Just create a table with 3 cells to each row, then add your images, starting from the bottom right for your earliest image and working right to left, and bottom to top. The free, DIY way is to do some simple Instagram grid planning with Microsoft Word or whatever word processing software you have. Those usually come with a subscription cost. There are many scheduling apps (Iconosquare, Hootsuite, Later) and photo filter apps (A Color Story) that will let you preview your posts in a grid as they’d appear on Instagram. The eyewear line Thierry Lasry makes another kind of Instagram grid, which I guess you could call “striping.” Instead of alternating backgrounds on each photo, they post 3 similar photos at a time, giving a unified effect for each row. At Be Seen Optics in San Diego, we use the owner’s favorite color, orange. The key background color for your Instagram grid doesn’t have to be white. You may think this is restrictive, but she actually has a lot of freedom within the form all she has to do is make sure every other shot has a white background.

Grid examplesĪn excellent example of an Instagram grid is from She alternates beautifully staged white-background shots of her favorite frames with colorful photos of herself in all kinds of backgrounds. It’s the online equivalent of a tastefully decorated living room–but like such a room, living with it has its pros and cons.

If you grid, then no matter what the subject of each photo is, or the colors used, all looks neatly arranged.

Instagram grids are created by simply arranging your photos before publishing in an alternating light and dark pattern so your profile page has a checkerboard effect. If you’re wondering why other Instagram accounts look more polished than yours, here’s a secret: they’re probably gridding.

Insta story grid