3 photos to send to your podcast cover art designer...

Creating podcast cover art is an important step in the visual branding of the show.

But picking the right photo for it can be tricky…here’s 3 potential options.

When scrolling through podcasts on my phone, I often find myself drawn to certain programs based on the cover art. 

I mean, that’s what they’re supposed to do, right?

And, guess what? It works!

It’s an important visual layer to help attract people to click and tune in. It also helps to reinforce your visual brand when taking into account the other touch points across your online presence. 

Image. Colors. Graphic design and layout. Logo. Font type.

All of these elements help to contribute to an eye-catching, on-brand piece of podcast cover artwork. 

For some folks, they prefer to have text and graphics-only cover art. 

Or, they’ll opt for an object in the image, such as a microphone or other prop that is in some way related to the content of the podcast itself. 

But for others, they want to cement their identity as the face of the show by including a portrait of themselves in the cover art template for each episode. 

But which one makes the most sense? 

Honestly, there might be more than one possible solution - it depends on how your designer decides to use them. 

With that in mind, when strategizing with your designer, be sure to several types of images to give them the opportunity to stretch their legs creatively to produce multiple options. 

Here are the 3 types of images you should submit to your designer:

1 - TIGHT HEADSHOT

A classic type of photo for podcast cover art. You’re making eye contact with the audience and your expression is exhibiting warm, confident, inviting and approachable aspects of your personality. 

With this type of image, your designer can cut you out and put you onto a graphical background with colors and patterns that compliment and accentuate your personal brand, and the brand of the show itself.

They also can move you around the frame to include text, a logo and potentially an image of your guest, if applicable. 

Just be sure to choose a photo where your entire head is visible in the frame. If the top of your head is chopped off, that limits your designers’ options when they’re formatting the artwork. 

When thumbing through your portfolio of headshots, pick two where each exhibits a different type of facial expression. Perhaps a closed-mouth and open-mouthed smile, for example. 

Again, it’s all about options in order to empower your designer to play and create a magical piece of artwork.

2 - WIDER PORTRAIT

In addition to the tightly cropped headshot, another alternative to include when providing your designer portraits is a wider portrait where you’re directly addressing camera. 

This type of photo displays more of your body which could be a better alternative to the tighter headshot when the other visual elements in the artwork is taken into consideration. 

As far as expression, follow the same guidelines as the headshot. Pick 2 options where your facial expression is slightly different.

With respect to cropping, be sure that your head and arms aren’t cut out, as that will limit what you’re designer can do with it - similar to cropped heads in the headshot. 

3 - CANDID, THINKING TO SELF PHOTO

Now that you’ve provided your designer with 2 options where you’re directly looking into the camera, throw in a third option where you’re looking off-camera.

Perhaps you’re deep in thought or laughing and smiling to yourself. Either way, choose an image that has the emotional sentiment that parallels the theme and vision for the podcast. 

Since this type of photo is the wildcard option, if you happen to like a photo where a portion of your body or head is chopped off, that’s okay. Perhaps this could spark an interesting design path for them to create something unique, who knows?

In terms of offering variety, choose one image where you’re justified left and one on the right side, as well. 

Granted, the designer can flip your screen orientation, but it could look a little wonky, so I’d advise you to simply choose an alternative option and not rely on their photoshop skills to make the switch, if necessary

Creating a podcast is an amazing way to build visibility for your business, and could lead to increased client bookings, subscribers, or finding strategic partners. 

Put in the added effort to support your designers efforts at creating a piece of artwork that will capture their attention and click to listen to the value-driven content you provide them. 

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