What text size should line-up names be on Instagram?

Aim for at least 28 pixels of cap height on a 1080-pixel-wide visual. Below that, a name becomes uncomfortable to read on a phone held at arm's length. If your names don't fit at that size, shrink the pitch rather than the type.

Should substitutes appear on the line-up?

In a story, no: there isn't room and the main information is the starting eleven. In a square post, yes, as a line of names at the foot of the visual, smaller than the starters. Many clubs publish a second story dedicated to the bench.

Can you publish a photo of an under-age player on a line-up?

Using a minor's image requires written permission from their legal guardians. That's why many clubs use numbered kits rather than photos for youth teams. This page is not legal advice: check with your governing body, which usually provides consent templates.

How long before kick-off should the line-up go out?

The most common practice in amateur football is the evening before or the morning of the match. Publishing too early exposes you to late changes; publishing after kick-off loses most of the engagement.

Making a team line-up that's readable on Instagram

3 min read

It's the most anticipated visual of the week, and the most often unreadable: eleven names on a six-inch screen. The challenge isn't graphic, it's typographic.

Pick the format before you pick the design

The story is the default format: full screen, vertical, watched while waiting for kick-off. The square post mostly serves as an archive in the profile grid.

Three formats, three densities: the story holds a readable eleven, the post adds the bench, the landscape one goes to the club-house.

What each format can genuinely carry:

9:16 story: a readable starting eleven, vertical pitch, names under each position.
1:1 post: the eleven plus the bench, provided you shrink the pitch.
16:9 landscape: for the club website, the clubhouse screen or YouTube.

A line-up is read as a story and archived as a post. If you only produce one, produce the story: that's the format for the moment the information is useful.

Readability beats tactical accuracy

Don't chase an exact 4-3-3: two central midfielders side by side truncate long names. Nudge players on the same line apart and keep at least 28 pixels of cap height.

The number saves readability: a digit stays legible when tiny, a surname doesn't. Number large, name smaller underneath.

A number stays legible even when tiny; the name sits below it, smaller. That pairing is what makes a line-up readable on a six-inch screen.

Cut-out photos or kits: the real trade-off

The cut-out photo impresses, but requires an up-to-date photo per player. The numbered kit never goes stale and avoids the image rights of minors.

Cut-out photo for impact, numbered jersey for durability: the jersey never goes stale and sidesteps minors' image rights.

Cut-out photos for the first team, kits for the youth sides. That's the best balance between visual impact, production load and the image rights of minors.

What belongs on it, and what clutters it

Who plays, against whom, when: the rest is optional and paid for in readability. The two logos are enough to place the fixture.

The most common mistakes:

Stacking every sponsor logo onto the pitch: they belong in a strip at the foot of the visual.
Putting a busy photo behind the names, which destroys contrast.
Writing full first names when the surname alone identifies the player.
Using a text colour close to the kit colour.

Industrialise without losing quality

The real cost is the thirtieth line-up, not the first. The fix: separate the data from the design, so you only change the starters instead of redrawing everything.

That's the principle Timline is built on: the squad is entered once, the line-up fills itself in, and comes out in three formats without retyping.

Data on one side, design on the other: the squad is entered once and the line-up fills itself, in all three formats.

Frequently asked questions

What text size should line-up names be on Instagram?: Aim for at least 28 pixels of cap height on a 1080-pixel-wide visual. Below that, a name becomes uncomfortable to read on a phone held at arm's length. If your names don't fit at that size, shrink the pitch rather than the type.
Should substitutes appear on the line-up?: In a story, no: there isn't room and the main information is the starting eleven. In a square post, yes, as a line of names at the foot of the visual, smaller than the starters. Many clubs publish a second story dedicated to the bench.
Can you publish a photo of an under-age player on a line-up?: Using a minor's image requires written permission from their legal guardians. That's why many clubs use numbered kits rather than photos for youth teams. This page is not legal advice: check with your governing body, which usually provides consent templates.
How long before kick-off should the line-up go out?: The most common practice in amateur football is the evening before or the morning of the match. Publishing too early exposes you to late changes; publishing after kick-off loses most of the engagement.

Enter the fixture once, the visuals follow

Announcements, line-ups, results and player focus, generated from your data.

Try it free

Making a team line-up that's readable on Instagram

3 min read

It's the most anticipated visual of the week, and the most often unreadable: eleven names on a six-inch screen. The challenge isn't graphic, it's typographic.

Pick the format before you pick the design

The story is the default format: full screen, vertical, watched while waiting for kick-off. The square post mostly serves as an archive in the profile grid.

Three formats, three densities: the story holds a readable eleven, the post adds the bench, the landscape one goes to the club-house.

What each format can genuinely carry:

9:16 story: a readable starting eleven, vertical pitch, names under each position.
1:1 post: the eleven plus the bench, provided you shrink the pitch.
16:9 landscape: for the club website, the clubhouse screen or YouTube.

A line-up is read as a story and archived as a post. If you only produce one, produce the story: that's the format for the moment the information is useful.

Readability beats tactical accuracy

Don't chase an exact 4-3-3: two central midfielders side by side truncate long names. Nudge players on the same line apart and keep at least 28 pixels of cap height.

The number saves readability: a digit stays legible when tiny, a surname doesn't. Number large, name smaller underneath.

A number stays legible even when tiny; the name sits below it, smaller. That pairing is what makes a line-up readable on a six-inch screen.

Cut-out photos or kits: the real trade-off

The cut-out photo impresses, but requires an up-to-date photo per player. The numbered kit never goes stale and avoids the image rights of minors.

Cut-out photo for impact, numbered jersey for durability: the jersey never goes stale and sidesteps minors' image rights.

Cut-out photos for the first team, kits for the youth sides. That's the best balance between visual impact, production load and the image rights of minors.

What belongs on it, and what clutters it

Who plays, against whom, when: the rest is optional and paid for in readability. The two logos are enough to place the fixture.

The most common mistakes:

Stacking every sponsor logo onto the pitch: they belong in a strip at the foot of the visual.
Putting a busy photo behind the names, which destroys contrast.
Writing full first names when the surname alone identifies the player.
Using a text colour close to the kit colour.

Industrialise without losing quality

The real cost is the thirtieth line-up, not the first. The fix: separate the data from the design, so you only change the starters instead of redrawing everything.

That's the principle Timline is built on: the squad is entered once, the line-up fills itself in, and comes out in three formats without retyping.

Data on one side, design on the other: the squad is entered once and the line-up fills itself, in all three formats.

Frequently asked questions

What text size should line-up names be on Instagram?: Aim for at least 28 pixels of cap height on a 1080-pixel-wide visual. Below that, a name becomes uncomfortable to read on a phone held at arm's length. If your names don't fit at that size, shrink the pitch rather than the type.
Should substitutes appear on the line-up?: In a story, no: there isn't room and the main information is the starting eleven. In a square post, yes, as a line of names at the foot of the visual, smaller than the starters. Many clubs publish a second story dedicated to the bench.
Can you publish a photo of an under-age player on a line-up?: Using a minor's image requires written permission from their legal guardians. That's why many clubs use numbered kits rather than photos for youth teams. This page is not legal advice: check with your governing body, which usually provides consent templates.
How long before kick-off should the line-up go out?: The most common practice in amateur football is the evening before or the morning of the match. Publishing too early exposes you to late changes; publishing after kick-off loses most of the engagement.

Enter the fixture once, the visuals follow

Announcements, line-ups, results and player focus, generated from your data.

Try it free

Making a team line-up that's readable on Instagram

Pick the format before you pick the design

Readability beats tactical accuracy

Cut-out photos or kits: the real trade-off

What belongs on it, and what clutters it

Industrialise without losing quality

Frequently asked questions

Read next

Making a team line-up that's readable on Instagram

Pick the format before you pick the design

Readability beats tactical accuracy

Cut-out photos or kits: the real trade-off

What belongs on it, and what clutters it

Industrialise without losing quality

Frequently asked questions

Read next