The Ultimate Podcast Graphics Guide for New Podcasters

Why is Podcast Art important?

Podcast graphics are a potential listener’s first impression. Like a book on a crowded bookstore shelf, podcast art has to stand out while still clearly explaining what the show is about.

A part of standing out is the name of your show. But we won’t be discussing that today as we’ve already written a whole article about how to name your podcast. Check it out.

In this article, we cover everything about podcast graphics, including must-follow rules, tools to help you make it yourself, and more!

Rules to Follow With Your Podcast Art

It’s always important to follow these rules for your art to be accepted by the biggest podcast directories like Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Luckily, their requirements for images are very simple.

4 Absolute Must Follows

Image must 3000 x 3000 pixels
- But be sure to compress the image using free tools like Squoosh
Resolution must be 72 DPI
Image’s file type should either be JPG or PNG
RGB colorspace

This is not a rule, but is definitely something to keep in mind: your cover art should match tone and topic of your podcast

For example: Faces are always very attention grabbing, and can convey the tone of your show really quickly. A picture of the two hosts laughing quickly shows the audience that your podcast is funny. Consider including your face in your podcast art, especially if your podcast is very personality based.

Episode Art

In addition to podcast graphics, podcast directories also allow you to upload individual art for each episode. Many podcasts do this, including Blank Check and Omnibus.

Podcast art for each episode is not a necessity, but it can be another way to entice people to listen to your podcast. When people are scrolling through your episode releases, and each episode’s art is the same as the show art, it can be hard for them to choose one. If each individual episode has their own art, you can intrigue the listener enough to download certain episodes.

If you decide to create individual episode art, try to keep the design of individual episodes in line with the branding of your general podcast. For example, Omnibus’s episode art is fairly different each time, but they always have the Omnibus logo in the lower right corner, keeping cohesion.

Designing Your Podcast Graphics Yourself

You don’t need to be a graphic designer to create your own podcast graphics – but it certainly helps. For the non visually talented (like myself) there are two great companies that provide templates specifically for podcast art – Adobe Creative Cloud Express and Canva.

If you don’t want templates, there are other great image editing software to help you start from scratch. Gimp is a free alternative to photoshop. While it doesn’t have quite the same robust features as Photoshop, it has a streamlined workflow that is great for beginners.

Another option is Stencil. Stencil is designed specially to create social media graphics, including podcast graphics. It’s easy to use, and is another great option for beginners.

Hiring Someone to Design it for you

If you are just starting your podcast, this might seem difficult to justify spending money on podcast art, but show art is so important that it can still be worth the money.

Companies to Hire

Podcast Branding – $295

Podcast Branding has worked with hundreds of podcasts on cover art, logos, websites and more. Learn more and see examples of their work on their website

The Podcast Design Company – $147 – $347

The Podcast Design Company has created over 2000 pieces of podcast cover art, and provides a range of price options – even including a social media kit at the Platinum tier.

99designs – Price Varies

99designs is a large graphic design company that creates designs for websites, apps, flyers, and just about anything else.

Fiverr – $10 – $949

Fiverr is a marketplace to find and hire freelancers. There are thousands of people offering their services to create podcast art at low prices. Be aware that your quality may vary depending on the price of the freelancer you hire.

Jenny H. Design – $250

Jenny H. Design is a one woman company, Jenny Hansen. She gives a personal and professional touch to all of her podcast graphics.

Claim Your Podcast on Podchaser

After you’ve made your podcast show art, you’re well on your way to releasing your first episode! Podchaser is designed to help new podcasters grow their show. Once you claim your podcast on Podchaser, you’ll be able to add credits, tags, customize your page, increase your SEO, and even sell merchandise.

Claim your Podcast Today

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