!["[New] In 2024, Unleash Creativity Designing Awe-Inspiring Covers for Instagram Highlights"](https://www.lifewire.com/thmb/DjyPPeH7zK7WJUxT1TQTVE0mc04=/540x405/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/GettyImages-1079012838-18c9de31049847f5bb71da74611f8c94.jpg)
"[New] In 2024, Unleash Creativity Designing Awe-Inspiring Covers for Instagram Highlights"
![](/images/site-logo.png)
Unleash Creativity: Designing Awe-Inspiring Covers for Instagram Highlights
How to Create Insta Highlight Cover Photos: An Ultimate Guide
Shanoon Cox
Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions
Ever wondered what people see first when they visit your Instagram profile? Well, your visitors first notice your bio information and obviously one of the most useful Instagram features, the Insta highlight cover photo!
Instagram Highlights are a convenient way to direct your new followers to the content you want them to check first and the ideal way to do that is by adding Covers to your IG Highlights. Your cover pic for Highlights tends to be the first video or image from the collection of Stories that you highlighted. However, this can be changed easily. Since Highlights are positioned right below your bio, it is recommended to make your Instagram highlights cover pics as eye-catching, professional, or fun as possible.
Instagram Highlights is a great feature for business owners. This is because it gives them the chance to build trust, share vital information, promote their products or services, and highlight positive reviews from happy consumers. Insta stories have now become more like mini-blog posts that can be saved and shared directly in the app via Instagram highlights.
Confused about what is an Insta Highlight cover and how do you make one for your brand? Check out the handy guide below
- Part 1: What is an Instagram Highlight Cover Picture?
- Part 2: 10 Eye-Catching Cover Photos For IG Highlights
- Part 3: How to Make Your Own Insta Highlight Cover?
- Part 4: Tips for Making Your Brand Look Polished
Part 1: What is an Instagram Highlight Cover Picture?
Instagram highlights or Instagram story highlights, or Instagram highlight covers, are an extensive assortment of circular cover pictures or icons at the top of your profile. Located just below the bio section of your IG profile, they are used to showcase the best of your Instagram stories.
Insta highlight covers are an excellent way to save and categorize your stories. And unlike the ordinary IG stories that disappear after 24 hours, saving a story to your Highlights means it will stay there permanently. An Insta highlight cover photo is an incredible way to connect with your audience as well as promote your brand or products/services.
Part 2: 10 Eye-Catching Cover Photos For IG Highlights
Looking for some inspiration to create an attractive cover photo for Instagram highlights? Listed below are some great examples for businesses.
1.The New York Times
The New York Times takes Instagram Stories literally. They populate their highlights with comprehensive yet readable primers on complicated political topics. Also, they create interesting, fun, and snackable Stories about the subjects that appeal most to the audience. Either way, the style of their cover image is very consistent, helping them to make the vast reach of their subjects more manageable.
2.Toyota
The Instagram Highlights of Toyota collate information about their cars as well as the primary in-car features. They have a simple and clean design for their Highlight icons. This way, Toyota has ensured that they can grab the attention of people who missed their IG story the first time it was posted.
3.Starbucks
Starbucks Coffee uses photos of real people as the cover icons for the Highlights. It is this appeal that brings the design of their profile to life. Also, it makes the visitors feel the user-friendliness of the profile. There’s a reason why Starbucks is loved by everyone, isn’t it?
4.The Kitchn
The Kitchn’s all-things-food account has cooking how-tos and recipes, along with tips for organizing and cleaning the kitchen. Their IG highlights add to their regular posts and even showcase some of their behind-the-scenes action. Also, they have a Story Highlight termed Kitchn Pets where they post the images of adorable furry friends in the kitchen, from both their audience as well as staff members.
5.Glossier Inc
Glossier Inc. is a people-powered beauty ecosystem. The brand uses pink color only for their profile image (not a logo). For the Highlights Covers, they use only white images. This makes their Highlights very minimalistic and very different than other accounts where product images or icons are generally used.
6.Fashion Nova
Fashion Nova, an international fashion brand, relies heavily on its ability to ship worldwide quickly. So, it’s not surprising that one of their Highlights is dedicated just to shipping. It seems as if some of their customers had certain shipping issues in the past. So, their Highlight uses rave reviews for showing that the issues have been solved, while simultaneously communicating to the new customers that they have lightning-fast shipping.
7.Red Bull
Earlier, Red Bull’s IG Highlights used to be fairly conservative like projects, videos, events, etc. But, this has changed. Now their athletes have their own dedicated highlight. All one gets is a name, face, and emoji. Very intriguing, isn’t it? This is a great inspiration.
8.Tide
In their Instagram Highlights, Tide Bank uses colors that are consistent with their brand. This makes for the spotlight areas of the business that the customers are drawn to. What makes Tide Bank’s Story Highlights a fantastic example for businesses is that the Highlight titles also include emojis.
9.Perfect Bar
Perfect Bar – the makers of non-GMO and organic protein bars – is another brand you can take inspiration from for creating great Insta highlight cover images. Their account has an Insta Highlight called ‘In a Nutshell’ where they answer the commonly asked questions of their customers. Every In a Nutshell session has a theme and even the older FAQ sessions are included in their Highlights.
10.Anthropologie
Anthropologie is one brand that does many things right. So, it’s no surprise that they have nailed their IG Story Highlights, too. What sets them apart from most other businesses are their branded Highlights, such as #AnthroHome and MyAnthro.
With the #AnthroHome Highlight, they do a few things differently. Occasionally, they have styled spaces and visitors can swipe up to directly shop the look. For their #MyAnthro Highlight, they feature fans of Anthropologie and tag their account.
Part 3: How to Make Your Own Insta Highlight Cover?
Want to create Instagram Story Highlights under your bio on your own? Here’s a step-by-step guide to making beautiful IG story highlight covers by using Canva – an easy-to-use online photo editor.
Step-1: Open Canva & Choose “Your Story”
Open Canva from your device. On top of the app, you can see all the designs that you can make. Click on “Your story” and it will load templates for your IG stories.
This tutorial breaks down how to design a cover pic for Instagram highlights with an icon and a background color. Let’s start with a blank template.
Step-2: Pick A Background Color
Once your blank template loads, follow the below steps:
- Choose a background color for your cover at the bottom of your screen
- Press “+” if you wish to select your own color
- Also, you can type your own color code (it will be great if you can stick to your brand colors)
Step-3: Add an Icon, Text, Or Emoji
Now that you have your desired background color, you can add an icon or emoji or text. It’s up to your preferences.
Wondering how to add an icon to your cover? Here’s how you can do it:
- Choose the “+” button on the bottom right corner of the screen
- Choose “Graphics”
- Scroll to discover the graphics they have or you can even search for a particular icon (for example: “heart”)
- Tap on the icon you wish to use for your IG cover
- Select your icon’s color
Step-4: Add Pages to Design More IG Highlight Covers
Want to design more Instagram highlights cover pics? You can easily continue to design more covers with Canva.
- Click on the “+” button at the bottom right-hand corner of your screen
- Choose “Pages”
You can design another IG cover with another icon. Simply repeat the process to design more Insta covers.
Step-5: Save The Covers On Your Phone
Once you are done with designing cover pics, you can save your Instagram story covers on your phone.
- Click on “Share”
- Choose “Upload to Photos” (Android devices) or “Quick Look (iPhone)
- Tap on the Export icon (bottom left-hand corner of your screen)
- Choose “Save image”
Step-6: Ensure You Turn On the Instagram Story “Archive”
Before sharing covers pics on Instagram, make sure you have turned on the “Archive” feature.
- Go to your Instagram settings
- Choose “Story Settings”
- Turn on “Save to archive”
Step-7: Post On Your Instagram Story
Your cover images need to be added first in your Insta Stories before you can use them as your covers.
- Share your covers in your Instagram story
- Tap on the “Highlight” button
Next, you have two options to choose from:
- Create a new IG highlight
- Add a cover to an existing highlight
In case you already have an existing highlight, choose the one that needs cover.
Here’s how you can create an Instagram Story Highlight:
Step-8: Create an IG Story Highlight
- Choose the “+” button
- Give your Highlight a proper name
Your Instagram Story Highlight will be appearing at the bottom of your Instagram Bio.
Step-9: Edit The Cover
- Hold your finger pressed on an IG highlight
- Choose “Edit Highlight”
- Choose “Edit Cover”
Now you can change your cover image. Also, you can resize your cover image. For instance, if your icon is very small in the circle, use your fingers to zoom in and make it bigger.
You’re all done!
Part 4: Tips for Making Your Brand Look Polished
Instagram highlight covers make a fantastic first impression. For businesses of all sizes, IG highlights are a powerful way to display key content and messages and keep it at the top of your IG profile. Wondering about how to design a polished cover photo for Instagram highlights that reflects your brand? Check out a few useful time-saving tips to make your highlights as effective as possible:
1. Create Insta Highlight Cover Images that Elevate Your Brand Aesthetics
Incorporating the assets of your brand into your cover pics is a great way to make your Story Highlights feel more professional. You need to think about how your brand fonts, colors, as well as design trademarks, can be incorporated into your covers. From bespoke lettering to unique patterns, there are countless opportunities to tap into your brand aesthetics and create a stunning Insta highlight cover photo.
2. Make Your IG Stories Highlight Covers Descriptive
Beautiful aesthetics may go a long way, but your highlight cover image must act as a visual signpost for the content it contains. A great Instagram Stories Highlight cover will make it very easy for your audience to understand what they will get from viewing the highlight. Descriptive covers encourage more clicks, meaning increased views for your content!
3. Keep Your Instagram Highlight Covers Cohesive
Once you have landed on your selected cover style, it’s essential to keep your covers cohesive. Therefore, if you have decided to utilize icons for your covers, ensure every highlight cover uses an icon or at least looks great alongside an icon. Keep in mind that a mixture of jarring covers will confuse all your aesthetics and could make your brand seem less professional on Instagram.
Conclusion
Think about your brand and the Instagram Highlights Covers that will best represent your business, using the above examples as an inspiration. Putting some time and effort into creating beautiful highlight covers can help you boost brand awareness, attract new followers, and drive more views to your Highlights. Time to elevate your brand with the best Insta highlight cover photo!
Shanoon Cox
Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Shanoon Cox
Shanoon Cox
Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions
Ever wondered what people see first when they visit your Instagram profile? Well, your visitors first notice your bio information and obviously one of the most useful Instagram features, the Insta highlight cover photo!
Instagram Highlights are a convenient way to direct your new followers to the content you want them to check first and the ideal way to do that is by adding Covers to your IG Highlights. Your cover pic for Highlights tends to be the first video or image from the collection of Stories that you highlighted. However, this can be changed easily. Since Highlights are positioned right below your bio, it is recommended to make your Instagram highlights cover pics as eye-catching, professional, or fun as possible.
Instagram Highlights is a great feature for business owners. This is because it gives them the chance to build trust, share vital information, promote their products or services, and highlight positive reviews from happy consumers. Insta stories have now become more like mini-blog posts that can be saved and shared directly in the app via Instagram highlights.
Confused about what is an Insta Highlight cover and how do you make one for your brand? Check out the handy guide below
- Part 1: What is an Instagram Highlight Cover Picture?
- Part 2: 10 Eye-Catching Cover Photos For IG Highlights
- Part 3: How to Make Your Own Insta Highlight Cover?
- Part 4: Tips for Making Your Brand Look Polished
Part 1: What is an Instagram Highlight Cover Picture?
Instagram highlights or Instagram story highlights, or Instagram highlight covers, are an extensive assortment of circular cover pictures or icons at the top of your profile. Located just below the bio section of your IG profile, they are used to showcase the best of your Instagram stories.
Insta highlight covers are an excellent way to save and categorize your stories. And unlike the ordinary IG stories that disappear after 24 hours, saving a story to your Highlights means it will stay there permanently. An Insta highlight cover photo is an incredible way to connect with your audience as well as promote your brand or products/services.
Part 2: 10 Eye-Catching Cover Photos For IG Highlights
Looking for some inspiration to create an attractive cover photo for Instagram highlights? Listed below are some great examples for businesses.
1.The New York Times
The New York Times takes Instagram Stories literally. They populate their highlights with comprehensive yet readable primers on complicated political topics. Also, they create interesting, fun, and snackable Stories about the subjects that appeal most to the audience. Either way, the style of their cover image is very consistent, helping them to make the vast reach of their subjects more manageable.
2.Toyota
The Instagram Highlights of Toyota collate information about their cars as well as the primary in-car features. They have a simple and clean design for their Highlight icons. This way, Toyota has ensured that they can grab the attention of people who missed their IG story the first time it was posted.
3.Starbucks
Starbucks Coffee uses photos of real people as the cover icons for the Highlights. It is this appeal that brings the design of their profile to life. Also, it makes the visitors feel the user-friendliness of the profile. There’s a reason why Starbucks is loved by everyone, isn’t it?
4.The Kitchn
The Kitchn’s all-things-food account has cooking how-tos and recipes, along with tips for organizing and cleaning the kitchen. Their IG highlights add to their regular posts and even showcase some of their behind-the-scenes action. Also, they have a Story Highlight termed Kitchn Pets where they post the images of adorable furry friends in the kitchen, from both their audience as well as staff members.
5.Glossier Inc
Glossier Inc. is a people-powered beauty ecosystem. The brand uses pink color only for their profile image (not a logo). For the Highlights Covers, they use only white images. This makes their Highlights very minimalistic and very different than other accounts where product images or icons are generally used.
6.Fashion Nova
Fashion Nova, an international fashion brand, relies heavily on its ability to ship worldwide quickly. So, it’s not surprising that one of their Highlights is dedicated just to shipping. It seems as if some of their customers had certain shipping issues in the past. So, their Highlight uses rave reviews for showing that the issues have been solved, while simultaneously communicating to the new customers that they have lightning-fast shipping.
7.Red Bull
Earlier, Red Bull’s IG Highlights used to be fairly conservative like projects, videos, events, etc. But, this has changed. Now their athletes have their own dedicated highlight. All one gets is a name, face, and emoji. Very intriguing, isn’t it? This is a great inspiration.
8.Tide
In their Instagram Highlights, Tide Bank uses colors that are consistent with their brand. This makes for the spotlight areas of the business that the customers are drawn to. What makes Tide Bank’s Story Highlights a fantastic example for businesses is that the Highlight titles also include emojis.
9.Perfect Bar
Perfect Bar – the makers of non-GMO and organic protein bars – is another brand you can take inspiration from for creating great Insta highlight cover images. Their account has an Insta Highlight called ‘In a Nutshell’ where they answer the commonly asked questions of their customers. Every In a Nutshell session has a theme and even the older FAQ sessions are included in their Highlights.
10.Anthropologie
Anthropologie is one brand that does many things right. So, it’s no surprise that they have nailed their IG Story Highlights, too. What sets them apart from most other businesses are their branded Highlights, such as #AnthroHome and MyAnthro.
With the #AnthroHome Highlight, they do a few things differently. Occasionally, they have styled spaces and visitors can swipe up to directly shop the look. For their #MyAnthro Highlight, they feature fans of Anthropologie and tag their account.
Part 3: How to Make Your Own Insta Highlight Cover?
Want to create Instagram Story Highlights under your bio on your own? Here’s a step-by-step guide to making beautiful IG story highlight covers by using Canva – an easy-to-use online photo editor.
Step-1: Open Canva & Choose “Your Story”
Open Canva from your device. On top of the app, you can see all the designs that you can make. Click on “Your story” and it will load templates for your IG stories.
This tutorial breaks down how to design a cover pic for Instagram highlights with an icon and a background color. Let’s start with a blank template.
Step-2: Pick A Background Color
Once your blank template loads, follow the below steps:
- Choose a background color for your cover at the bottom of your screen
- Press “+” if you wish to select your own color
- Also, you can type your own color code (it will be great if you can stick to your brand colors)
Step-3: Add an Icon, Text, Or Emoji
Now that you have your desired background color, you can add an icon or emoji or text. It’s up to your preferences.
Wondering how to add an icon to your cover? Here’s how you can do it:
- Choose the “+” button on the bottom right corner of the screen
- Choose “Graphics”
- Scroll to discover the graphics they have or you can even search for a particular icon (for example: “heart”)
- Tap on the icon you wish to use for your IG cover
- Select your icon’s color
Step-4: Add Pages to Design More IG Highlight Covers
Want to design more Instagram highlights cover pics? You can easily continue to design more covers with Canva.
- Click on the “+” button at the bottom right-hand corner of your screen
- Choose “Pages”
You can design another IG cover with another icon. Simply repeat the process to design more Insta covers.
Step-5: Save The Covers On Your Phone
Once you are done with designing cover pics, you can save your Instagram story covers on your phone.
- Click on “Share”
- Choose “Upload to Photos” (Android devices) or “Quick Look (iPhone)
- Tap on the Export icon (bottom left-hand corner of your screen)
- Choose “Save image”
Step-6: Ensure You Turn On the Instagram Story “Archive”
Before sharing covers pics on Instagram, make sure you have turned on the “Archive” feature.
- Go to your Instagram settings
- Choose “Story Settings”
- Turn on “Save to archive”
Step-7: Post On Your Instagram Story
Your cover images need to be added first in your Insta Stories before you can use them as your covers.
- Share your covers in your Instagram story
- Tap on the “Highlight” button
Next, you have two options to choose from:
- Create a new IG highlight
- Add a cover to an existing highlight
In case you already have an existing highlight, choose the one that needs cover.
Here’s how you can create an Instagram Story Highlight:
Step-8: Create an IG Story Highlight
- Choose the “+” button
- Give your Highlight a proper name
Your Instagram Story Highlight will be appearing at the bottom of your Instagram Bio.
Step-9: Edit The Cover
- Hold your finger pressed on an IG highlight
- Choose “Edit Highlight”
- Choose “Edit Cover”
Now you can change your cover image. Also, you can resize your cover image. For instance, if your icon is very small in the circle, use your fingers to zoom in and make it bigger.
You’re all done!
Part 4: Tips for Making Your Brand Look Polished
Instagram highlight covers make a fantastic first impression. For businesses of all sizes, IG highlights are a powerful way to display key content and messages and keep it at the top of your IG profile. Wondering about how to design a polished cover photo for Instagram highlights that reflects your brand? Check out a few useful time-saving tips to make your highlights as effective as possible:
1. Create Insta Highlight Cover Images that Elevate Your Brand Aesthetics
Incorporating the assets of your brand into your cover pics is a great way to make your Story Highlights feel more professional. You need to think about how your brand fonts, colors, as well as design trademarks, can be incorporated into your covers. From bespoke lettering to unique patterns, there are countless opportunities to tap into your brand aesthetics and create a stunning Insta highlight cover photo.
2. Make Your IG Stories Highlight Covers Descriptive
Beautiful aesthetics may go a long way, but your highlight cover image must act as a visual signpost for the content it contains. A great Instagram Stories Highlight cover will make it very easy for your audience to understand what they will get from viewing the highlight. Descriptive covers encourage more clicks, meaning increased views for your content!
3. Keep Your Instagram Highlight Covers Cohesive
Once you have landed on your selected cover style, it’s essential to keep your covers cohesive. Therefore, if you have decided to utilize icons for your covers, ensure every highlight cover uses an icon or at least looks great alongside an icon. Keep in mind that a mixture of jarring covers will confuse all your aesthetics and could make your brand seem less professional on Instagram.
Conclusion
Think about your brand and the Instagram Highlights Covers that will best represent your business, using the above examples as an inspiration. Putting some time and effort into creating beautiful highlight covers can help you boost brand awareness, attract new followers, and drive more views to your Highlights. Time to elevate your brand with the best Insta highlight cover photo!
Shanoon Cox
Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Shanoon Cox
Shanoon Cox
Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions
Ever wondered what people see first when they visit your Instagram profile? Well, your visitors first notice your bio information and obviously one of the most useful Instagram features, the Insta highlight cover photo!
Instagram Highlights are a convenient way to direct your new followers to the content you want them to check first and the ideal way to do that is by adding Covers to your IG Highlights. Your cover pic for Highlights tends to be the first video or image from the collection of Stories that you highlighted. However, this can be changed easily. Since Highlights are positioned right below your bio, it is recommended to make your Instagram highlights cover pics as eye-catching, professional, or fun as possible.
Instagram Highlights is a great feature for business owners. This is because it gives them the chance to build trust, share vital information, promote their products or services, and highlight positive reviews from happy consumers. Insta stories have now become more like mini-blog posts that can be saved and shared directly in the app via Instagram highlights.
Confused about what is an Insta Highlight cover and how do you make one for your brand? Check out the handy guide below
- Part 1: What is an Instagram Highlight Cover Picture?
- Part 2: 10 Eye-Catching Cover Photos For IG Highlights
- Part 3: How to Make Your Own Insta Highlight Cover?
- Part 4: Tips for Making Your Brand Look Polished
Part 1: What is an Instagram Highlight Cover Picture?
Instagram highlights or Instagram story highlights, or Instagram highlight covers, are an extensive assortment of circular cover pictures or icons at the top of your profile. Located just below the bio section of your IG profile, they are used to showcase the best of your Instagram stories.
Insta highlight covers are an excellent way to save and categorize your stories. And unlike the ordinary IG stories that disappear after 24 hours, saving a story to your Highlights means it will stay there permanently. An Insta highlight cover photo is an incredible way to connect with your audience as well as promote your brand or products/services.
Part 2: 10 Eye-Catching Cover Photos For IG Highlights
Looking for some inspiration to create an attractive cover photo for Instagram highlights? Listed below are some great examples for businesses.
1.The New York Times
The New York Times takes Instagram Stories literally. They populate their highlights with comprehensive yet readable primers on complicated political topics. Also, they create interesting, fun, and snackable Stories about the subjects that appeal most to the audience. Either way, the style of their cover image is very consistent, helping them to make the vast reach of their subjects more manageable.
2.Toyota
The Instagram Highlights of Toyota collate information about their cars as well as the primary in-car features. They have a simple and clean design for their Highlight icons. This way, Toyota has ensured that they can grab the attention of people who missed their IG story the first time it was posted.
3.Starbucks
Starbucks Coffee uses photos of real people as the cover icons for the Highlights. It is this appeal that brings the design of their profile to life. Also, it makes the visitors feel the user-friendliness of the profile. There’s a reason why Starbucks is loved by everyone, isn’t it?
4.The Kitchn
The Kitchn’s all-things-food account has cooking how-tos and recipes, along with tips for organizing and cleaning the kitchen. Their IG highlights add to their regular posts and even showcase some of their behind-the-scenes action. Also, they have a Story Highlight termed Kitchn Pets where they post the images of adorable furry friends in the kitchen, from both their audience as well as staff members.
5.Glossier Inc
Glossier Inc. is a people-powered beauty ecosystem. The brand uses pink color only for their profile image (not a logo). For the Highlights Covers, they use only white images. This makes their Highlights very minimalistic and very different than other accounts where product images or icons are generally used.
6.Fashion Nova
Fashion Nova, an international fashion brand, relies heavily on its ability to ship worldwide quickly. So, it’s not surprising that one of their Highlights is dedicated just to shipping. It seems as if some of their customers had certain shipping issues in the past. So, their Highlight uses rave reviews for showing that the issues have been solved, while simultaneously communicating to the new customers that they have lightning-fast shipping.
7.Red Bull
Earlier, Red Bull’s IG Highlights used to be fairly conservative like projects, videos, events, etc. But, this has changed. Now their athletes have their own dedicated highlight. All one gets is a name, face, and emoji. Very intriguing, isn’t it? This is a great inspiration.
8.Tide
In their Instagram Highlights, Tide Bank uses colors that are consistent with their brand. This makes for the spotlight areas of the business that the customers are drawn to. What makes Tide Bank’s Story Highlights a fantastic example for businesses is that the Highlight titles also include emojis.
9.Perfect Bar
Perfect Bar – the makers of non-GMO and organic protein bars – is another brand you can take inspiration from for creating great Insta highlight cover images. Their account has an Insta Highlight called ‘In a Nutshell’ where they answer the commonly asked questions of their customers. Every In a Nutshell session has a theme and even the older FAQ sessions are included in their Highlights.
10.Anthropologie
Anthropologie is one brand that does many things right. So, it’s no surprise that they have nailed their IG Story Highlights, too. What sets them apart from most other businesses are their branded Highlights, such as #AnthroHome and MyAnthro.
With the #AnthroHome Highlight, they do a few things differently. Occasionally, they have styled spaces and visitors can swipe up to directly shop the look. For their #MyAnthro Highlight, they feature fans of Anthropologie and tag their account.
Part 3: How to Make Your Own Insta Highlight Cover?
Want to create Instagram Story Highlights under your bio on your own? Here’s a step-by-step guide to making beautiful IG story highlight covers by using Canva – an easy-to-use online photo editor.
Step-1: Open Canva & Choose “Your Story”
Open Canva from your device. On top of the app, you can see all the designs that you can make. Click on “Your story” and it will load templates for your IG stories.
This tutorial breaks down how to design a cover pic for Instagram highlights with an icon and a background color. Let’s start with a blank template.
Step-2: Pick A Background Color
Once your blank template loads, follow the below steps:
- Choose a background color for your cover at the bottom of your screen
- Press “+” if you wish to select your own color
- Also, you can type your own color code (it will be great if you can stick to your brand colors)
Step-3: Add an Icon, Text, Or Emoji
Now that you have your desired background color, you can add an icon or emoji or text. It’s up to your preferences.
Wondering how to add an icon to your cover? Here’s how you can do it:
- Choose the “+” button on the bottom right corner of the screen
- Choose “Graphics”
- Scroll to discover the graphics they have or you can even search for a particular icon (for example: “heart”)
- Tap on the icon you wish to use for your IG cover
- Select your icon’s color
Step-4: Add Pages to Design More IG Highlight Covers
Want to design more Instagram highlights cover pics? You can easily continue to design more covers with Canva.
- Click on the “+” button at the bottom right-hand corner of your screen
- Choose “Pages”
You can design another IG cover with another icon. Simply repeat the process to design more Insta covers.
Step-5: Save The Covers On Your Phone
Once you are done with designing cover pics, you can save your Instagram story covers on your phone.
- Click on “Share”
- Choose “Upload to Photos” (Android devices) or “Quick Look (iPhone)
- Tap on the Export icon (bottom left-hand corner of your screen)
- Choose “Save image”
Step-6: Ensure You Turn On the Instagram Story “Archive”
Before sharing covers pics on Instagram, make sure you have turned on the “Archive” feature.
- Go to your Instagram settings
- Choose “Story Settings”
- Turn on “Save to archive”
Step-7: Post On Your Instagram Story
Your cover images need to be added first in your Insta Stories before you can use them as your covers.
- Share your covers in your Instagram story
- Tap on the “Highlight” button
Next, you have two options to choose from:
- Create a new IG highlight
- Add a cover to an existing highlight
In case you already have an existing highlight, choose the one that needs cover.
Here’s how you can create an Instagram Story Highlight:
Step-8: Create an IG Story Highlight
- Choose the “+” button
- Give your Highlight a proper name
Your Instagram Story Highlight will be appearing at the bottom of your Instagram Bio.
Step-9: Edit The Cover
- Hold your finger pressed on an IG highlight
- Choose “Edit Highlight”
- Choose “Edit Cover”
Now you can change your cover image. Also, you can resize your cover image. For instance, if your icon is very small in the circle, use your fingers to zoom in and make it bigger.
You’re all done!
Part 4: Tips for Making Your Brand Look Polished
Instagram highlight covers make a fantastic first impression. For businesses of all sizes, IG highlights are a powerful way to display key content and messages and keep it at the top of your IG profile. Wondering about how to design a polished cover photo for Instagram highlights that reflects your brand? Check out a few useful time-saving tips to make your highlights as effective as possible:
1. Create Insta Highlight Cover Images that Elevate Your Brand Aesthetics
Incorporating the assets of your brand into your cover pics is a great way to make your Story Highlights feel more professional. You need to think about how your brand fonts, colors, as well as design trademarks, can be incorporated into your covers. From bespoke lettering to unique patterns, there are countless opportunities to tap into your brand aesthetics and create a stunning Insta highlight cover photo.
2. Make Your IG Stories Highlight Covers Descriptive
Beautiful aesthetics may go a long way, but your highlight cover image must act as a visual signpost for the content it contains. A great Instagram Stories Highlight cover will make it very easy for your audience to understand what they will get from viewing the highlight. Descriptive covers encourage more clicks, meaning increased views for your content!
3. Keep Your Instagram Highlight Covers Cohesive
Once you have landed on your selected cover style, it’s essential to keep your covers cohesive. Therefore, if you have decided to utilize icons for your covers, ensure every highlight cover uses an icon or at least looks great alongside an icon. Keep in mind that a mixture of jarring covers will confuse all your aesthetics and could make your brand seem less professional on Instagram.
Conclusion
Think about your brand and the Instagram Highlights Covers that will best represent your business, using the above examples as an inspiration. Putting some time and effort into creating beautiful highlight covers can help you boost brand awareness, attract new followers, and drive more views to your Highlights. Time to elevate your brand with the best Insta highlight cover photo!
Shanoon Cox
Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Shanoon Cox
Shanoon Cox
Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions
Ever wondered what people see first when they visit your Instagram profile? Well, your visitors first notice your bio information and obviously one of the most useful Instagram features, the Insta highlight cover photo!
Instagram Highlights are a convenient way to direct your new followers to the content you want them to check first and the ideal way to do that is by adding Covers to your IG Highlights. Your cover pic for Highlights tends to be the first video or image from the collection of Stories that you highlighted. However, this can be changed easily. Since Highlights are positioned right below your bio, it is recommended to make your Instagram highlights cover pics as eye-catching, professional, or fun as possible.
Instagram Highlights is a great feature for business owners. This is because it gives them the chance to build trust, share vital information, promote their products or services, and highlight positive reviews from happy consumers. Insta stories have now become more like mini-blog posts that can be saved and shared directly in the app via Instagram highlights.
Confused about what is an Insta Highlight cover and how do you make one for your brand? Check out the handy guide below
- Part 1: What is an Instagram Highlight Cover Picture?
- Part 2: 10 Eye-Catching Cover Photos For IG Highlights
- Part 3: How to Make Your Own Insta Highlight Cover?
- Part 4: Tips for Making Your Brand Look Polished
Part 1: What is an Instagram Highlight Cover Picture?
Instagram highlights or Instagram story highlights, or Instagram highlight covers, are an extensive assortment of circular cover pictures or icons at the top of your profile. Located just below the bio section of your IG profile, they are used to showcase the best of your Instagram stories.
Insta highlight covers are an excellent way to save and categorize your stories. And unlike the ordinary IG stories that disappear after 24 hours, saving a story to your Highlights means it will stay there permanently. An Insta highlight cover photo is an incredible way to connect with your audience as well as promote your brand or products/services.
Part 2: 10 Eye-Catching Cover Photos For IG Highlights
Looking for some inspiration to create an attractive cover photo for Instagram highlights? Listed below are some great examples for businesses.
1.The New York Times
The New York Times takes Instagram Stories literally. They populate their highlights with comprehensive yet readable primers on complicated political topics. Also, they create interesting, fun, and snackable Stories about the subjects that appeal most to the audience. Either way, the style of their cover image is very consistent, helping them to make the vast reach of their subjects more manageable.
2.Toyota
The Instagram Highlights of Toyota collate information about their cars as well as the primary in-car features. They have a simple and clean design for their Highlight icons. This way, Toyota has ensured that they can grab the attention of people who missed their IG story the first time it was posted.
3.Starbucks
Starbucks Coffee uses photos of real people as the cover icons for the Highlights. It is this appeal that brings the design of their profile to life. Also, it makes the visitors feel the user-friendliness of the profile. There’s a reason why Starbucks is loved by everyone, isn’t it?
4.The Kitchn
The Kitchn’s all-things-food account has cooking how-tos and recipes, along with tips for organizing and cleaning the kitchen. Their IG highlights add to their regular posts and even showcase some of their behind-the-scenes action. Also, they have a Story Highlight termed Kitchn Pets where they post the images of adorable furry friends in the kitchen, from both their audience as well as staff members.
5.Glossier Inc
Glossier Inc. is a people-powered beauty ecosystem. The brand uses pink color only for their profile image (not a logo). For the Highlights Covers, they use only white images. This makes their Highlights very minimalistic and very different than other accounts where product images or icons are generally used.
6.Fashion Nova
Fashion Nova, an international fashion brand, relies heavily on its ability to ship worldwide quickly. So, it’s not surprising that one of their Highlights is dedicated just to shipping. It seems as if some of their customers had certain shipping issues in the past. So, their Highlight uses rave reviews for showing that the issues have been solved, while simultaneously communicating to the new customers that they have lightning-fast shipping.
7.Red Bull
Earlier, Red Bull’s IG Highlights used to be fairly conservative like projects, videos, events, etc. But, this has changed. Now their athletes have their own dedicated highlight. All one gets is a name, face, and emoji. Very intriguing, isn’t it? This is a great inspiration.
8.Tide
In their Instagram Highlights, Tide Bank uses colors that are consistent with their brand. This makes for the spotlight areas of the business that the customers are drawn to. What makes Tide Bank’s Story Highlights a fantastic example for businesses is that the Highlight titles also include emojis.
9.Perfect Bar
Perfect Bar – the makers of non-GMO and organic protein bars – is another brand you can take inspiration from for creating great Insta highlight cover images. Their account has an Insta Highlight called ‘In a Nutshell’ where they answer the commonly asked questions of their customers. Every In a Nutshell session has a theme and even the older FAQ sessions are included in their Highlights.
10.Anthropologie
Anthropologie is one brand that does many things right. So, it’s no surprise that they have nailed their IG Story Highlights, too. What sets them apart from most other businesses are their branded Highlights, such as #AnthroHome and MyAnthro.
With the #AnthroHome Highlight, they do a few things differently. Occasionally, they have styled spaces and visitors can swipe up to directly shop the look. For their #MyAnthro Highlight, they feature fans of Anthropologie and tag their account.
Part 3: How to Make Your Own Insta Highlight Cover?
Want to create Instagram Story Highlights under your bio on your own? Here’s a step-by-step guide to making beautiful IG story highlight covers by using Canva – an easy-to-use online photo editor.
Step-1: Open Canva & Choose “Your Story”
Open Canva from your device. On top of the app, you can see all the designs that you can make. Click on “Your story” and it will load templates for your IG stories.
This tutorial breaks down how to design a cover pic for Instagram highlights with an icon and a background color. Let’s start with a blank template.
Step-2: Pick A Background Color
Once your blank template loads, follow the below steps:
- Choose a background color for your cover at the bottom of your screen
- Press “+” if you wish to select your own color
- Also, you can type your own color code (it will be great if you can stick to your brand colors)
Step-3: Add an Icon, Text, Or Emoji
Now that you have your desired background color, you can add an icon or emoji or text. It’s up to your preferences.
Wondering how to add an icon to your cover? Here’s how you can do it:
- Choose the “+” button on the bottom right corner of the screen
- Choose “Graphics”
- Scroll to discover the graphics they have or you can even search for a particular icon (for example: “heart”)
- Tap on the icon you wish to use for your IG cover
- Select your icon’s color
Step-4: Add Pages to Design More IG Highlight Covers
Want to design more Instagram highlights cover pics? You can easily continue to design more covers with Canva.
- Click on the “+” button at the bottom right-hand corner of your screen
- Choose “Pages”
You can design another IG cover with another icon. Simply repeat the process to design more Insta covers.
Step-5: Save The Covers On Your Phone
Once you are done with designing cover pics, you can save your Instagram story covers on your phone.
- Click on “Share”
- Choose “Upload to Photos” (Android devices) or “Quick Look (iPhone)
- Tap on the Export icon (bottom left-hand corner of your screen)
- Choose “Save image”
Step-6: Ensure You Turn On the Instagram Story “Archive”
Before sharing covers pics on Instagram, make sure you have turned on the “Archive” feature.
- Go to your Instagram settings
- Choose “Story Settings”
- Turn on “Save to archive”
Step-7: Post On Your Instagram Story
Your cover images need to be added first in your Insta Stories before you can use them as your covers.
- Share your covers in your Instagram story
- Tap on the “Highlight” button
Next, you have two options to choose from:
- Create a new IG highlight
- Add a cover to an existing highlight
In case you already have an existing highlight, choose the one that needs cover.
Here’s how you can create an Instagram Story Highlight:
Step-8: Create an IG Story Highlight
- Choose the “+” button
- Give your Highlight a proper name
Your Instagram Story Highlight will be appearing at the bottom of your Instagram Bio.
Step-9: Edit The Cover
- Hold your finger pressed on an IG highlight
- Choose “Edit Highlight”
- Choose “Edit Cover”
Now you can change your cover image. Also, you can resize your cover image. For instance, if your icon is very small in the circle, use your fingers to zoom in and make it bigger.
You’re all done!
Part 4: Tips for Making Your Brand Look Polished
Instagram highlight covers make a fantastic first impression. For businesses of all sizes, IG highlights are a powerful way to display key content and messages and keep it at the top of your IG profile. Wondering about how to design a polished cover photo for Instagram highlights that reflects your brand? Check out a few useful time-saving tips to make your highlights as effective as possible:
1. Create Insta Highlight Cover Images that Elevate Your Brand Aesthetics
Incorporating the assets of your brand into your cover pics is a great way to make your Story Highlights feel more professional. You need to think about how your brand fonts, colors, as well as design trademarks, can be incorporated into your covers. From bespoke lettering to unique patterns, there are countless opportunities to tap into your brand aesthetics and create a stunning Insta highlight cover photo.
2. Make Your IG Stories Highlight Covers Descriptive
Beautiful aesthetics may go a long way, but your highlight cover image must act as a visual signpost for the content it contains. A great Instagram Stories Highlight cover will make it very easy for your audience to understand what they will get from viewing the highlight. Descriptive covers encourage more clicks, meaning increased views for your content!
3. Keep Your Instagram Highlight Covers Cohesive
Once you have landed on your selected cover style, it’s essential to keep your covers cohesive. Therefore, if you have decided to utilize icons for your covers, ensure every highlight cover uses an icon or at least looks great alongside an icon. Keep in mind that a mixture of jarring covers will confuse all your aesthetics and could make your brand seem less professional on Instagram.
Conclusion
Think about your brand and the Instagram Highlights Covers that will best represent your business, using the above examples as an inspiration. Putting some time and effort into creating beautiful highlight covers can help you boost brand awareness, attract new followers, and drive more views to your Highlights. Time to elevate your brand with the best Insta highlight cover photo!
Shanoon Cox
Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Shanoon Cox
Also read:
- Innovations and Hacks Every Content Creator Should Know About Reels
- [New] How to Enrich Social Media Content with Auto-Generated Speech
- 2024 Approved Accelerating the Playback of Instagram Videos (Tips)
- 2024 Approved Becoming an Instagram Editor Extraordinaire
- [New] In 2024, The Art of Connecting A Deep Dive Into Instagram Live
- [Updated] InstaStars Academy How to Amass 1,000+ Followers Each Month
- [New] In 2024, Instagram's Best Practices for Sensational Video Loops
- [New] The Loop Life Tips to Make Your Boomerangs Addictive
- Elevate Your Stories Advanced Bokeh Techniques for 2024
- In 2024, Enhancing Video Content Step-by-Step Cropping & Export Guide
- Step-by-Step Guide to Instagram Live Communication
- [New] 2024 Approved The Art of Inspiration Crafting Captivating IG Posts
- [Updated] Influencer Secrets Making Your Vids Hits Hard
- In 2024, Navigating Instagram's Posting Video Count
- [Updated] Rise Through the Instagram Rankings Fast
- [New] 2024 Approved Uncomplicated Techniques for Adding IGTV to Your Story
- [New] In 2024, Mastering IGTV Strategies for Uploading Horizontal Videos
- [New] 2024 Approved Top 10 Instagram Insights Tools Detailed Data Analysis Made Simple
- [Updated] Navigating Instagram’s Authenticity Rules
- In 2024, Perfect Pace Essential Strategies to Create Engaging Slow Motion Videos and Images for Instagram Audiences
- [New] In 2024, Illuminating Imagery Mastering Three Key Insta Hits
- [Updated] Empowering Users to Tackle Instagram Video Snags for 2024
- [New] The Future of Followers Posting in the Wake of Changes
- [New] In 2024, Transformational Techniques Bold Borders on Instagram Photos
- 2024 Approved How to Use Filters on Instagram 2023?
- [New] ImageryInfluence Mastering Size Settings on Instagram for 2024
- [New] In 2024, From Unknown to Social Superstar Master These 15 Insta Growth Strategies for Fast Results
- [Updated] Investigative Image Searching Reverse Techniques on Instagram Photos
- [Updated] Socialite's Secret Accelerate Your Fame on Insta with Our Top 15 Hacks for 2024
- The Ultimate Strategy for Boosted Instagram Video Traffic
- [New] Flawless Friending on Instagram - Best Free, Safe Mobile Aid (iOS/Android)
- [Updated] 2024 Approved Instagram Disconnect Watch Stay Ahead
- [Updated] The Ultimate Money-Making Guide on Social Media
- [Updated] In 2024, Streamline and Slim Vids Instagram Tips Using macOS
- [Updated] In 2024, The Motivational Lens Capturing Stirring Scenes on IG
- [Updated] Expert Tips to Download and Save Instagram Media From Your Computer
- [Updated] In 2024, The Untold Story of Instagram Story Consumers
- [Updated] 2024 Approved Why Instagram Story Highlights Matter A Primer
- [New] 2024 Approved A Curated List of Happiness-Crying Combo on Instagram Pages
- In 2024, Master the Art of Sharing Funny GIFs Instagram's Latest Trend Explained in 4 Steps
- Rev Up Your Social Media Impact Essential Hashtags for High Likes and Follows
- [New] Copyright Definitions & Implications in Music
- [Updated] 2024 Approved Off Mode How to Deactivate IGTV
- 2024 Approved Convert Any Instagram Video in Minutes Best Free Tools (Windows/Mac)
- [New] 2024 Approved The Ultimate List of Instagram Video Converters (Windows/OS X)
- 2024 Approved Lost Legacies Found Revelations From the Canon of Classical Works
- In 2024, Enhance Your Imagery A Step-by-Step Guide for Instagram Videos
- In 2024, From Sideways to Symmetry The Instagram Chronicles of Flipping Photos
- [New] Streamline Your Instagram Feeds with Mac's Video Resizing for 2024
- Shoot Exceptional IGTV Video Content with Mobile & Professional Cameras for 2024
- Wondering the Best Alternative to Hola On Tecno Camon 20 Pro 5G? Here Is the Answer | Dr.fone
- Essential Video Communication Tools List for 2024
- New In 2024, Mastering MP3 File Creation A Review of the 5 Leading Voice-to-MP3 Devices
- 2024 Approved Expert Suggestions for Enhancing Devices Audiovisual Experience
- Incorporate Tune Into iMovie Video Composition for 2024
- The Ultimate List of BGM Audio Archives
- How to Fix Honor 70 Lite 5G Find My Friends No Location Found? | Dr.fone
- The Easiest Methods to Hard Reset Oppo F23 5G | Dr.fone
- How to Stop Google Chrome from Tracking Your Location On Nokia C32? | Dr.fone
- [Updated] Crafting Your Weekly Schedule with Google Meet for 2024
- [New] Capturing Your Favorite Shows ScreenRecording Netflix on Mac
- A Comprehensive Guide to iCloud Unlock On Apple iPhone 14 Pro Online
- How To Bypass FRP on Nokia 105 Classic
- New 10 Free AVI Merger Tools to Combine AVI Videos Seamlessly
- 2024 Approved A Step-by-Step Journey Through VO and Powerpoint Magic
- In 2024, How to Transfer Data from Vivo S17e to Samsung Phone | Dr.fone
- [New] Top 15 PC Screen Recorders for Windows 10
- [New] Quick Snapshot The Essential Skill for Zoom Meetings for 2024
- A Step-by-Step Guide on Using ADB and Fastboot to Remove FRP Lock on your Asus ROG Phone 8
- [New] 2024 Approved Trending Vids Unveiling Twit's Highest-Viewed Content
- How to Fix Life360 Shows Wrong Location On Vivo V30 Lite 5G? | Dr.fone
- New 25 Best Real-Time Voice Changers Full Review
- Free electronic signatures for .uot file
- New Exploring the Latest Mood-Aligned Symphonies for 2024
- New In 2024, Discover the Best Free MOV Video Rotators
- What Every Sound Engineer Should Know About TwistedWave for 2024
- In 2024, Quick Start to Mastering IO Screen Recording
- How To Fix Unresponsive Touch Screen on Realme Note 50 | Dr.fone
- In 2024, Transforming Gaming Logs Alternatives to FBX Recording
- In 2024, How to Unlock iPhone 13 mini Passcode without Computer?
- 2024 Approved Detailed Analysis of Dynamic Actions Capture
- New In 2024, The Ultimate GIF Speed Controllers Online, iOS, and Android
- Desktop Capture The Windows User Guide
- In 2024, How to Bypass Google FRP Lock on Oppo Find X7 Ultra Devices
- Simple Strategies Upside-Down Video Rotation via VLC
- Updated Top 10 Free Football Streaming Websites for Live Matches for 2024
- [New] In 2024, Launching Live Recordings on HP Computers
- In 2024, Sim Unlock Meizu Phones without Code 2 Ways to Remove Android Sim Lock
- Title: "[New] In 2024, Unleash Creativity Designing Awe-Inspiring Covers for Instagram Highlights"
- Author: Ian
- Created at : 2024-05-21 17:15:23
- Updated at : 2024-05-22 17:15:23
- Link: https://instagram-clips.techidaily.com/new-in-2024-unleash-creativity-designing-awe-inspiring-covers-for-instagram-highlights/
- License: This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.