Letting go of the aesthetic grid

I’m sure you’ve noticed—there's been a real shift away from the ‘perfect aesthetic’ Instagram feed.

It’s not that there’s not still a lot of polished grids out there—sure, there are tons, it’s just that I’ve noticed many, many businesses are leaning towards a rawer style of posting, and frankly, I’m here for that!

I think it started when reels were introduced. Let’s be honest, it’s much more difficult to control how good a video appears over a single image or a text-based carousel. People used to save this stuff for Instagram’s stories feature, because they’re quick and temporary allowing you to be a bit freer and not worry too much—it’ll be gone tomorrow. This same stuff is now making it to the grid via short reels.

Maybe this is purely an attempt at ‘beating the algorithm’, to try it and see what works, ‘cause hell, nothing else does.

I think the more interesting reason however, is that people are seeking to connect and share more truthfully, cutting through the false facade of perfection to reach audiences on a deeper level. That ‘unedited’ look, unfiltered selfies, the over-exposed and grainy 90’s aesthetic that’s everywhere—it all adds to the movement. It’s super refreshing to see.

Does this make identity design less important and less powerful?

I find it very hard to let go of the idea of a neat, tidy, curated feed but maybe that's because I'm a designer. Paying close attention to arrangement, colour, type and content is what I've been doing for what feels like my whole life and that's difficult to unlearn.

If I let go of design perfectionism my peers may judge me, but do my clients notice and do they care? Does a beautiful feed showcase my design skills, or would they rather see more real, personal stuff—ideas, process, behind the scenes, everyday wonderings?

I’m not meaning to be condescending to non-designers when I say this, but, reflecting on it now, it’s super unreasonable to expect them to be able to curate a grid that looks polished—and why should they? They have websites, printed materials, adverts, campaigns and packaging for that. Social media isn’t the place for this level of perfection.

And so, this leads us to the root of it

Of course identity design is important and it’s so needed for many applications, but more powerful is remembering that brand is far, far more than the designed identity that represents it. Consulting copywriters and marketing specialists to ensure your brand voice is strong and your strategy is on-point is, without question, more important than how you look. That’s not something I ever thought I’d say as a visual designer, but today, this is more true than ever before. As is showing your true self, whether that be your personal brand or the personality of your business or organisation.

So, what’s your social strategy for 2024? Goodness, I need help with mine! Respect to you fellow industry creatives and marketing friends!

Thanks for reading!

Give me a shout if you’re ready to start your brand journey or rant about the algo! Hopefully I’ve not put you off and self-sabotaged my design business 😂

Sarah x