How to Do Cool Instagram Post Layouts

Ready to turn your Instagram profile from a random collection of photos into an eye-catching grid that makes people hit Follow? Let's get right to it. This guide skips the fluff and gives you actionable strategies, popular layout ideas, and the tools you need to create a cohesive and professional-looking Instagram feed.

Why Your Instagram Grid Layout Matters (More Than You Think)

Your Instagram grid is the first thing people see when they land on your profile. It's your digital handshake, your visual business card, and your portfolio all rolled into one. Before anyone reads your bio or clicks a single post, they'll make a snap judgment based on the overall look and feel of your feed. A messy, inconsistent grid can make even the best brand look amateurish, while a well-planned, cohesive layout communicates professionalism and intention.

Think of it as visual storytelling. A great grid layout does more than just look pretty - it:

• Reinforces Brand Identity: Consistent colors, tones, and styles make your brand instantly recognizable.
• Increases Follows: A beautiful feed is a compelling reason for someone to follow you, they want to see more of that aesthetic on their own home feed.
• Builds Trust: A thoughtfully curated grid shows you care about the details, which suggests you care about the quality of your products or services, too.
• Guides Your Audience's Eye: Strategic layouts can draw attention to important posts, promotions, or announcements.

Simply put, an intentional grid layout shows you’re not just posting content, you’re building a brand experience. It’s one of the most powerful and underrated tools for organic growth on the platform.

7 Cool Instagram Grid Layouts to Try Today

Let's move on to the fun part. Here are seven popular Instagram post layouts you can adopt, from simple and effective to advanced and impressive. For each one, we’ll cover what it is, who it’s for, and how to pull it off.

1. The Checkerboard (or Tiled) Grid

The checkerboard layout is a classic for a reason: it's simple to execute but looks incredibly organized and clean. The idea is to alternate between two different types of posts, creating a pattern that resembles a checkerboard on your feed.

• What it is: A grid that alternates between two distinct post styles. Common combinations include a photo and a quote graphic, a light photo and a dark photo, or a close-up shot and a wide shot.
• Who it's for: Service-based businesses, coaches, bloggers, consultants, and anyone who wants to mix educational or text-based content with visual imagery without it feeling cluttered.
• How to do it: First, decide on your two post themes. Let's say it's photos and white-background quotes. Your first post is a photo, the second a quote, the third a photo, and so on. The key is strict consistency. Before you post, think about what the *next* post needs to be to maintain the pattern.

2. The Vertical Lines Grid

This layout creates a strong visual anchor right down the middle of your feed, drawing the eye and making your profile look extremely tidy. It works by creating a 'column' of similar content.

• What it is: A layout where one vertical column (either the center or one of the sides) consists of a single, consistent type of post. The middle column is the most popular choice.
• Who it's for: Brands that want a visually striking and orderly feed. It works great for photographers (e.g., center column is all black and white portraits), fashion bloggers (e.g., center column is all "outfit of the day" details), or businesses (e.g., center column is all customer testimonials).
• How to do it: Plan your content in rows of three. The post you publish in the #2, #5, #8, #11, (and so on) slots must be your "theme" post. Maybe it's a quote on a black background, a pop of brand color, or a behind-the-scenes selfie. The two posts on either side can be more varied, but your central column must be consistent to create the line effect.

3. The Puzzle Feed

This is arguably the most artistically impressive - but also the most challenging - layout to maintain. A puzzle feed treats your entire grid as one big canvas, with each individual post acting as a tile in a larger, interconnected image.

• What it is: Individual photos are cut from a single, large graphic. When viewed on your profile, the tiles come together to form one continuous design.
• Who it's for: Brands launching a new product, telling a visual story, promoting an event, or anyone with a strong design focus looking to make a big impact. It often works best for a short-term campaign rather than an infinite strategy.
• How to do it: You’ll need a photo editing tool. You can use apps like Canva, PuzzleGram, or Photoshop to create your master image and then use a "grid splitter" feature to slice it into 3, 6, 9, or 12 squares. The biggest challenge? Making sure each individual square still looks interesting on its own in the main feed, since that's where most of your followers will first see it.

4. The Rainbow Feed

A rainbow or color-gradient feed creates a beautiful, flowing effect as users scroll through your profile. It involves slowly shifting the dominant color in your photos from one hue to another.

• What it is: A grid that gradually transitions through the colors of the rainbow (or any color progression you choose). You might spend 6-9 posts focusing on pinks and reds, then slowly shift to oranges and yellows, then greens, and so on.
• Who it's for: Travel bloggers, lifestyle influencers, artists, photographers - anyone whose content is visually vibrant and can be grouped by color.
• How to do it: This requires serious pre-planning. You need to batch your photos by their dominant color. Use a grid planning tool to arrange photos for 12-15 posts at a time to ensure the color transition feels smooth and natural, not abrupt. Starting with a clear plan for your color journey is essential.

5. The Consistent Filter / Color Palette Grid

This is the workhorse of Instagram layouts. It’s the easiest to start and maintain, yet it’s incredibly effective at creating a professional, cohesive brand aesthetic.

• What it is: Sticking to one specific photo filter or a predefined brand color palette for every single post. The content itself can vary, but the overall tone, mood, and color story remain the same.
• Who it's for: Everyone. Seriously. Whether you’re a solopreneur, a small business, a massive corporation, or just trying to build a personal brand, this is the foundation of a great-looking feed.
• How to do it: The easiest way is to use presets. Find (or create) a preset in Adobe Lightroom Mobile that matches your brand vibe and apply it to every photo. Alternatively, editing apps like VSCO or Snapseed offer great filters. If you’re going the color palette route, define your 3-5 brand colors and make sure one or more of them appears prominently in every image or graphic you post.

6. The Row-by-Row Theme

This layout treats each horizontal row of three posts as its own mini-story or theme. It’s a great way to group related content, tell stories in small chapters, or showcase a product from different angles.

• What it is: You post in sets of three. Each row might be from the same photoshoot, tell one part of a bigger story, or follow a pattern like "close-up, medium shot, wide shot."
• Who it's for: Product-based businesses sharing a new collection, event planners showcasing a single wedding, or photographers highlighting photos from a specific session.
• How to do it: Think and post in triplets. If you're launching a new skincare line, you might dedicate one row to showing the texture, another to showing the packaging, and a third showing a user's glowing skin. This pattern needs you to publish three photos back-to-back (or close together) to get the effect.

7. The Borders Theme

Adding a uniform border to all your photos can instantly make your grid feel more spacious, clean, and minimalist. The most common choice is a simple white border, which creates breathing room between your images.

• What it is: Every photo or video you post has the same border applied to it. While typically white, you could use black or even a brand color for a bolder look.
• Who it's for: Photographers who want their work to stand out, minimalists, and brands with an elegant, airy, or sophisticated aesthetic.
• How to do it: Use an editing app like Instasize, VSCO, Preview, or Whitagram to apply a consistent border to your photos before uploading them to Instagram. The key is to use the exact same border size and color every time for a professional finish.

The Tools You Need to Plan Your Perfect Grid

Pulling off any of these layouts requires more than just good intentions - it requires planning. You simply can't eyeball a cohesive grid. Luckily, there are amazing tools out there to help you visualize your feed before a single post goes live.

• Visual Planners: These are non-negotiable for serious grid planning. Apps like Planoly, Preview, and Later allow you to upload your future posts, then drag and drop them to see how they’ll look next to each other on your grid. This is essential for getting puzzle, checkerboard, and color-transition feeds right.
• Editing Apps: For a consistent look, you need a go-to editor. Adobe Lightroom Mobile is the industry favorite for its powerful presets. VSCO is beloved for its film-like, aesthetic filters, while Snapseed is a powerful, free all-purpose editor.
• Graphic Design Tools: If you're doing text-based posts or puzzle feeds, Canva is your best friend. It’s loaded with templates for quote graphics, carousels, and promotional posts that you can customize with your brand colors and fonts.

Tips for Sticking With Your Instagram Layout

Choosing a layout is one thing, maintaining it is another. Here’s how to stay on track.

Batch Your Content

Trying to create a single, on-brand post in the moment is stressful and leads to inconsistency. Instead, set aside a few hours once a week or once a month to create multiple pieces of content at once. Plan your photos, write your captions, and design your graphics in batches. This is the only way to realistically maintain more complex layouts.

Be Flexible

Your Instagram strategy shouldn't force you to miss out on timely or spontaneous moments. Have a plan for how to jump into a trending conversation or share breaking news without destroying your grid. Maybe that "off-brand" post becomes an Instagram Story or a Reel, which doesn't sit on your main grid permanently. Or, you can plan for "flex posts" that break your pattern in an intentional way.

Start Simple

If you're new to grid planning, don't start with a complex puzzle feed. Nail the "Consistent Filter" layout (which every brand should aim for anyway) first. Once that becomes second nature, experiment with a checkerboard or vertical line layout. The goal is consistency over complexity.

Final Thoughts

Turning your Instagram feed into a visually compelling experience starts with intentionality. By choosing a layout that reflects your brand and using the right planning tools, you can transform your grid from an afterthought into your most powerful branding asset.

All this planning can feel like a heavy lift, especially when you’re wrestling with spreadsheets and camera-roll chaos to see how everything fits. That’s why at Postbase, we built our visual calendar to make this process feel effortless. You can drag and drop your drafted posts right on the calendar to get a live preview of how your grid will look, helping you perfect your layout and spot gaps in your schedule long before you hit publish.