# Cover photo ideas for Facebook, LinkedIn and X [Canonical HTML page](https://gradiently.design/guide/cover-photo-ideas) A cover photo is the widest piece of free advertising you own, and most people leave it blank or fill it with a stock skyline. Here are twenty better ideas, and the sizes that stop them being cropped. ## The short version - A good cover photo says one thing about you or your business in a glance and works with the profile photo rather than against it. - The Facebook cover is 1640×624 pixels, the LinkedIn profile banner is 1584×396, the LinkedIn company cover is 2256×382 and the X header is 1500×500. - On LinkedIn and X the profile photo overlaps the lower left of the cover, and on Facebook the profile picture and name sit along its bottom edge, so words belong in the centre, above that lower band. - Covers are cropped differently on phones and computers, so keep important content in a central band and let the edges be background. - Simple concepts, such as one line of text on your brand colour or a calm gradient, usually work better than busy photo collages. The best **cover photo ideas** say one thing at a glance: what you do, what's coming up, or simply what your brand looks like. A short line on your brand colour, a calm gradient, a wide photo of your workplace or a single upcoming date all work well. Design at the platform's own size (Facebook 1640×624, LinkedIn 1584×396, X 1500×500), keep words clear of the lower left and bottom edge where the profile photo sits, and change the cover whenever there is news. ## Cover photo sizes for each platform Each platform has its own shape, and all of them are very wide. Making one image and letting each platform crop it is how logos lose their edges. Design each at its own size. - Facebook cover 1640×624: 1640 × 624 - LinkedIn banner 1584×396: 1584 × 396 - LinkedIn company 2256×382: 2256 × 382 - X header 1500×500: 1500 × 500 The four covers to scale. LinkedIn's are the thinnest, so they suit a single line of text or pure background. Each has its own crop and safe area, covered in the size guides: [Facebook cover size](https://gradiently.design/guide/facebook-cover-size), [LinkedIn banner size](https://gradiently.design/guide/linkedin-banner-size) and [X header size](https://gradiently.design/guide/x-header-size). > **Mind the profile photo** On LinkedIn and X the round profile photo overlaps the lower left of the cover; on Facebook the profile picture and name sit along its bottom edge. Keep text and logos out of that area, and remember phones show a narrower slice of a cover than computers do. Layouts shift with app updates, so check your own profile after uploading. ## Cover photo ideas for personal profiles For a personal Facebook or LinkedIn profile, the cover is context. It tells a visitor something your photo can't: what you do, what you care about, or simply that you have taste. 1. **One line about your work.** "I help small charities raise more online." Set on a calm colour, right of centre. 2. **A colour you are known for.** A single soft gradient in your colour, no words. Quiet and recognisable. 3. **Your desk or tools.** A wide, uncluttered photo of where you work, with space on the right. 4. **A place that matters.** A landscape from home, cropped wide, with the horizon low. 5. **Your current project.** The book, course or product you're working on, with its name. 6. **Speaking or teaching.** A photo of you on stage or at a whiteboard, if it's real and recent. A thin LinkedIn banner reading Brand design for small charities, with a note about spring availability Idea 1 on a LinkedIn banner: one line, set to the right of where the profile photo lands. An X header with a soft gradient background and a small name and location in the centre Idea 2 on an X header: the colour does the work, with a small name and place. LinkedIn deserves its own thought because recruiters and clients look at it. [LinkedIn background ideas](https://gradiently.design/guide/linkedin-background-ideas) has more concepts written for that audience. ## Cover photo ideas for business pages A business cover is a shop window. Treat it as something you change through the year, not something you set once and forget. 1. **What you do and where.** "Wood fired pizza, Leith." Six words that answer the first question. 2. **Opening hours.** Set large and clear. The most useful cover a local business can have. 3. **The next event or launch.** Date, name and one line, replaced when it's over. 4. **Seasonal colour.** The same layout in a new palette each season, so the page looks cared for. 5. **Your team.** A real group photo, cropped wide, faces in the centre band. 6. **Product in use.** Your product in someone's hands or home, not on a white void. 7. **A promise.** Your offer in one line: "Same day repairs", "Free local delivery". 8. **Hiring.** "We're hiring baristas" with how to apply, while the role is open. A wide Facebook cover announcing a winter market on 6 December with stall and entry details Idea 9 as a Facebook cover: date and name in the centre, background running to the edges. Company pages on LinkedIn have their own, even thinner cover; see [LinkedIn company cover size](https://gradiently.design/guide/linkedin-company-cover-size) before you design for it. ## Cover photo ideas for creators 1. **Posting schedule.** "New videos every Thursday." Sets expectations and brings people back. 2. **Your look, wide.** The same background and type you use on posts, stretched into a panorama. 3. **Latest release.** Album, episode or newsletter issue, with its title and where to find it. 4. **Featured in.** Places you've been published or played, as plain text rather than logos. 5. **A quote from your work.** One line from your writing or a lyric, set beautifully. 6. **Nothing but colour.** A calm gradient that matches your profile photo's background. - Ink to indigo: `linear-gradient(90deg, #111827 0%, #312e81 55%, #6366f1 100%)` - Peach to coral: `linear-gradient(90deg, #fff1e6 0%, #fbc4ab 50%, #f08080 100%)` - Deep green to mint: `linear-gradient(90deg, #052e2b 0%, #0f766e 50%, #5eead4 100%)` - Magenta light from the right: `radial-gradient(ellipse at 80% 50%, #f472b6 0%, #7e22ce 45%, #1e1b4b 100%)` Wide, horizontal blends suit cover shapes. Keep the darker end on the left behind the profile photo and lift towards the right where words can sit. ## How to make a cover photo in ten minutes 1. **Pick one idea from the lists** Write the words first, if there are any. Six words or fewer suits every cover shape. 2. **Start at the exact size** Open a canvas at the platform's size, not a square you will crop later. 3. **Lay down the background** Your brand colour, a gradient or a wide photo. Darker or calmer on the left, where the profile photo will sit. 4. **Set the words right of centre** Large enough to read on a phone, with generous space above and below. 5. **Upload and check on a phone** View your own profile on a phone and a computer. If anything is clipped or hidden, move it towards the centre. ## What makes a cover photo work ### Avoid - Stock city skylines and generic sunsets - Text in the lower left, under the profile photo - Collages of six small photos - Small text that vanishes on phones - The same cover for three years ### Do - Something specific to you or your business - Words in the centre or to the right - One image or one field of colour - Type large enough for a phone - A fresh cover for news and seasons The most professional profiles share one look across every platform: the same colours and type on the Facebook cover, the LinkedIn banner and the X header. In Gradiently, you design once and resize to every cover size in one step (a Pro feature; choosing one new size is free), and the background keeps your words readable wherever each crop lands. The full list of formats is in [social media image sizes](https://gradiently.design/guide/social-media-image-sizes). ## FAQ ### What should I put on my cover photo? One clear idea: what you do, an upcoming date, your opening hours or simply your brand colour. Keep it specific to you rather than a generic stock image. ### What size is a Facebook cover photo? 1640×624 pixels. Keep important content in the centre, because phones crop the sides. ### What size is a LinkedIn banner? The LinkedIn profile banner is 1584×396 pixels, and the company page cover is 2256×382 pixels. ### What size is an X header? 1500×500 pixels, a 3:1 frame. The profile photo overlaps the lower left. ### How often should I change my cover photo? Whenever there is news, a season changes or an event passes. A business cover that is out of date looks neglected.