11 Tips to Improve Your Instagram Ad Design (1/2)

instagram ad design

Here, let’s explore the essentials of Instagram ad design, and learn to make your ideal Instagram ad.

There are more methods than ever to place an ad on Instagram, however, sometimes promoting on social media can feel like yelling into a void. To make ads that help to gain conversions and generate engagement, it pays to plan your Instagram ad design strategy before you pull the trigger on an ad buy.

With our 11 design ideas, you’ll discover ways to make Instagram ads that catch your target audience’s attention. You may also benefit from free templates to streamline your design process.

11 Tips to Improve Your Instagram Ad Design

Use a simple Instagram ad design to stand out

A smartphone screen doesn’t present lots of space for your advertising masterpiece. In terms of getting customers’ attention, a minimalist approach is often the best.

Try paring your ads down to a few visual components as possible. Great ads can be nothing more than a picture of your product with some simple text, or even just text on a contrasting background!

Risedesk.io Summer Sale Save $200

Source: Instagram (@risedesk.io)

This Risedesk ad has a picture that says all the things it needs to with only two elements: a picture of the product and a short value proposition. Most of us can only dream of getting a desk as uncluttered as the one in this ad, however, that doesn’t mean we can’t give our audience an ad that’s as clean and nicely organized as the desk we aspire to.

Bright colors attract eyeballs

Bright, contrasting colors attract attention, and with regards to designing a great Instagram ad, attention is the secret.

When you use colors, you make it easy for customers to pick out the essential elements of your ad at a glance. A bright color scheme can also provoke positive emotions in connection to your company.

Colorful Standard pre-washed organic socks bright yellow background -instagram ad design

Source: Instagram (@colorfulstandard)

Colorful Standard shows that the product itself doesn’t need to be filled with saturated color to create an eye-catching palette. Although the socks are pale, the background adds brightness and gives contrast at the same time.

If you’re unsure where to begin, you need to use a color wheel when making your design. You should try pairing colors from opposite sides of the wheel to see the most visual contrast.

Keep your product front and center

As much as we may love a compelling mystery, that doesn’t mean you must make your audience play whodunnit to determine what you’re selling.

Instagram customers will only take a second or two to determine whether to scroll past your ad or stop and look. Don’t allow them to wonder what your product is.

Make your product at the center of your ad to get the most attention. You are able to do this with the product’s color, size, or visual placement, for instance. Regardless of how you do it, make it clear what you’re providing your clients.

Truly Hard Seltzer wild berry

Source: Instagram (@truly)

This video ad by Truly begins with a well-framed shot of their product. Even though the ad consists of plenty of dynamic movement, we know immediately what’s being promoted, which brings us to the following tip…

Make videos that move

A burst of motion at the beginning of your video ad will help it get noticed. This is especially essential for ads that appear in the Instagram feed or the Explore page since these have limited time to grab customers’ attention before they scroll past.

More than any other format, engaging video ads provide the opportunity to tell a story that your customers connect to. Don’t pass up this opportunity by shooting static videos!

Show off your range

Video, Collection, and Carousel ads all can help you show multiple products or a number of aspects of a single product. This is a chance to actually show off what you have to offer to your customers.

A great ad will have variety, but it will also have a coherent message that ties all the things together. Your customers are much less likely to interact with a jumble of random elements.

Rue Saint Patrick green shirt - instagram ad design

Rue Saint Patrick tan shirt

Rue Saint Patrick light pink shirt - instagram ad design

Source: Instagram (@ruesaintpatrick)

In this instance, Rue Saint Patrick uses a minimalist strategy in its Carousel ad. Using a single style of shirt keeps the message targeted while at the same time offering the consumer an interactive experience that imitates shopping in an online store inside the ad.

Make your text pop

Your ads’ visuals are a crucial part of their design, however, this doesn’t mean that they’re the only essential part. And like the visuals, in terms of text, less is often more.

Keep your message short and to the main point.

A wordy copy can clutter up your ad, making your audience work harder to know the message you’re trying to convey. And no one needs to have to work once they’re scrolling via their Instagram feed.

The text you do embrace should be in a large, easy-to-read font. Most of your audience will be glancing at your ad on a small screen.

Make it as easy as possible for them to get your message.

Headspace ad 28% less sad - instagram ad design

Source: Instagram (@headspace)

The text in this Headspace ad does all the things it must and more. The position of the text is integrated into the ad’s overall design, with the well-proportioned text block almost basking in the sun’s warmth.

What’s more, the shapes of the geometric sans-serif font echo the simple shapes of the eyes and mouth in the accompanying illustration.

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