How to Create an Instagram Theme // A Comprehensive Guide for Book Bloggers

🎵So you wanna be make an Instagram theme, well whoop de doo.
I have been around the block before and tried a billion themes, just like you
Each and everyone of them a disappointment
pain and ache for which there ain’t no ointment. 🎵

All slightly-altered Disney songs aside (fingers crossed they don’t sue me for copyright infringement), Instagram themes are hard. Like getting-up-on-a-Monday-morning-to-go-to-school-slash-work hard. Or telling-your-longtime-crush-that-you-like-them hard. Or even, not-requesting-that-highly-anticipated-ARC-because-you’re-on-an-ARC-ban hard. But why are they this hard? Because they just are. End of article. Slam laptop closed. Done.

Okay, not really. They’re hard because not all of us are magically gifted by the Creative Gods with an impeccable eye for color schemes or a golden touch with a camera. But even without those things, you can still create a beautiful bookstagram account, and today that’s exactly what I’m going to show you how to do! So sit back, grab some waffles, and enjoy my comprehensive guide on how to make your very own Instagram theme.

What is an Instagram Theme?

I think we’ve sufficiently established that finding the perfect Instagram theme can be realllllllllly difficult. But what exactly is an Instagram theme, anyways? 

Although it’s not something you could look up in a dictionary (which is a real shame because I have this thing for looking up definitions), I’d say that an Instagram theme is what makes your photos fit and flow together. It’s some visual factor, such as a recurring color palette or layout, that ties your feed together and helps you to create one cohesive look. This is an extremely important factor when it comes to creating a memorable brand.

It’s All About Consistency

If you’re anything like me, then you probably find the above pictures to be oddly satisfying. That’s because we, as human beings, love love love visual consistency. We love to see things that match, fit, and flow together. That’s undoubtedly why Instagram themes are so popular; they are visually consistent.

PRO TIP: People like things that match. You can use that to your advantage by creating an Instagram feed that fits together visually.

With this in mind, the first and most important rule in choosing (and ultimately creating) your own bookstagram theme is this: remember to make it visually consistent. Now, I’d like to add a caveat here: consistent ≠ exactly the same. Adopting an Instagram theme doesn’t mean that you must, or even should, post the exact same photo over and over and over again. It simply means that there should be some element or aspect in all of your photos that ties them together visually. That makes them match.

How to Make An Instagram Theme

So the key to creating a bookstagram theme that’ll embody your blog’s brand is to make your pictures feel samey-samey like the Olsen Twins wearing matching outfits in the 90s. But how can you create that samey-samey feeling (or in other words: how can you create that visual consistency we just talked about)? Below are five bookstagram feed ideas that will help you to do just that! Now go forth and conquer your no-longer-daunting bookstagram themes!

1. Use the Same Props

Using the same items over and over again in your photos might sound a bit redundant, repetitive, or even superfluous, but it’s not! In fact, it’s a great way to save money! Find just one or two objects that you really love, whether that be a knit blanket with a funky pattern or a handful of fake flowers, and don’t be afraid to incorporate them mercilessly into all of your pictures! For example, @blogsofabookaholic likes to use the same vine of ivy, whereas @miasbookblog’s prop of choice is an adorable tan sweater.

2. Use the Same Colors

This tip, in particular, is what saved my own bookstagram account from drowning in a sea of Instagram-theme-induced confusion. It was only when I decided to throw pops of bright yellow into all my images that my theme really started to come together. You can achieve this look by collecting a myriad of props that are all the same color (I have yellow flowers, a yellow sweater, a yellow notebook, yellow yarn…you get the idea) to use. You can also search for repeating colors in the world around you, like @makeyourstorymatter does. This account creates an orange theme through the use of both props and lifestyle-type pictures. 

3. Use the Same Background

You don’t have to travel someplace exotic to find a great backdrop for your bookstagram photos! In fact, as @nutfreenerd proves, you don’t even have to leave your house if you don’t want to. This account is a great example of using the same exact background to create a consistent vibe among your photos. @abookandacup’s feed does this as well, but in a different way. Its consistency comes not from a specific location, but from the fact that all of its images have a woodsy, outdoor backdrop!

4. Use the Same Layout

Formatting your pictures similarly will go a long way towards creating a cohesive look for your bookstagram account. For example, @thesappyslytherin’s images never feature the same background twice, but instead foster visual consistency by always having someone holding a book in the exact same way. This placement is what creates that samey-samey feeling. @pawsandpaperbacks’s feed achieves this as well by framing a book’s spines horizontally across the photo.

5. Use the Same Editing Style or Filters 

Making an Instagram theme is not just about what you put in your pictures, but what you do to them after capturing the shot. By using the same filters or by choosing to edit them in a similar way, you can create a mood that ties your otherwise unrelated images together. For example, @holo.reader loves to bump up the saturation and exposure to build a feed that’s bright and full of color. On the other hand, @bookwnoname prefers dark, moody photos with heavy vignetting and strong blacks.

To Sum it Up

Although creating and choosing an Instagram theme is so difficult that it wouldn’t be out of place among the Twelve Labors of Heracles, hopefully this comprehensive guide has helped you on your way to achieving the beautiful feed of your dreams.

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