Instagram Relevant is an often overlooked tool for communicating with your audience. However, the collection of stories that are hidden behind the circles under the profile description can, if not replace, then significantly facilitate the work of an SMM manager.

You can use Topical for a demonstration:

• Product catalog;
• Real reviews;
• Business cards with brand history;
• Ordering and delivery instructions;
• Highlighting the most important events and brand activities.

To understand exactly how you should use Relevant for You, think about which questions you answer most often – and add these sections. Another approach is to think about which Stories will shape your brand image well. Just like the account header, Topical allows you to make a first impression and navigate your profile.

From the technical point of view, it is not difficult to create the Actual, you click on the “New” icon under the profile header and combine the archived Stories into a group, one of the images becomes the cover. Through SMMplanner, you can schedule automatic publishing and deletion of Stories that will become covers. What’s more, our story maker and integrated services from Canva and Crello give you the ultimate design experience. Just keep in mind that the History will then be cut into a circle. Step-by-step instructions on how to make Relevant on Instagram are described here.

In the same article, we will look at what trends are currently in the design. We hope you can get inspired and find ideas for yourself on how to beautifully design current Stories on Instagram.

Trends in the design of Actual

1. Corporate identity

The human eye reads images much faster than text. Therefore, when entering your account, the user first sees your avatar, and then his gaze slides over the Actual. Why not then make the covers a continuation of the corporate identity and avatar design. This will emphasize the unity of the account and create the desired image.

Take a look at the nicely designed account of Cream.ly’s gentle skin care. Not only are the images made by one illustrator and match in color and style, but even the emoji in the profile header organically complement the look.

Or admire the stylish design of the Women’s Safety School. The reason for this is the use of a single corporate identity in all units: avatars, Topical covers and posts.

2. Minimalism

Minimalism was in trend throughout 2020 and continues to be in demand. In part, this can be attributed to the oversaturation of information. It is also, perhaps, the safest trend, because it’s hard to make a mistake with it, and the simplicity of the lines, coupled with repeatability, makes it easier to perceive the overall picture.

Pay attention to how this trend is implemented in the MVK beauty salon account. The owners clearly didn’t want to overload the overall look. In order to add even more conciseness to the profile header, instead of signing the Topical on Instagram, they put the text on the covers, and put periods in the signatures.

3. Color spots

Another trend is illustration based on large strokes and color spots. In this design, softness and streamlining of forms, as well as the presence of a rich palette, will prevail. Relevant is a rather small circle, so don’t make the image too small. It will be difficult to count it.

The Torba Show eco-initiative account is a good example. Note that despite the use of a varied palette, all icons look solid. This can be achieved through the “migration” of colors from one cover to another. If you look closely, the illustrator uses only 8 colors, and a single style unifies the look even more.

A similar technique of working with the palette is demonstrated by the account of the Nectar brand of mattresses. But they went even further and added primary colors, blue and orange, to their ribbon.

4. Typography

Another stylish trend in how to design relevant Instagram Stories is the use of fonts. You don’t have to use one font, you can mix up to three different fonts, but remember that the actual format is still small, so don’t overload the covers.

New York Fashion Week uses this technique on her Instagram. When creating Topical, you will have to use text in any case: either on the cover itself, or in the signature under it. Standard text is not always combined with corporate identity, so consider this solution.

An easier way to adapt an idea with typography is to overlay text over the story.

For example, as in the account of the clothing brand ZNW R. There is nothing complicated here, but together with the uniform design of the avatar and monochrome photographs in the same style, everything looks good.

5. Primitivism

In the world of SMM design, it is no longer recommended to use too stock photos. A kind of response to this stable trend is the deliberately primitive design of the Actual. The task is to make it look like you didn’t even try very hard. This solution is suitable for brands that communicate simplicity and closeness to the customer as an equal.

This concept fit perfectly into the account of zerowaste guru Bea Johnson. She promotes the abandonment of everything superfluous in favor of ecology and designed the Topical accordingly.

6. Photo gallery under the preset

By default, Instagram suggests using one of your Stories for covers. However, you can rarely boast that all Stories are made in the same style. Nevertheless, you can try to create a harmonious gallery specifically for Actual. It will be especially good if you process all the frames with one preset and put it on the avatar.

This trend is followed in her account by photographer Natalya Smolnikova. Plant motifs look very harmonious as a unifying element.

Another good example of how to beautifully design Actual on Instagram through a preset is the account of the ICE Veronika clothing brand. In this case, uniform shading was applied to all covers to achieve a consistent style.

How not to draw up Actual?

If you want to know how to properly design Relevant on Instagram in accordance with current trends, it will be useful to consider anti-examples.

1. Photo out of order

Compare examples from the latest trend with the design of the ZOE apparel brand account, where a single design was not thought out. The photos are generally similar, but, unfortunately, the whole picture does not work. Fortunately, a single preset will help iron out those imperfections.

2. Icons

There was a time when all over the place accounts were put on the covers of Actual clipart-icons. But this option has become so boring that it has already become bad manners. If you do not draw each icon individually in the corporate style, now this look will look impersonal and formulaic. It’s certainly better than nothing, but we believe that your Instagram profile, like your 7Stories brand account, deserves more.

3. Small design

In this case, attempts to create a general design are visible, but the ornament turned out to be too small and everything looks very small for a fashion brand’s account. Unfortunately, even stylistically, this design does not in any way emphasize the modern design of the jewelry offered by the MandarinenSaft brand.

4. Same type icons

The cover of the current page should look like it makes you want to click on it. Covers of the same type in different colors, although they create some impression of the design, look frankly boring. Knitted accessories brand OVSYANKA could use this place to stir up interest in their products, rather than display their logo 6 times.

We hope this article has given you ideas on how to breathe life into the design of the Relevant in your profile. Good luck!