On YouTube, you have the opportunity to broadcast yourself—your interests, passions, personality, and more. The content you produce will cover these interests and allow you to create a brand for your channel that your audience will recognize. Your channel brand can also help you stand out and clearly convey your message.
Your brand starts with your channel name, but extends to channel visuals such as your banner image and profile picture.
A few questions to ask yourself when choosing the visuals for your channel brand:
- Who are you as a creator?
- What makes you unique?
- How does your brand reflect your values as a creator and the community that supports you?
- How is your branding consistent both online and offline?
Simply Not Logical uses a consistent color scheme across their profile picture and banner image. Their live streaming schedule and social media links are displayed in their banner image.
Let's dive into how to communicate your brand identity through your profile picture and banner image.
Designing Your YouTube Profile Picture
- Profile Picture is your signature image or logo that represents your channel. It appears in many places—on your channel page, when you comment, and on the bottom right of videos in most playback modes. It’s best to upload a square or round image.
- Banner Image is a larger space for you to show what your channel is about. We recommend that your banner image be at least 2560x1440 px to achieve the best display on all devices. You can create this in your favorite photo editing software. Canva is a popular resource for making banners.
Things to keep in mind
- Strong brands are easy to remember because their brand visuals have a consistent look, feel, and voice. Consider how your profile picture and banner image are aligned and how they communicate your channel identity. Make sure these match with your branding off YouTube.
- Remember that channel branding elements should adhere to YouTube’s Community Guidelines.
We recommend
- If you maintain a regular upload schedule, let your fans know when to come back for new videos by adding your schedule to your banner image.
- Your banner image and profile picture can change with you. Change the visuals on your channel when you feel your values or the message you want to communicate has changed.
- Not sure when to rebrand or what direction to go in with your visuals? Get your audience involved. Ask viewers for direct insight on what they like and let them vote on your channel visuals using the community tab, shorts, or stories.
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