platform preferred by consumers for building relationships with brands. Every post, every interaction that happens on Instagram, therefore, influences the way customers feel about your brand. The theme on your Instagram feed is a crucial detail in this. 
• Instagram is often the first customer touch-point. For people who get introduced to your brand on the platform, your Instagram theme is often the first visual sample of your brand identity. From the mood of the theme to its style, every little aspect influences the way these consumers perceive your brand. In other words, your Instagram theme introduces your brand personality to your customers. 
• When you consistently maintain an Instagram theme, you are slowly and steadily getting customers to familiarize themselves with your brand. They get a sense of what your brand looks and feels like and this creates brand recognition. 
• There’s another indirect benefit to creating an Instagram theme that most people oversee and that is the definition of brand identity. Your brand page acts as the base station for the ads you run on social media, and social media customer service interactions. Your brand’s Instagram aesthetic or theme acts as the reference for all these designs. In other words, your Instagram theme acts as a visual brand guide for your social media designs. 

For all these reasons and more, you need a strong Instagram theme. Looking for inspiration? Let’s look at some ideas. 

7 Instagram theme ideas for brands 

1. Minimalistic 

Some Instagram pages look clean and clutter-free. They are an embodiment of order and elegance. A minimalistic Instagram aesthetic has that effect. It’s the simplicity of this theme that makes it so powerful. This simplicity lets the product/service and thus the brand shine through. 

Minimalistic themes are suitable for:

• Brands that wish to depict luxury 
• Ones that embrace minimalistic or eco-friendly lifestyles and products 
• Skincare and beauty brands known for products with simple and clean ingredients

Minimalist is a popular skincare brand whose tagline is “Hide Nothing”. Transparency is the core value of the brand and therefore a clean minimalistic Instagram theme supports this idea. 

The above snapshot shows a snapshot from the Instagram page of Minimalist. The product packaging from the brand also resonates with the minimalism and the limited use of color as seen in the brand’s Instagram theme. 

Kimp Tips: 

A few ways to create a minimalistic Instagram theme are: 

• Choose subtle muted palettes in which the colors do not clash with each other 
• Use minimal text 
• Choose clear backgrounds for your posts 

2. Vintage 

A retro or vintage style is another popular visual style that’s hard to miss. Not all brands resonate with this style and so this is not a very common one to come by. Therefore, creating a retro Instagram theme for your page, if it feels relevant to your brand, makes your brand stand out. 

Retro themes work if your brand is meant to evoke nostalgia. 

• This could be because of the traditional products or services you cater to 
• Or perhaps the traditional processes in your organization 
• Sometimes this can be for capturing the heritage of the brand 
• Or because of the niche itself – for example, the brand sells vintage clocks, vintage home decor or even vintage fashion 

On all these occasions a vintage Instagram theme feels relevant. 

RetroSupply Co is about digital products like brushes, particularly for Procreate, Illustrator, and others. The specialty of the collection here is that these brushes help designers achieve analog effects in their digital illustrations. In other words, the brand helps add a hint of old to the new. No wonder, a vintage Instagram theme fits perfectly for the brand. 

To maintain consistency and provide a seamless omnichannel experience, RetroSupply Co also has a retro style on its website. 

Kimp Tips: 

Achieving retro styles in your design is easy. Here are some ways to do it: 

• Use default Instagram filters like Gingham to create a consistent retro style in your posts
• Add a vignette to focus on the subject 
• Grainy textures and noise help create a vintage vibe 
• Adjust saturation as retro designs do not have bright colors that pop 
• Tweak the tint to create specific effects like sepia 

Need help in consistently editing all your images and creating a retro Instagram theme for your brand? The Kimp team is just a free trial away. 

3. Pastels 

A subtle transition from mellow vintage themes to futuristic and fun bright-colored themes will be a pastel theme. Pastels are versatile and when used right, they create a unique identity for your brand. 

Pastel aesthetic feels relevant to:

• Skincare and cosmetic brands 
• Brands that want to establish a gentle feminine touch 
• Fashion brands marketing niche segments like elegant workwear collections or summer dresses 
• Businesses selling desserts (a more fun and playful pastel palette works better in this case)
• Skincare – brighter and more fun variants 
• Self-care and wellness brands (a more soothing light pastel palette works well in this case)

A pastel Instagram theme works well because pastel palettes are usually soothing and they instantly appeal to the audience. And the best part is their versatility. Brighter and bolder pastels have a more fun mood and softer pastels are calming and elegant. 

Benefit Cosmetics uses a pretty pastel Instagram theme on its page. 

Want to know how to correctly use pastels in your designs? Check out our blog on using pastels in marketing. 

4. Limited color palette 

Using just one or two colors for all your Instagram posts might seem like limiting your creativity at first instance. But look at the Instagram theme on the below page and you’ll know why we recommend this style.

In the above page, the brand colors are front and center in the Instagram theme. As you scroll down the feed, you’ll see a lot of different variations of the brand colors occurring together. What does this mean? 

By the time you absorb the visuals on the page, you are also familiar with the brand colors. And these visuals strongly imprint the combination in your mind. As a result, the next time you come across this color combination you are more likely to recall this brand. 

That’s the benefit of prioritizing your brand colors and using them as the core colors in your Instagram theme. 

Unlike other ideas that feel relevant to specific industries, a limited color palette following the brand colors is an idea that works for almost all types of brands and industries. When you want to throw the spotlight on your brand and when you wish to create a strong brand identity, this idea works. 

Moreover, this idea simplifies your designs and makes your Feed look more put-together. So, a small brand trying to make a name for itself in a competitive niche will find this idea to be quite fruitful. 

5. Bold and bright palette 

If your brand has a peppy personality, then bold and bright colors, “happy” colors feel more relevant. So, choosing a bright and fun palette for your Instagram theme helps establish your brand’s unique personality. 

A bold and bright Instagram theme feels relevant to:

• Brands catering to fashion and accessories for kids 
• Fashion brands for teens 
• Businesses in the travel and food industries that are meant to capture the theme of “happiness” 

Oh, Lolly Day is a Korean brand known for its stationery supplies and gift items. It has a tagline, “makes your life happier”. With this in mind take a look at the Instagram theme of the brand and see if it communicates the idea. The colors and overall fun aesthetic nail it, don’t you agree? 

Kimp Tips:

When you use bold colors you need to be extra cautious because bold colors have strong personalities. Here are some tips to remember: 

• Limit your color palette – too many colors can result in a distracting layout 
• Keep contrast in mind – ensure that there’s only one bold color in one post. You do not want poor contrast to affect the readability of the text or cause an eye strain in your readers.

6. Illustrations 

While most of the above Instagram theme ideas were based on color choices in your design, you can also create a strong aesthetic based on visual styles. What kind of graphics do you use for your brand? Do all your images feature a human subject or do they all feature a particular category of products? Create a uniform-looking grid based on this. 

Custom illustrations are one such trait that’s hard to mimic. So, by consistently using illustrations for your brand, you are strengthening your brand personality and maintaining an authentic feed. 

Within the illustration category, you can further experiment with all the above theme ideas in terms of color choices depending on the industry or niche your business belongs to. 

Take a look at the below snapshot from the Instagram page of Headspace. The brand uses illustrations everywhere in its marketing. Animated versions of these illustrations also appear in the videos from the brand. 

As the app is meant to capture the idea of mental health and happiness, it incorporates happy colors consistently across all its marketing visuals. And the signature illustration style of this brand is easily recognizable.  

7. Checkerboard 

Another idea for an Instagram theme is to play with the content types you post on your page. To explain this better, we’ll give you an example.

On the above Instagram page, text-heavy posts alternate with headshots. This creates a nice balance in the layout and this is called the checkerboard theme. 

With a checkerboard Instagram theme:

• You get to explore many content types while also maintaining harmony on your Grid 
• There’s variety on your page to appeal to different kinds of audiences 

Kimp Tips:

When you use the checkerboard Instagram theme, remember a few things:

• Taking into account the diversity of content types on your page, limit the color palette 
• Retain the same font, font placement, or even font styling options for an even more balanced look 

If incorporating all these little details and creating your Instagram designs feels overwhelming, leave it to the Kimp team. 

Create the Instagram theme you love with Kimp 

Creating an Instagram theme for your brand page feels like a lot of work. One way to simplify this is to create a brand style guide for social media. This reference document tells what colors and fonts go into your Instagram designs and what results they achieve. Then comes the step of choosing the right kind of theme to suit your brand and your objectives for Instagram. Once both these are in place, create consistent-looking designs that help build your theme. That’s where a dedicated design team can be helpful, like the one you get when you choose Kimp. 

Working with your dedicated design team you can create consistent visuals that take your Instagram page aesthetics to the next level. So, what are you waiting for? Sign up for a free trial now.