Creating Stunning Podcast Artwork: Your Ultimate Guide

“Don’t judge a book by its cover.”

“In the same manner, don’t judge a podcast by its artwork.”

But who are we kidding? I’d bet life and limb many people do the exact opposite all the time.

That being said, the importance of having a superb podcast artwork that will truly captivate cannot be overstated.

Create a podcast artwork that’s truly sensational by keeping the following basics in mind:

Your artwork should clearly convey the subject of your podcast

If prospective listeners see your podcast artwork, will they be able to tell what your podcast is all about? Apart from visual appeal, this is one of the key considerations you need to take into account. To help drive the point home, I’ll give you a couple of examples.

• Are you doing a podcast about your hobby?

If your podcast is about a particular hobby, you should use an artwork that’s specific to that hobby. For instance, if you are a massive Star Wars fan, consider it best to incorporate Star Wars themed images in your artwork so fellow super fans can easily tell what your podcast is all about.

• Are you using your podcast to promote your business?

Many businesses have acknowledged the power and clout of podcasts and are therefore using them to further promote their brand. If your primary goal is to reach out to existing and prospective customers, it is recommended that you use branding that’s recognizable such as your logo. If you noticed how Nike uses their Swoosh logo in their podcast artworks, then you know what I mean.

Use an image that’s relevant

For some, picking an image that will best summarize what the podcast is about can be tricky. However, it does not have to be. You can easily make the process a little less complicated by thinking of at least 3 specific terms that will best describe what your show is all about.

For instance, “kids,” “training,” “dogs.” Understandably, your search will show a child training a dog. If you can’t find an image you like, you can always have one custom-made for you.

Of course, the more complex your concept is, the more challenging it will be for you to find a relevant image that clearly communicates what your podcast is about. In similar cases, just pick one or two keywords. You can use stock-photography websites or Google Images to find relevant images. Just remember never to use any image without a license.

Avoid using too many words

When creating podcast artwork, there’s one thing you need to always keep in mind—it should look stunning when it’s both big and small. What do I mean by this exactly? You need to ensure your podcast artwork will still look great when it’s really small and really big.

Export your artwork at 55×55 pixels so you’ll have a clear idea what it would look like when it’s really small. This is really important since your artwork is going to show up on different mediums (iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, tablets, smartphones, and computers).

And since your artwork still has to look great even when displayed at a thumbnail size, you need to keep the words to a minimum. Keep in mind that when it’s the size of a thumbnail, it would be difficult (if not impossible) when there are too many words crammed in. As a general rule of thumb, don’t use more than five words in your podcast artwork.

Keep your artwork centered

Many podcasters focus primarily on iTunes when designing their artwork. And I don’t blame them really. When it comes to podcasting, iTunes is still considered by many as the most influential among the podcasting platforms currently available. However, while undisputed, it’s not the only podcast provider available at your disposal.

That being said, you should ensure your artwork is designed in such a way that will make it stand out regardless of the platform you will use (SoundCloud, Stitcher, iTunes, etc.).

However, since there are numerous platforms nowadays, creating a bespoke image for each service can be too much hassle. Fortunately, you can still remedy this by making sure all the key elements of your artwork are found in the center.

Some platforms might require rounding your artwork’s edges or cropping the image into a circle. If the key elements are in the center, you won’t lose any of the important elements even when the need to crop arises.

Do you have other tips you can add to the list? Sound off in the comment section below!

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