Your YouTube banner is like a billboard for your channel – it‘s the first thing viewers see when they land on your page. An eye-catching, on-brand banner can make a powerful first impression, encouraging people to hit that subscribe button. But what exactly makes a good YouTube banner?
In this guide, we‘ll break down the anatomy of effective YouTube channel art and showcase 15 brilliant examples to inspire your own designs in 2024. Plus, get a step-by-step tutorial for creating and uploading your banner.
What Makes a Clickable YouTube Banner?
The best YouTube banners nail four key elements:
- Instant brand recognition. Your banner should include your channel name and logo prominently. Use fonts, colors, and imagery consistent with your overall branding.
- Visual impact. High-quality, high-contrast visuals are a must to stand out in YouTube‘s sea of content. Think vibrant backgrounds, bold typography, and eye-catching photos or illustrations.
- Clarity at any size. Your banner will display at different dimensions on various devices, so make sure core elements are always visible. Put essential info and visuals in the "safe area" (more on dimensions later).
- Compelling tagline. Sum up your channel‘s value prop or include a clear call-to-action, like subscribing or visiting your website. Keep text minimal and punchy.
Want to see these guidelines in action? Let‘s dive into some inspirational examples from top YouTube channels.
15 YouTube Channels with Brilliant Banners
These banners showcase awesome branding, impactful visuals, and interesting use of layout, photos, and graphics. As you‘ll see, there‘s no one "right" way to do YouTube channel art – it‘s about capturing your unique style and niche.
1. Yoga with Adriene
Adriene‘s banner perfectly encapsulates her channel‘s calm, centered vibe. The soothing aqua background and white logo pop, while her photo gives a friendly, approachable feel. The "free yoga videos" tagline succinctly states what new viewers can expect.
2. Binging with Babish
This sleek banner is a master class in minimalist design. The mouthwatering burger photo hints at the cooking content, while the understated "eat" command entices you to dig in. Bold, black typography ties it all together.
3. Unbox Therapy
Tech review channel Unbox Therapy uses a high-contrast red and black color scheme for major impact. The stacked product photos give a glimpse of the gadgets covered, while the subtle circuit board pattern adds a techy touch.
4. Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell
This educational channel brings its signature illustrative style to its banner. Adorable cartoon birds (recurring characters in their videos) pop against the vibrant blue galaxy backdrop. Clear logo placement ties it back to the brand.
5. MKBHD
Tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee goes bold and minimalist with a bright red banner. Crisp, white logo text gives his channel name maximum impact – no other info needed. The portrait orientation is an interesting choice that really works for showcasing the MKBHD icon.
6. Blogilates
This whimsical banner perfectly represents Cassey‘s energetic personality and fun workout style. Colorful branded graphics overlap her image for a unique layered effect. The "Fitness, Food & POP Pilates" tagline clues viewers into the range of content.
7. First We Feast
Here‘s a delicious example of making your latest content pull double duty. First We Feast cleverly uses a still from their current season of "Hot Ones" as their banner, with the red gradient background putting all focus on the celebrities pictured.
8. The Verge
The Verge carries over their streamlined website branding to YouTube. Rectangular color blocks organize their banner into sections for logo, tagline, and a high-contrast device photo representing their techy content.
9. The School of Life
For their contemplative channel vibe, The School of Life uses muted earth tones and painterly illustrations that evoke famous works of art. The "Developing Emotional Intelligence" tagline reflects their mission statement.
10. TED
No surprise, TED‘s banner is a fantastic example of using bold, iconic branding. Their logo is the main focus, brilliantly contrasted against a striking red background. The "ideas worth spreading" tagline underscores what TED is all about.
11. Dude Perfect
This banner is as high-energy and in-your-face as the Dude Perfect crew. Visuals are everything – their latest merch creates a colorful collage background, while their iconic logo and cartoon avatars reinforce the branding.
12. Cut
For a no-frills cool factor, you can‘t beat Cut‘s stylized black and white banner. The captivating portraits hint at their interview-focused content, while scrawled white text calls out their landmark subscriber number.
13. Goodful
Goodful‘s cheerful illustrated banner is bursting with the healthy foods and wellness items featured in their vids. The "Feel good, do good" tagline evokes their positive, wholesome brand mission. Tidy color blocks keep it uncluttered while still packing in lots of fun visuals.
14. Linus Tech Tips
This tech channel keeps things clean and bold with chunky, 3D-effect logo text and a simple tagline promising "Tech videos, news, reviews and more!" The electric blue and black color scheme stays on-brand and offers high contrast.
15. Vsauce
Educational channel Vsauce uses moody and intriguing imagery – a desert highway under a starry sky – to draw viewers into their banner. The grainy, lo-fi aesthetics reflect their video style, while the mysterious "and more!" tagline adds intrigue.
YouTube Banner Size & Dimensions for 2024
To ensure your banner looks brilliant across all devices, follow these sizing guidelines:
- Recommended dimensions: 2560 x 1440 px
- Minimum size for upload: 2048 x 1152 px
- Safe area for logos/text: 1546 x 423 px
- Maximum file size: 6MB
Here‘s a quick cheat sheet laying out these dimensions:
It‘s important to note that YouTube will automatically crop and resize your banner art to fit different screen sizes. That‘s why you must keep all important visuals and info within the central "safe area".
Follow these best practices to ensure your banner always looks pro:
- Use high-res images: Blurry, pixelated visuals will cheapen your brand. Aim for crisp, high-def photos and graphics.
- Be consistent: Your banner colors, fonts, and imagery should align with your overall visual branding.
- Update often: Refresh your banner frequently to highlight latest content, milestones, or seasonal promos.
How to Create & Upload a YouTube Banner in 5 Steps
Ready to make your own YouTube banner? Follow this simple step-by-step:
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Design your banner using custom dimensions of 2560 x 1440 pixels. You can use Photoshop, Canva, or free templates (we‘ll share some shortly).
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Download as a JPG or PNG, ensuring the file size is under 6MB.
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Sign in to YouTube and click your profile icon in the top right. Select "Your Channel".
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Click the blue "Customize Channel" button, then choose the "Branding" tab.
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Under the banner section, hit "Upload". Choose your banner file and hit "Open". Adjust the crop if needed, then click "Done".
That‘s it! Your new YouTube banner should now be live across all devices. Be sure to preview how it looks on desktop, mobile, and TV displays.
Need a little help with design? These free YouTube banner templates will give you a head start:
10 Free YouTube Banner Templates
Simply open the templates in Photoshop or Canva, then customize them with your own logo, visuals, and copy. It‘s an easy way to score professional results in no time.
Make Your Channel Art Stand Out
Ready to give your channel a major glow up? Use these examples as a springboard and have fun creating a banner that screams you. Play with different styles until you land on a look that represents your content and personality.
Remember, an incredible banner is just one piece of your channel‘s branding. Pair it with polished video intros, custom thumbnails, and a consistent posting schedule to keep viewers coming back for more.
Now go flex that creativity and show the world a YouTube banner too cool to ignore. Stay tuned for more tips and tricks to take your channel to the top.
