How to Make Epic YouTube Channel Art (1/2)

Last Updated on April 20th, 2020 at 12:21 pm

Make YouTube channel art

YouTube is a bustling hub of bizarre content material. But in reality, it’s additionally a fiercely aggressive sphere for brands far and wide, and as the previous saying goes: first impressions count. In this article, we’ll check out the perfect YouTube banner makers that will help you stand out from the crowd, with epic channel art.

With millions of YouTube channels for viewers to get distracted by, you’ve all but a few seconds to capture the attention of those who visit yours. Fortuitously, an epic YouTube cover can assist you because it tells viewers what your channel options. In fact, you possibly can’t afford to design a mediocre cover that doesn’t deliver your story, which brings us to the great world of YouTube banner makers.

When it comes to these channel art creators though, there’s a sea of choices out there. To ease that decision fatigue, we’ve gone and finished the groundwork for you and compiled a list of the perfect.

However, before we dig in, let’s make clear what a YouTube channel banner actually is and walk via some basics to keep in mind when creating any type of channel art.

What do we mean by YouTube channel art?

A YouTube banner is a header image that stretches to take up the highest horizontal place on a page, very similar to a Facebook cover photo. These banners occupy lots of space. Because the very first thing someone sees when they go to your page, they’re the perfect alternative to show off your brand.

Let’s take Converse’s channel art for instance here. The clean background and bold text attract attention instantly, whereas the imagery is simple but powerful due to to the strung up all-stars being instantly recognizable at a glance.

converse youtube banner

As people, we’re inherently drawn more to visuals than textual content. Actually, people can remember 65% of visual content even after three days of viewing it. Consequently, the right banner here can work wonders in catching your viewers’ attention and leaving a lasting impression on them.

Not to point out, YouTube cover art ought to quickly give an idea of what your channel is about. In other words, the banner is a fast, visual representation of your brand that showcases your channel’s persona too.

For a successful YouTube channel, you need to purpose to design a banner that serves all of these functions. In case you’re only just getting began, our piece on how to create a YouTube channel can assist you to discover your feet.

Great YouTube banner examples

There are tons of incredible YouTube covers on your inspiration. Take Adobe Creative Cloud’s banner. The picture will stop you dead in your tracks:

adobe youtube banner

Color, glorious color! As a model with a viewer base of main creatives, Adobe knows the way to capture attention. The popping color palette used right here is instantly inviting, whereas the dominant shade remains red – Adobe’s primary brand color. Moreover, the parrot merging with the female character provides an intelligent sprint of personality.

Similarly, Refinery29 does a superb job with its YouTube banner:

refinery29 youtube banner

The cover picture is fashionable and slick, with delicate female elements (a nod to the truth that Refinery29 largely caters to females.) Curiously, in case you look up close, you’ll additionally discover that photoshoot pictures of ladies make up the colors within the text, all giving us an thought of what the brand stands for – media, fashion and female empowerment.

Another fascinating instance is that of the Slow Mo Guys:

the slo mo guys youtube banner

It is a good instance of a cover picture that captures the essence of the channel. Gavin Free and Daniel Gruchy shoot numerous videos with their $150,000 high-speed camera and present them in slow motion. Much slower, in fact, than what the bare eye sees. They always add a component of humor to their videos, which their banner displays too.

Lastly, you could take a look at Wezowl, they’d additionally like to huge up their own YouTube channel banner:

wyzowl youtube banner

They’ve gone for the ‘less is more’ method here. Their brand name and new logo take center stage – not shocking, given we wished to carry more consideration to our huge rebrand (you could find out more about that here).

YouTube banner size

The one factor that a channel art maker should never miss is the size. The incorrect sized banner can mess up your design, and worse, have a negative have an effect on your brand by making it look unprofessional.

When beginning off, make sure that the picture you use is of high quality, however, the file size is not more than 6MB. The purpose here is to make sure that your picture doesn’t become pixelated when displayed on large screens.

YouTube recommends banner sizes to be 2560 x 1440 pixels. Nonetheless, it’s essential to keep in mind that it’ll look different on desktop, mobile and TV display, so choosing a suitable design is vital.

youtube banner size

The picture above shows the recommended size for each gadget. Another factor worth noting here is the text and logo safe area. This is the safe zone in your banner that doesn’t cut off as the gadget modifications. So the best factor to do is to add your logo or essential details here, just as we’ve finished in our channel cover.

YouTube channel art – top tips

Whereas a Youtube banner maker can assist you to create a channel art cover like a professional, there’s still a lot that depends on you, particularly in the design department. To help you, here are our pro suggestions:

Ensure your cover design is constant with your existing branding

Ever observed Coca-Cola using the color blue in their cover? Nope. That’s as a result of red is part of its branding – and, as you’d expect, it’s the key accent color on the brand’s YouTube channel. You have to follow suit. Stick to your brand parts to make your channel recognizable throughout all platforms.

coca cola youtube banner

Make sure your banner is consistent with your channel’s theme

Just because it’s essential to remain dedicated to your branding throughout various platforms, it’s additionally important that you focus on theme consistency too. People get to your channel either when a link points to it or once they come throughout a video of yours.

From there on, it’s up to your banner to tell your viewers what your channel provides with its style, picture, and tagline. For instance, in case you own a journey channel, your cover art ought to hint at that theme with its design:

fun for louis youtube banner

Add your brand tagline

Including your brand slogan is another fast technique to narrate what your channel covers. What’s more, it may possibly leave a memorable impression on your channel visitors. Include the tagline on the top or bottom of your banner and persist with a brief and snappy tagline to keep away from cluttering your design.

clean my space youtube banner

Err on the side of simplicity

A cluttered design with an overload of design parts can rapidly distract viewers and make them switch off. Minimalism, alternatively, shines the spotlight on your logo and tagline, making your cover clear and unforgettable.

Simplicity in YouTube cover art is also essential from the size aspect. Odds are your tagline or logo in a heavily-designed cover that might get cropped out on a particular device.

cupcake jemma youtube banner

Focus on the middle

We’ve talked about the safe area above. When designing your cover, you could see this safe zone as the sweet spot where your essential branding parts go. In other words, your headline, illustration, tagline, and logo come over here.

high on life youtube banner

Use a high-quality picture with high resolution only

Poor quality pictures will seem pixelated on large screens and a hazy, unclear image fails to capture a visitor’s interest or construct a credibility. Stock photo sites such as Unsplash provide high-quality pictures. In case you plan to use a unique picture for your YouTube art, you should make sure that the quality is great and the picture is clear and crisp.

Choose the right font size and shape

Almost half of all YouTube views come from mobile gadgets, which means that a small font would be challenging to read for these viewers. Subsequently, selecting a bold or large font is a wise move to make. This will make sure that your viewers can see your channel name clearly.

Moreover, choose a font that reflects your channel’s style. Fonts communicate style and tone. Research agrees as it highlights that different fonts depict different personalities.

For example, rounded fonts are recognized to communicate comfort, femininity, and softness. Alternatively, angular fonts convey durability and masculinity. Pay attention to the font and its size to make sure it displays your brand persona. Finally, it needs to be readable – however, don’t be afraid to inject some fun in there too. It’s your brand after all!

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