Prior to 2020, text posts were a thing left and forgotten about in the alleys of Instagram’s old trends—I mean, remember ‘justgirlythings’? But in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement, simple text posts encouraging activism quickly gained popularity and spread using the story-sharing feature.
In a world going through a pandemic, global warming and police brutality, inspiring words were much needed. The resurgence of text art and the need for encouragement opened up a whole new world for graphic designers working with the theme of positivity. Artwork that was previously only received wide exposure on platforms like Pinterest and Tumblr now get millions of likes and reposts on Instagram today. Interestingly, many of the most popular positive pages were created by female artists just getting started in their careers. Check out five of these accounts I always look forward to seeing on my feed below.
- @newhappyco
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Founded by Stephanie Harrison, The New Happy is a company founded based on her graduate studies. The brand is set on a mission to discard the “old happy” centered around material things and fame and replace it with the “new happy” graced with meaning and service. The New Happy has podcasts, a newsletter, and a store of merch. The brand’s feed is filled with inspiring words such as “this week, I will focus on what is going right” and a refreshingly minimal design.
- @beamingdesign
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Artist Marilyne Marie Verschueren’s personal Instagram bio reads “beam your way through life,”—and it perfectly encapsulates her work. Marilyne started her page in the middle of quarantine to help lift her spirits and encourage others. Beaming Design’s feed features the cutest cotton candy-hued graphics with words of encouragement like “all we have is now” that you’ll want to screenshot for your next mood board.
- @selfcare4yu
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Self Care 4 You delivers easy-read paragraphs that are broken down into multiple photo slides. This unique aspect encourages you to take a pause from scrolling and meditate on the content. With titles like “Things You Needed To Hear Today” and “Signs You’ve Grown,” their posts always put a smile on my face. What started as a means for Lily (the founder) to share affirmations has bloomed into a community of nearly one million followers.
- @quotesbychristie
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Washington D.C.-based graphic designer Christie has mastered the art of translating the glowing positivity of the quotes she uses into graphic art. Words we’ve all heard before but sometimes just need to hear again, like “if it makes you happy, it doesn’t have to make sense to other people,” burst with bright colors. The neon hues are sure to snap you out of any moody fog. Christie also has a Casetify collection and sells her own totes, stickers, and apparel.
- @iuliastration
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After leaving her hometown at 19 and building a life full of travel and experience, including one year in Asia, Iulia started sharing her art online in March 2020. Her dreamlike artwork displays women in many everyday moments, from stretching to surfing with an otherworldly gaze. Iulia’s mystical designs are accompanied by inspiring quotes such as “change can be sunshine if you let it.” To celebrate her success, she most recently released a calendar full of her artwork for the upcoming year.
If you need a little more inspiration to pop up on your timeline, give one of these pages a follow.