You will be acquainted with the fact that Twitter has launched its new design for the general public. It seems that people are falling in love with the new layout.
In the beginning, I was rather bemused by the concept of having a massive cover photo on my profile but I presume this is the fashion now and we will have to live with it. So, we need to figure out a way to make the new changes work for us. This can be resolved by being imaginative.
Ensure that you have a cover photo that boasts the appropriate dimensions. Here is a preview of my profile and how my cover photo appears like!
Recommended dimensions
The recommended dimensions for the header photo by Twitter are 1500 x 500 pixels. However, the dimensions that have really worked well for me are:
- 1500 x 421 pixels
However, you need a template or some sort of a pattern for this to work for you. Read on if you want to know more.
Template
Setting up the new header on Twitter can be quite complicated. You will lose the original quality of your image once you upload it, so I recommend you to save your image in its highest quality before uploading it.
Another issue with the header is that the entire content of your image will not appear in the header since it automatically gets cropped and up-scaled for obvious reasons. So, it becomes imperative that you are familiar with the visible and invisible areas to ensure that you viewers are able to see what you intend them to see in your header photo. Here is the template that I have developed.
- This template has been tested in various screen resolutions and in Twitter app using iPhone
- Avoid adding anything in the invisible areas since it will not be displayed
- You can go for the invisible on iPhone app parts but I recommend you to not put anything important in those areas
Free tool to design your Twitter header
If you are not interested in determining the appropriate Twitter header size, Snappa has come up with this free graphic design tool that incorporates all the dimensions and safe areas.