How to Create a Custom Instagram Story Highlight Cover

Instagram has become one of the most popular social media platforms, with millions of users sharing their daily lives, personal experiences, and business ventures. One feature that has become a fan favorite is the Instagram Story Highlights, where users can save and categorize their stories for future viewing. While Instagram provides a basic set of icons for highlights, creating a custom Instagram Story highlight cover can give your profile a more personalized and polished look.

In this article, we’ll take you through step-by-step instructions on how to create a custom Instagram Story Highlight cover, along with tips on design, tools you can use, and ways to integrate this feature into your profile to make it stand out.

Why Custom Instagram Story Highlight Covers Matter

Before we dive into the how-to’s, let’s understand why custom highlight covers matter:

Aesthetic Appeal: Custom covers can elevate the overall aesthetic of your Instagram profile, creating a cohesive look that aligns with your branding, style, or personality.
Better Organization: Well-designed highlight covers help organize your highlights in a way that’s visually appealing and easier to navigate for followers.
Brand Identity: For businesses and influencers, custom covers are an excellent way to establish a consistent brand image. You can use them to showcase your product categories, services, or content types.

Step 1: Plan Your Custom Instagram Story Highlight Covers

Before jumping into the design process, it’s essential to think about the look and feel you want for your covers. Here are a few things to consider:

Theme: Will your covers follow a color scheme, style, or certain visual elements? Think about how they’ll match your profile.
Icons or Images: You can either use minimalistic icons, symbols, or even photos to represent the theme of your highlights.
Consistency: Make sure all your covers have a consistent design to maintain a neat and organized Instagram profile.

Step 2: Choose the Right Dimensions for Your Covers

To ensure that your custom cover fits perfectly within the Instagram interface, it’s important to use the correct dimensions. The ideal size for an Instagram Story highlight cover is:

Size: 1080 x 1920 pixels (standard Instagram Story dimensions)
Aspect Ratio: 9:16
File Type: JPG or PNG (Transparent backgrounds work best for icons and logos)

It’s also a good idea to leave a small margin around the edge to avoid any parts of your cover being cut off when viewed on mobile devices.

Step 3: Design Your Instagram Story Highlight Covers

Now that you have a plan in place, it’s time to create the covers. Here are some tools and methods you can use to design your covers:

1. Using Canva (Best for Beginners)

Canva is a great tool for creating Instagram Story Highlight covers, especially if you're not a professional designer. Here's how to use Canva:

Step 1: Sign up or log into your Canva account.
Step 2: Click "Create a Design" and select "Instagram Story" from the template options.
Step 3: Customize your design with shapes, text, and images. Canva offers a wide range of free icons and images to help you make your covers.
Step 4: Download your design as a PNG or JPG file.

2. Using Adobe Spark (For More Customization)

If you're looking for more design flexibility and have some graphic design experience, Adobe Spark is another great tool. Here's how to use it:

Step 1: Create an account or log into Adobe Spark.
Step 2: Select “Instagram Post” from the available template options.
Step 3: Customize the cover with icons, images, or text.
Step 4: Download your design as a PNG or JPG.

3. Using Photoshop (For Advanced Designers)

If you’re a more advanced user and want to create your own custom designs from scratch, Photoshop is your best bet. You can create transparent backgrounds, use advanced text effects, and import any custom images you want.

Step 1: Open Photoshop and create a new file with the dimensions 1080 x 1920 pixels.
Step 2: Add icons, text, or images to your design.
Step 3: Save your design as a PNG file with a transparent background for the best results.

4. Using Over (Great for Mobile Devices)

If you're working on your mobile device, the Over app offers excellent customization options for Instagram Story covers. You can choose from a variety of fonts, icons, and templates.

Step 1: Download the Over app from the App Store or Google Play.
Step 2: Create a new project and choose Instagram Story dimensions.
Step 3: Add your design elements and export it to your device.

Step 4: Upload Your Custom Highlight Covers

After designing your covers, it’s time to upload them to Instagram. Follow these steps:

Step 1: Open Instagram and go to your profile.
Step 2: Tap on the highlight cover you want to change.
Step 3: Tap the three dots on the bottom right of the highlight and select "Edit Highlight."
Step 4: Tap “Edit Cover” and choose the new image from your gallery.
Step 5: Adjust the cover to make sure it fits perfectly in the circular highlight frame.
Step 6: Tap "Done" to save the changes.

Repeat this process for each of your Instagram Story Highlights.

Design Tips for Custom Instagram Story Highlight Covers

Minimalistic Designs: Simple designs with clear icons or symbols are more effective than cluttered or overly complex covers.
Use of Colors: Keep your color palette cohesive across all your covers. This will make your profile look more professional and coordinated.
Readability: If you’re adding text to your covers, make sure it’s legible even on smaller screens. Avoid using too many fonts.
Iconography: If you're using icons to represent categories (e.g., travel, food, fitness), make sure they’re universally recognizable and not too intricate.

Key Takeaways

Planning is Crucial: Take time to think about the design and theme of your custom highlight covers to ensure they align with your personal or business brand.
Consistency: Maintain a uniform design style across all your covers for a more polished look.
Use the Right Tools: Canva, Adobe Spark, Photoshop, and Over are great tools for designing custom Instagram Story highlight covers.
Follow Proper Dimensions: Use 1080 x 1920 pixels to ensure your covers look crisp on all devices.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: How do I change the cover for multiple Instagram highlights at once?
A: Instagram currently doesn’t allow you to change multiple covers at once. You'll need to update each highlight cover individually.

Q: Can I upload a video as a cover for my Instagram Story Highlight?
A: No, Instagram only allows image-based covers for Story Highlights.

Q: Can I make my Instagram Story Highlight covers transparent?
A: Yes! Using a transparent PNG file is the best way to design a cover with no background. This is ideal for using icons or logos.

Q: Are there any apps that can help me design my Instagram covers?
A: Yes, apps like Canva, Adobe Spark, Over, and Photoshop are all great tools to help you design custom Instagram Story highlight covers.

Conclusion

Creating custom Instagram Story Highlight covers is a fantastic way to personalize your profile and make it stand out. By following the steps outlined above and using the right tools, you can craft stunning highlight covers that will not only enhance your Instagram aesthetic but also make your profile more organized and professional. Whether you're an influencer, a business, or someone who simply loves Instagram, customizing your highlights will help you tell your story in a unique and visually appealing way.

By incorporating these simple tips and tricks, you’ll ensure your Instagram profile makes a lasting impression, keeping your followers engaged and excited to explore your highlights!