There are several reasons why you might want to make your workspace more Instagram-friendly. Perhaps you want to foster the idea that you spend all day being creative in a studio that's beautiful enough to send all your followers into fits of envy. Maybe you hope that anyone that drops by will take a sneaky selfie, and post it on Insta to give you some free publicity. Or, it could be that the photos you usually take look a little dull and 'office-y', and you want to mix things up.
Whatever the reason, the good news is that it isn't that hard to carve out some Insta-worthy spaces in your studio. Here are seven easy ways in which you can do just that, plus a couple of emergency drastic measures if it all goes wrong.
For more Insta tips and tricks, don't miss our posts on how to change the font in your Instagram bio and how to hack Instagram algorithm.
01. Get a background wall
One easy way to ensure you've got the perfect Insta-spot in your studio is to create a background, or accent, wall where you can snap photos. A popular background wall is made up of gold or silver streamers, but you can also customise yours to your studio. That might mean painting your studio name across the wall, or using the colours in your logo, or your logo itself, to create a block print. And if you're feeling really adventurous, you could even paint a mural.
You could also experiment with adding a bold wallpaper design to your studio. This can add a splash of colour to an otherwise neutral scheme, and if you're only buying a small amount of wallpaper, should also be relatively cheap.
02. Buy some houseplants
How could an Insta guide not mention the joy of houseplants? Adding some green into your studio will not only be good for your wellbeing, but can provide a good background for Insta snaps too.
Make sure you take proper care of your plants though, a wilting, yellow plant is unlikely to prove popular, however many filters you apply to it. Not sure which plants to go for? See our guide to plants to improve studio life.
03. Hang some prints
Every self-respecting studio should have some prints on its walls. Create a gallery wall for the ultimate background or dot these around your studio. As Hey Studio shows, if you haven't got any wall space, you can always add prints to your bookcases. Which leads us on to our next point...
04. Fill your bookshelves
Apart from being, of course, great resources, books can add colour and texture to your studio. You can also rearrange them in different ways – by colour or height order, for example – to switch things up.
A pile of books in the background can add something extra to an Insta shot, and bookcases themselves are often photogenic, just make sure you get some decent shelves.
For ideas of books to buy, see our post on the best graphic design books.
05. Think about lighting
Although you can sometimes fix poorly lit photos in Instagram or through other photo editing tools (see our favourite photo apps), your photos will look better if you get the lighting right when you take them.
Experiment with different types of lighting in your studio, and consider lighting when making your background wall (and of course, when deciding where to place your house plants).
06. Consider your surfaces
As well as having a background wall to photograph against, you may also want to think about having some photogenic surfaces dotted around. This could be as simple as a nice tablecloth, a pleasing wooden desk or table (see our best desks roundup) or if you've got the budget to really renovate, even some patterned tiles on the floor.
07. Coordinate your outfits
This one's an easy win. You don't have to change anything in your studio, just put on some stripes (other matching outfits are also acceptable) and watch the likes roll in.
08. And if all else fails...
If it all goes wrong, and you run out of energy, budget or iCloud storage space (we can't actually help you with that, you'll have to upgrade or delete something), you could try the following, slightly more drastic ideas:
Get a studio pet. (Although remember that a pet is for life, not just for Instagram, or National Pet Day.)
Or even a studio baby. (Although remember that a baby is also for life, not just for Instagram.)
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