The 5 Best YouTube Headers from Influencers

YouTube is typically the first platform that comes to mind when someone thinks ‘video’. From funny clips, movie trailers, news, food vlogs to music videos, YouTube’s reach and content lists are massive, and no other site can match it.

A few years back, Google improved a few features on YouTube by making changes to their logo and the layout of playback and channel pages, as well as the customizable YouTube header image. YouTube headers are the latest components in the vast social media scene, and they can’t be ignored since they play a vital role in the brand’s marketing mix. YouTube has two main areas where users can add photos to their YouTube channel, the profile image and the channel art—a horizontal banner or header exhibited across the top of a user’s YouTube channel.

Generally, YouTube channel art is similar to what other social platforms, such as Facebook or Twitter, refer to as a cover photo or header image, or a hero image on regular websites. It is the first thing people see when they visit your page. Arguably, your YouTube banner should be able to represent you and your brand accordingly. Before we get to the top 5 YouTube banners from social influencers, how about we cover some of the basics first?

What makes a good YouTube banner?

1. Responsive dimensions

People can watch YouTube across a multitude of devices, including mobile, TV, computers, tablets, etc. How the YouTube header is exhibited is going to change depending on the device being used. As such, you will need to ensure that you are using an image that meets the basic requirements for channel art. Below are the basic dimensions required:

• Recommended image size: 2560 X 1440 px
• Minimum image size for upload: 2048 X 1152 px
• Maximum image file size: 4MB
• Maximum ‘safe area’ where text and logos won’t be cut off: 1546 X 423 px

These resolutions seem like incredibly large file sizes, but if you think about the fact that YouTube banners can appear on 30+inch smart TVs, that means it will be a full-screen background image with an aspect ratio of 16:9. Also, with the increasing number of preferences to watch YouTube videos in this manner, it’s essential that your YouTube banners are the right size for quality display on bigger screens.

2. Balanced Design

YouTube channel art is a prime branding opportunity when people land on your channel. Therefore, you’ll want to make sure all the essential details including supporting text and logo, are well-represented. An ideal location to place a name and logo is at the center because this eliminates viewer confusion in case any information is accidentally cut off. An excellent strategy to use when creating headers is to work from the middle out, start by incorporating the essential information at the center as you work your way outward.

To create an image with the perfect balance, here are a few basic tips to use:

• Use high-resolution images: A blurry banner doesn’t suggest that there are high-quality videos to follow.
• Keep it on-brand: Although your YouTube banner does not have to be a replica of your logo or tagline, it should contain visual features that you want to be associated with your brand, including colors, fonts, or keywords.
• Your banner should creatively represent what your channel is all about.
• Include links to your social media accounts, usually on the lower right corner.
• Search for graphics that can scale down to include all platforms and use the YouTube preview function to see how the banners look on all devices.
• Your banner is part of the marketing mix — always include a call to action, so that your viewers know what to do next. This can consist of ‘subscribe to our channel’ or ‘visit our website’.
• Refresh your channel art regularly to keep your brand dynamic.

How to make a YouTube Header?

There are tons of YouTube banner creators online to help tap into your creativity and create the best channel art that makes your brand stand out. While it may be cumbersome to choose the one that suits your needs, the right approach is to select a service that provides YouTube banners that have already been created, gives you access to stock photos and other graphic elements, and also allows you to edit photos. Below are a few free resources you can use to create some of the best banners:

• Google: Google, the hosting channel, provides its very own YouTube banner templates to help with the banner design.
• Canva: Canva is popular due to its simplicity. It delivers attractive and professional templates, with the option of DIY. With its templates, you are free to use your own art or invest in their high-quality images and graphic content.
• Fotor: Similar to Canva, Fotor allows you to choose channel art templates that are easily editable using your visual resources or its collection of library images. Alternatively, with Fotor, you can begin from scratch and create professional banners using their advanced features, including a variety of effects and filters.
• Crello: Crello provides over 10K ready-to-use templates. This free graphic design tool is easy to use for basic designs. Additionally, Crello offers tons of high quality, reusable images for a fee.
• PicMonkey: PicMonkey is an online photo editor with both free and paid premium services. PicMonkey appeals to creative designers, with hundreds of filters and editing options.

Tips for designing a YouTube banner

Looking at the above examples, there are a few takeaways when it comes to creating a YouTube Header to ensure your channel art conveys maximum influence. You need to:

1. Keep your design simple

Simplicity is key. The banner should not appear cluttered, especially on smaller devices. Consider that, the more images or text that is included, the more your design will look unprofessional and crowded. However, you can invest in a freelance graphic designer to help create a banner that draws attention to the right places.

2. Always keep your marketing goals in mind

When someone lands on your YouTube Channel, what course of action do you want them to take? What impression do you want to create? What about you, do you want them to know? Maybe, you want them to subscribe to your channel or visit your website to learn more about the services you provide. So, start by defining the purpose of your YouTube channel in relation to you or your team’s objectives, then design the channel art accordingly. Including a call to action (CTA) will get you on the right track.

The 5 Best YouTube Headers from Social Influencers

The one channel layout YouTube feature was introduced a few years ago, which came with the size recommendations as indicated above. YouTube support suggests that for optimal results across all devices, a single image of 2560 X 1440 pixels should be used.

The objective behind this one channel concept was to give the channel art design a more attractive and uniform look when viewed from different screen sizes, mobile devices, and tablets. Taking advantage of online editing tools like the ones mentioned above can help you get started with creating exciting designs. Below are some of the most extraordinary, yet simple YouTube Headers from social influencers:

1. Dua Lipa

In 2017, this sensational pop star was part of several influencer campaigns for brands like Footlocker and Patrizia Pepe. This year, she’s landed big names such as Jaguar and Hyatt Hotels.

One thing that stands out about Dua Lipa’s YouTube header is the fact that it’s simple yet informative. It campaigns and markets her new song, prompting visitors to check it out.

2. Dude Perfect

At over 42M subscribers, Dude Perfect’s banners have always illustrated some sort of unique playfulness and creativity. This channel revolves around sports and comedy, including astounding sports tricks.

The channel art promotes their new tour, Pound It Noggin Tour, an event they clearly want to sell tickets to, including a “Get Your Tour Tickets HERE!” as a call to action.

3. Juanpa Zurita

Juanpa Zurita’s YouTube banner makes excellent use of color. It’s no secret that the right use of color can have a significant impact in marketing—shades of blue, for instance, have been found to invoke a sense of trust.

This channel art not only makes great use of color but it also depicts creativity and visual quality. Besides the creative ingenuity, there are accompanying texts, including social buttons spread out within the header.

4. Smosh

The one thing that stands out about this channel art is its simplicity. Smosh has been an online sensation since 2005. Although the YouTube banner doesn’t seem to portray anything interesting, the use of capital letters and a monochrome color does communicate that the brand is high-end.

5. Ryan ToysReviews

With over 19M subscribers, Ryan is the ultimate social influencer for kids. This channel art matches the kid-friendly nature of the content in a simple, colorful and adorable manner.

It’s essential to note YouTube banners are just one side of the coin in the complete video content strategy. It doesn’t matter how great your header is if you aren’t consistent with posting quality videos now and again. So, along with a great YouTube banner, make sure the video content follows a similar design.