How to make an Instagram story image

Design an Instagram story image that reads quickly, fits the vertical canvas, and avoids UI overlap.

Instagram stories move quickly, so the image needs to read immediately. The vertical canvas gives you space, but that space should support one clear message instead of too many small ideas.

Step 1: Use a story-sized canvas

Start in Instagram Story Maker so you are already working in a 1080 × 1920 vertical canvas.

Step 2: Build around one action

Story graphics work best when they do one job:

announce a launch
highlight a product
share an event
point people to a link or next step

Step 3: Avoid interface overlap zones

Keep important text away from the very top and bottom of the story image. App chrome and interaction UI can crowd those areas.

Step 4: Make text large enough

If the story needs text, use fewer words and larger type. A story is scanned, not studied.

Better result

If the design communicates the point in under a second, it is working. If viewers need to pause and decode the layout, it needs simplification.