Instagram Highlight covers are the first thing people notice on your profile. They help organize content, showcase your brand, and leave a lasting impression. Here’s how to make them stand out:

Use Brand Colors: Stick to 2-3 colors from your brand palette for a polished look. Test them on different devices.
Simple Icons: Choose clear, recognizable symbols that represent your content.
Consistent Style: Keep the same background, icon size, and layout for all covers.
Readable Text: Use clean, simple fonts that are easy to read on mobile.
Right Dimensions: Design at 1080x1920 pixels and center key elements for Instagram’s circular crop.
Add Brand Details: Include subtle logos, patterns, or colors tied to your brand.
Contrast Colors: Ensure enough contrast for visibility and test in light/dark modes.
Test on Devices: Check how covers look on different phones to fix any issues.
Use Templates: Save time with customizable templates from tools like Canva or Adobe Express.
Update Regularly: Refresh covers to match new content or branding changes.

These steps will make your Instagram profile look organized, professional, and engaging.

2024 New Instagram Highlight Cover Format

1. Pick Colors That Match Your Brand

Using consistent colors helps your brand stand out and gives your Instagram Highlights a polished look. Your Highlight covers should match the color palette already used in your website, logo, and other marketing materials.

Here are some ways to incorporate your brand colors effectively:

Use solid backgrounds in your main brand color.
Combine your primary and secondary colors for two-tone designs.
Add white or black icons on a background of your brand colors.
Use colored icons with shades from your secondary palette.

Keep your palette simple - stick to 2-3 colors. This keeps your profile clean and visually appealing while reinforcing your brand identity.

Quick tip: Save your brand’s color codes (like HEX, RGB, or HSL) to ensure consistency across all designs.

If you don’t have a set color palette yet, pick colors that:

Represent your brand's personality.
Resonate with your target audience.
Stand out against Instagram’s white background.
Offer enough contrast to make icons easy to see.

Finally, test your colors on different devices. Colors might look perfect in your design software but can appear different on mobile screens, where most people will view your profile.

2. Use Clear, Basic Icons

Pick simple and easy-to-recognize icons for your Instagram Highlight covers. Make sure each icon represents its content well and remains readable, even on smaller screens.

Stick to single-element icons instead of detailed illustrations.
Opt for universal symbols that your audience can quickly understand. For example, use a shopping bag for products, a speech bubble for testimonials, a calendar for events, a star for favorites, or a heart for featured content.

A great example is using a camera icon to represent photography. You can find pre-made icon sets on platforms like Canva, Adobe Creative Cloud, or Flaticon.

Clear icons help maintain a cohesive design style, setting the stage for consistent design practices in the next tip.

3. Keep Design Style the Same

A consistent design makes your Instagram profile look polished and professional. When your covers share common design elements, your profile feels cohesive and easy to navigate.

Start by choosing a single background style for all your covers. Some options include:

Solid colors from your brand palette
Simple gradients
Minimal patterns
Transparent backgrounds with matching borders

Stick to uniform design rules across all covers:

Use the same frame thickness for every icon
Keep icon sizes consistent
Maintain equal padding around elements
Position icons or text in the same spot on each cover

For layout, follow these guidelines:

Align main elements to the center
Use a fixed ratio between icons and text
Keep spacing between elements consistent
Apply the same border radius to all shapes

For example, if you use circular frames with a 4px white border and centered icons, make sure every cover follows that exact setup. This consistency gives your profile a polished, intentional look.

To make things easier, create a master template for your cover design. Then, duplicate it for each new cover. This approach ensures every design aligns with your brand while saving you time. A well-organized, visually appealing profile strengthens your brand identity and keeps your audience engaged.

4. Select Easy-to-Read Text

Typography plays a key role in creating effective Instagram highlight covers. While fancy or decorative fonts might catch the eye elsewhere, they can be hard to read when scaled down on smaller screens. Stick with clean, simple fonts that are easy to read on mobile devices. Prioritize legibility over style to ensure your design is clear and gets the message across at a glance.

5. Set Correct Size and Quality

Getting the right dimensions is key to a polished Instagram profile. For Instagram highlight covers, stick to 1080x1920 pixels - this matches the size of Instagram Stories and keeps your designs sharp after cropping.

Here’s how to ensure your covers look great:

Design at full resolution: Work with the full 1080x1920 size to keep details crisp.
Keep the circular crop in mind: Place key elements in the center so they stay visible after cropping.
Preview on your phone: Check the cover on your device to spot any quality issues that might not show up on your computer.

This approach helps your covers look clean and professional.

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6. Add Small Brand Details

Your highlight covers should include subtle touches that reflect your brand identity. These details help create a consistent and polished look for your profile.

Here are some simple ways to incorporate brand elements:

Watermark Placement: Add a small logo in one corner for a subtle nod to your brand.
Color Integration: Use your main brand color for the background and complementary shades for accents.
Pattern Elements: Add patterns or textures tied to your brand into the background design.
Size and Spacing: Keep brand elements small and well-spaced to maintain a clean, uncluttered look.

Always preview your covers together to ensure they feel balanced and visually aligned.

7. Make Colors Stand Out

Create highlight covers that grab attention by choosing colors wisely. Stick to your brand colors, but follow these practical tips to boost visibility:

Use a 4.5:1 contrast ratio at minimum, and balance colors with a 60/30/10 rule for primary, secondary, and accent shades. For instance, pair deep navy (#1B365D) with bright coral (#FF6B6B) or forest green (#2D5A27) with soft cream (#F5E6D3).
Check how your designs look in both light and dark modes to avoid surprises.
Leave enough space between elements and steer clear of similar shades that might blur together on smaller screens.

Pro Tip: Apply a thin white or black outline (1-2 pixels) around icons or text to make them stand out, especially when working with lighter colors like pastels.

Keep in mind that Instagram compresses images, so select colors that stay sharp even after compression. Test your covers on different devices to make sure they look vibrant and easy to read everywhere. These techniques will help your profile stay polished and cohesive.

8. Test on Phone Screens

Make sure to test your highlight covers on a variety of mobile devices. What looks great in a design preview might not translate perfectly to Instagram. Testing on actual devices helps you catch any issues. Check how your covers appear on different screen sizes to ensure icons and text are easy to read. Adjust as needed for the best visibility.

Be sure to test on both iOS and Android devices since they can display things differently. Focus on these key areas:

Icon clarity across different screen resolutions
Text readability on smaller screens
Color accuracy on various displays
Layout consistency across devices

This step ensures your covers look polished and consistent, no matter which device your audience is using.

9. Use Design Templates

Creating highlight covers from scratch can take a lot of time. Thankfully, design templates offer a faster way to create polished covers while keeping a consistent look.

Platforms like Canva and Adobe Express have ready-made Instagram highlight cover templates. These templates usually include:

Dimensions set to 1080 x 1920 pixels
Coordinated color palettes
Clean, professional layouts
Fully customizable features

Once you pick a template, tweak it to match your brand. Adjust the colors to fit your brand palette, replace icons to match your content categories, and use fonts that align with your style. You can even create a master template that reflects your brand’s identity and save it for quick updates in the future.

When selecting templates, keep these tips in mind:

Match your aesthetic: Pick designs that fit your overall feed's look.
Go for flexibility: Choose templates that are easy to edit and adjust.
Icon space matters: Make sure there's room for clear, visible icons.
Keep it simple: Avoid cluttered designs, especially since they’ll appear small on mobile screens.

10. Update Highlight Covers Regularly

Your Instagram profile isn’t static, and your highlight covers shouldn’t be either. Regularly updating these covers ensures your profile stays in sync with your brand’s evolving look and feel.

Consider updating your covers when:

Your brand gets a makeover: If you’ve updated your brand colors or overall style, your covers should reflect the change.
Content focus shifts: Adding new content categories or phasing out old ones? Update your covers to match.

Think of your highlight covers as living elements of your brand. Regular check-ins and updates keep them relevant and visually appealing.

Conclusion

To tie everything together, here’s how to finalize your Instagram redesign strategy: effective highlight covers blend thoughtful design with a clear strategy to enhance your profile’s overall look.

Great highlight covers should:

Reflect your brand’s identity
Be easy to recognize at a glance
Help guide viewers through your content
Stay relevant as trends shift

Keep your designs fresh by updating them regularly. This ensures they stay in sync with your brand’s growth and adapt to new content or design tweaks.

Don’t be afraid to experiment. Test various color schemes, icon styles, and layouts to see what clicks with your audience while staying consistent with your brand’s style.

Clear, functional covers not only improve your profile’s appearance but also strengthen your brand presence.

10 Highlight Cover Design Tips for Instagram

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