In Facebook, one of the bigger size images is the Facebook cover. With the default size of 820 x 312 on desktops and 640 x 360 on smartphones, the cover image is one of the most visible pictures on Facebook.
Therefore, it is no surprise that every brand or company active on Facebook is particular about using this image in the best possible way.
Even for solo entrepreneurs, the cover image is a great promotional tool to build up their personal brand.
In the course of this post, we will look in detail at the dynamics of Facebook cover image in 2018 and how you can design a perfect one for yourself. We will also list some of the most viral cover of famous brands and individuals.
So, let us decode the known facts and some overlooked secrets of Facebook cover image designs.In this article, we will analyze this one in the following sections:
- The basic designing aspects of Facebook cover image.
- The ideal size of a Facebook cover image for Desktop & Mobile.
- How to create a high-quality Facebook cover image for you and your brand.
- A collection of some of the most favorite Facebook cover pictures in the world.
In one of the previous posts, we have discussed the initial design considerations for a Facebook cover image. Now, let’s get into more details.
1. The Basic Designing Rules of Facebook cover image
What are the 2 types of Facebook cover image in 2018?
Before starting with the analysis of the Facebook cover image design, it will be better to know the two types of cover images currently in use.
- For a business page.
- For a personal profile.
To make the things easier for you we have designed two infographics to explain the subtle variations between the two types of cover images.
The dimensional requirement for each type is almost similar. Our focus in this article will be more on the Facebook cover image for a brand or fan page.
2. The ideal size of a Facebook cover image for Desktop & Mobile
Before we start analyzing various points about the Facebook cover image, it is apt to quickly recap the official specifications mentioned by Facebook.
The Facebook cover image for a Fan/Brand page:
- Displays at 820 pixels wide by 312 pixels tall on your Page on desktops and 640 pixels wide by 360 pixels tall on smartphones
- Doesn’t show on feature phones
- Must be at least 399 pixels wide and 150 pixels tall
- Loads fastest as a sRGB JPG file that’s 851 pixels wide, 315 pixels tall and less than 100 kilobytes
That means when you are uploading an image as a cover picture, Facebook is going to use it in two variations.
- A larger rectangular format of 820 x 312 pixels that appears on bigger screens like desktops & Laptops.
- A smaller size of 640 x 360 for smartphone screens.
What is an ideal size to design Facebook cover image in 2018?
As per the most updated information, the best size to create a Facebook cover image is 820 X 461.
The design size of 820 x 461 gives the best viewing results both in desktops and the mobiles. Lets us analyze this further using the layout below.
The red portion of the layout diagram is visible on the desktop and larger screens.
The yellow parts you see, above and below the red part are the height (75px) visible only on smartphones. (in Desktops/larger screens the yellow parts get cropped).
Let us upload the above cover image on a Facebook page and see its behavior.
You will notice that the Facebook back-end system is cropping the images you upload in a certain way. Therefore, for a better performance, it is necessary that you understand this point and create Facebook cover image designs accordingly.
The above image layout seen on desktop:
The above image layout seen on mobile:
How is Facebook adjusting the images in different devices?
As you can see in the figures above, the top and bottom portions of the cover image on smart phones is more by 75 px.
The same image on desktop gets automatically cropped by the Facebook system, and the yellow portions are not visible.
Due to this, the image does not get unnaturally stretched or squeezed to fill the entire space which tends reduce the image quality for viewers.
This Facebook cropping helps in retaining the picture quality. Therefore, whenever you are creating a cover image, plan your design considering the cropping factor.
Hence, to recap, if you want to design a single picture that you can use as a Facebook cover image on both desktops and mobile devices then the most appropriate image size to use is 820 x 461 Pixels.
To use HD photos as cover images for bigger sized retina screen devices you may design an even larger sizes image 1656 px X 930 px.
3. How to design high quality Facebook cover image in minutes?
Now that you have a better understanding of Facebook cover image for a business page the next question is how can you create a stunning cover image, easily and quickly.
There are the traditional ways of using photo editing software like Adobe Photoshop and others. Though, these tools are great and have been around for a long time, but they have a steep learning curve.
Unless, you are experienced in using a powerful software like Photoshop it can take you hours to complete a single Facebook cover image.
At DesignBold, our aim is to solve this issue and empower the users to create stunning designs much quicker and easily.
To achieve that goal, we have created an entire library of social media image designs that makes it easy to create social media graphics. The collection also includes Facebook cover image design templates. You can do so in 4 steps.
Step 1: Visit DesignBold.com
In the layout sections, you will find ready to use templates for the Facebook cover image of exact size required in 2018, 820 x 461 px.
Step 2: Click on the thumbnail, and you will get directed to a vast collection of beautiful and professional looking Facebook cover images.
Step 3: Add Premium Stock Photos to your design – For any design to be successful, there is the requirement for stock photos, vectors, and icons.
DesignBold provides 200,000+ free stock photos to every user (Free and Pro/Team). On top of that, every Pro & Team user get access to 60 Million Stock Photos in DesignBold premium collection.
Step 4: Drag & Drop Interface: All you need to do is to choose a layout as per your requirement, add texts and royalty free graphics. You are ready with your design.
The complete designing is going to take hardly 5 minutes or a little more. In those 5 minutes, you will be ready with a brand new perfectly sized cover image for your business page.
Moreover, the best part is it will be original and appear beautifully in both larger screens and mobile.
Using Videos as the Facebook cover image
Yes, this is the most talked about Facebook update in 2018. To achieve this here are the points that you must follow:
- Your video resolution must be 1080p to upload and use it as a Facebook cover.
- Video time duration 20 to 90 seconds.
- Arrange your main texts & logos towards the center as the top portion of the videos might get cropped.
Check out few excellent video covers being used as the cover image by top brands:
4. A collection of some awesome Facebook cover images and Tips you can learn from them:
The Facebook cover image for your business should be reflective of your brand culture and services. HubSpot has made a convenient list of Do’s and Don’t when it comes to designing a Facebook cover image.
There is no one all ideal recipe for the perfect cover image, but you should aim at creating a connection from the view of a consumer.
Tip #1: Keep track of Facebook official guidelines & use original photos for your cover image
Facebook has specific guidelines for designing and using cover images. With countless business pages, it is advisable to stay within the official terms of using a cover image.
The two most important points to consider are:
- Use a unique image that represents your Page, like a popular menu item, album artwork or a picture of people using your product.
- Make sure that your cover photo follows the Pages Terms. Cover photos cannot be deceptive, misleading or infringe on anyone’s copyright. Do not use any random image taken from Google search as the cover image for your brand to avoid copyright issues.
Take, for example, The Oatmeal, one of the most popular online comic book strips uses original cartoons as cover image.
Tip #2: Take care of colors & emotions in the Facebook cover image
Colors can influence emotions and emotions can decide the response to your Facebook cover image. Therefore, it is always wise to pick the right colors that will lead to the most shares and responses.
“Architecture Design” uses the ideal combination of white and hue points in their Facebook cover image.
Tip# 3: Keep the text minimal and logo prominent
Do not design the cover image as a letter or a CV with too many texts. Doing that, the cover image not only appears cluttered, but it also takes the focus away from the brand.
The Nike Facebook cover image is the perfect example of minimal text design.
At DesignBold also we use a text minimal Facebook cover image, with more focus on the brand logo and tagline.
Tip# 4: Make the Facebook cover image people centric
Being a business is all about the consumers. That is the reason many popular brands are creating Facebook cover images with real people in it. Such, images connect with the consumer at an emotional level.
Check out some people centric Facebook cover images being used by top companies in the world.
Tip# 5: Think out of the box and get creative
As every professional designer would say – “There might be certain rules of designing, but there is no definite formula to create great designs.”
Some of the best designs are created when artists think out of the box.
The key is to have a well-balanced mix of everything – texts, colors, images & expressions
Conclusion
The Facebook cover image, due to its larger size, is one of the most prominent visual asset for every brand on Facebook.
Therefore, it is practical business sense to use it to its full effect.
Before concluding, a few closing points on using a Facebook cover image:
- Keep ready multiple ever green type Facebook cover images you can use throughout the year.
- Design season, festival and holiday specific Facebook cover images to connect with consumers.
- Use Facebook cover image as a lead to collect email ids.
- Design promo type Facebook cover image to announce people about upcoming offers, discounts or events.
- Keep a watch on the latest world or local trends and design Facebook cover image according to the trends. This can generate more engagement with the consumers.
With that, we conclude this post. We hope it was insightful for you.
Oh! And by the way, as we mentioned few lines before, DesignBold can help you design the perfect Facebook cover image for your brand – so that you can wow your Facebook fans and gain new consumers.
You can check the complete list of Facebook cover image design templates and start creating. (No need to create account or login. Just click on the link above to go to the design page and start creating).
That was a long post with many points. Below is the list of the Do’s and Don’ts of designing a Facebook cover image in the format of an infographic.
Design Facebook Cover with DesignBold!
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