Designing a Captivating Logo for Instagram: A Comprehensive Guide

Instagram is one of the biggest social media platforms on the planet. In a short period the app has gone from being primarily a photo-sharing site to a place that allows users (both personal and corporate) to develop communities. Doing so involves establishing a brand and that can be marked and supported by a well-designed logo.

So, what does that look like?

In this article we will explore all of the things that you should consider when designing a logo to use on Instagram. We’ll look at:

• Why having a logo for Instagram is important
• How a logo is an extension of your brand
• What makes a captivating Instagram logo

Exploring Your Brand Identity

Your brand identity is about who your company is. It’s not the basic

“We are a lumber company.” 

It’s more. It’s about how you see yourself and how you want others to see you

“We partner with local communities to ensure that our forestry practices are environmentally sound.”

Many times a brand identity can be seen as a story, one that should be reflected in the logo design. With your brand identity in place you can start to design a visual representation of the story it tells.

5 Tips for Designing an Instagram Logo

1. Keep it Simple 

Your logo needs to represent your brand identity but it doesn’t need to tell your entire story. Think of logos that have stood the test of time. They are most likely simple and direct.

2. Make it Memorable

Once a person knows your logo, they should always know it. If every time they see it they have to ask  “What is that for?”   then your logo design is doing the exact opposite of what it should be doing.

3. It Needs to be Adaptable

Your logo should be clearly understood regardless of where a person comes into contact with it. Whether that’s on a sweatshirt, a billboard, a digital ad, or a television commercial the message and the way it is presented should always be the same.

4. Make it Last

Good logos need staying power. They might be tweaked over the years but the core design should remain unchanged. You’ll spend a lot of time “training” consumers to recognize and react when they see your logo. If you’re changing it every three years all of that visual capital is lost.

5. Keep it Real

People online are increasingly quick to point out people and brands who aren’t authentic. You want your Instagram logo to feel real.

Starting the Design Process

The design of your Instagram logo should be taking place every time you scroll Instagram. Take the time to see what others in the industry are doing.

• What do you like about their logo? 

• What turns you off? 

• Are there some themes in your area of expertise that your logo needs to conform to?

• What can you do with your logo that no one else is?

Understanding the “competition” will give you greater guidance when you sit down with AI tools for photo editing and start to develop your ideal logo. And it’s easy to do that when you follow these steps.

• Start with a sketch

• Choose your color scheme

• Select an appropriate font

• Find the graphic elements that will help tell your brand story. What icons or images best represent who you are?

• Create one version. And then another. And another. 

• “Test” the final design. Before you sign off on anything, see what your logo looks like in a social post, use it in a banner, on a hat. The goal is to make sure that it is still legible and recognizable in any setting.

It’s Almost Done

With the GraphicSprings AI-powered logo designer you will quickly find yourself with a professional-looking Instagram logo. And then what? 

After you have a logo you like you’ll need to get it in the formats you need. Print materials take a file format that is different from what you need to use the Instagram logo on the app. Knowing where you will need to use the logo will help you to be confident that you are asking for the right file type. (Don’t assume it’s just going to go on Instagram either. Will you need to print it on a tshirt? Use it in a press release? Stitch together a video?)

Because you will most likely not be the only person using the logo, you might also want to take an opportunity to develop a style guide. This will provide a set of guidelines for how, when, and where your new Instagram logo can be used. It ensures some consistency and helps the logo accurately represent the brand identity.

Next Steps

It takes time and effort to develop a professional-looking brand logo. But it’s a needed asset, particularly for places like Instagram where looks are everything. You should now be able to create the ideal logo to represent your brand.