The short version
- Good gift guide design starts by organising products around the shopper's question, usually by who the gift is for or by price tier.
- A gift guide carousel works best with a cover page, one product per page in a repeated layout, and a final page that says where to buy.
- Price tiers such as under 25, under 50 and splurge help people shop quickly, as long as the prices shown are current.
- Pinterest gift guides use tall 1000×1500 or 1000×2100 pins, so they need a vertical layout rather than a cropped carousel page.
- Making every page from one template keeps the guide consistent and lets you update prices and products quickly.
On this page
Good gift guide design is catalogue design in miniature. Pick one way to organise the products, usually by person or by price tier, give each product its own page in a layout that repeats exactly, and make a version for each place people will see it: an Instagram carousel, a Pinterest pin and an email. The repetition is what makes it feel curated. A guide where every page is laid out differently reads as a jumble sale, however good the products are.
How to organise a gift guide
Shoppers arrive with a person in mind and a budget in their head. Organise around one of those, not around your product categories, because "candles" does not answer "what do I get my sister".
Best for
Example pages
Best for
Example pages
Best for
Best for
Keep each guide to five to eight products. More than that and the carousel becomes a chore; fewer and it barely feels like a guide. If you have more to show, make two guides.
Designing a gift guide carousel
An Instagram carousel currently takes up to 20 pages (limits change, so check Instagram's help), each at 1080×1350. Treat it as a booklet with a front cover, a run of identical product pages and a back page.
- 1
Cover page
Who the guide is for, in the biggest type, and a hint to swipe. No product here: the cover sells the idea of the guide.
- 2
Product pages
One product per page: photo, name, one line on why it suits the person, and the price. The photo sits in the same place on every page.
- 3
A breather page
In a long guide, a page with only a short line, such as "Still stuck? Gift cards are on page 8", resets attention.
- 4
Back page
Where to buy, the last order date and a reminder to save the post for later.
The cover page names the person, the budget and the action.
A product page: number, price, name and one reason, in the same positions every time.
Numbering the pages (No. 1, No. 2) is a small touch that makes the guide feel edited and lets people say "I want number four" in the comments. More on page order in Instagram carousel design, and on joining pages into one continuous image in carousels that flow across pages.
Price tiers that help people shop
Price tiers are the fastest way through a guide. Give each tier its own colour or shade so people can tell where they are at a glance, while keeping the layout identical. A tonal step from light to deep works well: the more expensive the tier, the richer the ground.
Gift guide pins for Pinterest
Pinterest is where many people plan gifts, often weeks ahead, and pins keep being found long after an Instagram post has faded. A pin is tall, so do not crop a carousel page into it. Design a vertical layout: a title band at the top, three or four products stacked beneath, and your shop name at the foot.
Carousel page 1080×1350
1080 × 1350
Pin 1000×1500
1000 × 1500
Long pin 1000×2100
1000 × 2100
Email header 1200×600
1200 × 600
Write the pin title the way people search: "gifts for coffee lovers under £30" rather than a clever pun. Pinterest pin design covers text placement, and Pinterest pin size has every format.
Catalogue, not collage
Collage
- Every page laid out differently
- Ten products crammed on one page
- Prices missing or in tiny type
- Photos with clashing backgrounds
- No date or place to buy
Catalogue
- One layout, repeated exactly
- One product per page
- Price in the same spot every time
- Photos tinted or set on one background
- Last order date on the back page
Clashing product photos are the usual weak spot. Shoot on one surface if you can; if not, cut products out or tint every photo in the same two colours so they sit together. The Studio in Gradiently can tint photos in a Mark's colours as a duotone or a wash, which turns mismatched product shots into one set.
For a large guide, bulk create (part of Gradiently Pro) builds the product pages for you: design one page, connect a spreadsheet of names, prices and photos, review every version and create them all, with one Undo if anything is off. The same sheet updates next year's guide. See bulk create from a spreadsheet.
Questions people ask
How do you design a gift guide?
Organise products by person or price tier, give each product its own page in one repeating layout, and add a cover and a back page with where to buy.
How many products should a gift guide have?
Five to eight per guide is easy to swipe through. If you have more, split them into several guides by person or price.
What size is a gift guide pin on Pinterest?
Use 1000×1500 for a standard pin or 1000×2100 for a long pin that fits several products stacked vertically.
Should a gift guide show prices?
Yes. Prices help people shop quickly, especially when the guide is organised in tiers, but keep them current.
When should I post a holiday gift guide?
Late November into early December, before most people's last order dates. Pins can go up earlier because Pinterest users plan ahead.
Written by Gradiently
The team behind Gradiently, a design tool built around Marks: living gradients that make everything you design look like yours.
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