No matter what platform you are hosting your podcast on, your podcast cover art design can be the determining factor in whether someone chooses to listen to your podcast…or not. Podcast cover art and your podcast branding work together to make your show a success.
As a brand and web designer, I have worked with multiple podcasts to help create unique podcast branding that allows their shows to stand out and connect with their listeners.
Let’s dive into what you need to know about podcast branding and podcast cover art to ensure that your podcast makes a positive first impression and hooks new listeners before they even press play.
What is a Podcast Logo?
Before you design your podcast cover art, let’s clarify something first: the difference between your business logo and your cover art. To give you more clarity, your podcast cover art is not your business logo.
Your cover art is what you’ll upload to different podcast directories. Your logo represents your brand identity, while your cover art is a visual representation of your podcast’s theme and content. And in some cases, your business logo won’t be anywhere on the cover of your pod- depends on the how/why of your show.
Branding Consistency
Your podcast is its own entity, whether a sub-brand i.e. extension of your business or its own brand, it needs to be treated as such. So how do you accomplish this? The answer – it starts with your branding consistency.
The importance of branding consistency when designing your podcast cover art cannot be understated. Your podcast cover art should be consistent with your business branding, vision, and aesthetic. This makes it easier for viewers to identify your podcast and helps your podcast grow.
If your podcast is related to your business, you should make sure your branding aligns with it so that when you promote your podcast, it doesn’t look out of place.
However, if your podcast isn’t connected to your business, think about your goals for it to decide how you’re going to brand it. Are you hoping that your podcast will lead people to discover more about your business and services, or what action do you want them to take after listening to your show?
Cover Art Design
Your cover art is what potential viewers will see first. It needs to grab people’s attention to get them intrigued and eager to hit play and listen to your podcast.
When designing your cover art, you also want to make sure that it stands out from your competitors and doesn’t look similar to what others in your industry are doing—otherwise, your podcast cover art will blend in and be overlooked.
You want to think about how you can make your cover art pop and communicate the overall vibes of your podcast well. This means you need to analyze your colors, fonts, and images while still ensuring that everything is in alignment with your overall brand message and that everything you choose to be a part of your design is intentional.
When it comes to color, fonts, and images, some of the best (and most important) advice I can give you is to ensure that your cover art is readable, accessible, and always optimized for mobile devices.
An often overlooked feature when it comes to your colors is also the option for dark mode on devices. You want to make sure that the colors you pick work well for both dark and light themes. This means having a black background for your podcast cover art may not be the best idea.
Fonts and Texts
Less is more when it comes to cover art text- your cover art doesn’t need to be overly text-heavy or have a variety of different text sizes or conflicting fonts. Your text and fonts should be easy to read and clear. Also, you really don’t need more than two fonts on your cover art.
Remember, your goal should be to make your cover art memorable, and that starts with keeping things simple and cohesive.
When creating Human Bravely’s podcast cover art, I wanted to make sure that when it came to text, the font was easy to read and memorable and that her cover art ensured her brand was set to cover all of her audience touchpoints.
Human Bravely didn’t want their face to be a part of their cover art as their show wasn’t as much about them as a host but instead about cultivating a brand that welcomes all individuals.
Colors
Colors tell a story and make a lasting impression. You don’t need to have a hodgepodge of different colors on your podcast cover art – start with your brand color palette and stick with it as you design your cover art.
You want your podcast cover art colors to convey what your show is about, and your colors should match your brand identity. Begin with a maximum of three different colors that complement your podcast’s theme.
Color was at the forefront of Haley and Noel of ReviveHer’s podcast brand design. Revive Her is a podcast that catalyzes female entrepreneurs of faith from all backgrounds.
Haley and Noel help women break the chains of religion while building lasting empires. Both Haley and Noel have opposite personalities, which is why I created a primary color pair of blue and yellow to represent their different personalities and podcast topics.
I also wanted to make sure that all of the colors I chose were uplifting, fun, warm, and inviting to potential viewers.
For Shift is Happening, I also aligned their brand colors with their brand message, which is why I focused on using bright, warm colors that encourage change and made their face center stage.
RESULTS THAT SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES
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Images or Graphics
If you include any images or graphics, just like with colors and text, make sure that they always align with your brand. Stay away from overused graphics such as a microphone or headphones. For any images or graphics that you include, you want them to convey what your podcast is actually about without making your cover art look too busy.
When it comes to images, also consider whether you want to use your face. For my client, I’m Into This Place, which is hyper-local, always independent, and a podcast rooted in the community, we only used shapes and words because they didn’t want to include their face as part of their podcast cover art.
Sizing
Keep in mind that when you’re designing your cover art, each platform to which you’re going to publish your podcast will have different size requirements. You don’t want to run into the issue where one platform crops your cover art and cuts out a significant part of your design.
You’ll need to design your cover art for all the different platforms and meet their size requirements to make your cover art as impactful as possible.
Now You’re Ready to Design Your Podcast Cover Art
Hopefully, these tips will help you as you consider your own podcast branding and cover art design. Your podcast branding and cover art will make your podcast more recognizable and memorable and increase your visibility—it’s not something you should overlook when it comes to promoting and growing your podcast.
If you are ready to take the next step and work with an expert on your podcast brand and cover art, I’d love to chat. You can click here to learn all about my brand and web design services, or you can head over here to get in touch with me so we can start building your distinctive podcast brand today!
