Set up a brand kit for Instagram in 20 minutes
A brand kit for Instagram is five things: your logo files (main, for dark backgrounds, and an icon), one to three colours with their hex codes, a headline and a text font, a few lines on your voice, and the facts you can stand behind. Collect them once — about 20 minutes — and every post starts from them.
1. Logo files — 5 minutes
- The main logo, as an SVG or a PNG with a transparent background.
- A version that reads on dark backgrounds (usually white or light).
- The icon or mark on its own — for small spaces and profile pictures.
Watch for: a logo saved on a white box. On a coloured post it shows as a white rectangle — remove the background first.
2. Colours — 5 minutes
- One primary colour — the one people should remember.
- Up to two more: a second colour and an accent for buttons and highlights.
- Write each as a hex code (e.g. #1F6F5C), not “dark green”.
Watch for: contrast. Text should be at least 4.5 times lighter or darker than its background (WCAG 2.2) — light grey on white disappears on a phone in the sun.
3. Fonts — 3 minutes
- A headline font with character, and a plain text font that reads small.
- Prefer Google Fonts: free, and available in nearly every tool. If yours is a paid font, keep the font file with the kit.
Watch for: two decorative fonts together. One with personality is enough.
4. Voice — 5 minutes
- Three words for how you sound — e.g. warm, direct, a little playful.
- Words you always use, and words you never use.
- Your usual call to action — “Book a table”, “Shop the drop”.
- The language your posts are in.
5. Facts — 2 minutes
- Numbers and claims you can stand behind: prices, years, results.
- A customer's real words, with permission.
Watch for: invented quotes and numbers. Posts that only use real ones never have to be taken down.
Putting the kit to work
A brand kit saves time only when your tool uses it on every post. In dsign.so, the brand is the starting point: set it up from scratch, from your website, or from a brand guideline PDF (Pro), and every template comes out in it — colours, fonts, logo and voice. Then see how to make on-brand posts without a designer.
Set up your brand in dsign.so — free.
Questions
- What should a brand kit include?
- Logo files (main, for dark backgrounds, and an icon), one to three colours as hex codes, a headline font and a text font, a few lines on your voice, and the facts you can stand behind.
- How many fonts should a brand use on Instagram?
- Two: one for headlines and one for text. Google Fonts are the easiest, because nearly every design tool has them.
- Can I make a brand kit from my website?
- Yes. dsign.so (Pro) can read your name, logo, colours and fonts from your website or a brand guideline PDF, and you can change anything after.