The short version
- A LinkedIn background photo, or profile banner, is 1584 by 396 pixels, a wide 4:1 image behind your profile photo.
- The strongest banners say what you do or what you are working on in a few words, on a calm background in your own colours.
- The profile photo covers part of the lower left of the banner, so keep words and logos towards the centre and right.
- Text-light banners work best: one line and perhaps a small detail, large enough to read on a phone.
- Update the banner when something changes, such as a launch, a new role or an event, to give returning visitors something new.
On this page
The best LinkedIn background photo ideas all do one thing: tell a visitor what you do, or what you are working on, before they read your headline. The simplest winning formula is one short line in large type, such as Brand design for independent food businesses, on a calm background in colours you use elsewhere. The banner is 1584 by 396 pixels, and your profile photo covers part of its lower left, so place the words towards the centre and right.
Below are ten ideas with examples, followed by the layout rules that make them work. For the full size details, including company pages, see LinkedIn banner size.
LinkedIn banner size and the profile photo overlap
A personal profile banner is 1584 by 396 pixels, a 4:1 strip. Company pages use a wider cover at 2256 by 382. On a personal profile, the round profile photo sits over the lower left of the banner, and the phone app shows the banner at a different crop from desktop. Words in the far left or right edges, or behind the photo, may not be seen.
Profile banner 1584×396
1584 × 396
Company cover 2256×382
2256 × 382
Ten LinkedIn background photo ideas
1. One line that says what you do
The most useful banner. A plain statement of your work and who it is for, in the words a client would use. It repeats your headline in a bigger, more visual way, and it works for almost everyone.
One line, one audience, placed right of centre, clear of the profile photo.
2. Your current project or launch
If you are launching a product, a book or a course, the banner is prime space for it. Change it back when the launch is over, so it never goes stale.
3. A principle or short quote you work by
A short line about how you work, written by you. It gives visitors a sense of your voice. Keep it under about eight words so it reads at a glance.
Launch banner: a date and one action.
Principle banner: your own words, short and large.
4. A calm field in your brand colours
No words at all, just a background in your colours with some light and texture. It is the right choice when your headline already says everything, and it looks more considered than LinkedIn's default blank banner.
5. Speaking dates or events
For people who speak, teach or run workshops, a banner listing the next two or three dates turns profile visits into attendees. Keep it to dates and cities.
6. A stat that proves your work
A single, true number: years in the field, projects shipped, members of your community. Only use numbers you can stand behind, and keep the label short.
Events banner: dates and cities, nothing more.
Stat banner: one true number with a short label.
7. Your newsletter, podcast or community
If you run something people can join, name it and say where to find it. The banner can't be clicked, so point to the link in your profile.
8. A team or company banner
If you work at a company that provides a shared banner, use it. It makes the whole team look connected when prospects browse several profiles.
9. A photo from your work
A real photo from your work, such as a workshop, a studio or a finished project, is more personal than stock. Choose one with a calm area for any text; text over image explains how to keep words readable on it.
10. Your city or where you work
For local businesses, a banner that names the city and area you serve helps visitors know you are nearby. Pair the place name with a line about what you do.
What makes a LinkedIn banner look professional
Avoid
- Stock skylines and generic laptop photos
- Paragraphs of text, contact details and logos crammed in
- Words behind the profile photo or at the far edges
- Colours that clash with your profile photo
Do
- Your own colours, a calm background, one idea
- One line, plus a small detail at most
- Text centre to right, with generous margins
- A background that sets off your photo
Use the same colours and background as your other profiles and posts, so people recognise you when they move between platforms. Personal branding covers building that one look, and LinkedIn post design carries it into your feed.
How to make a LinkedIn banner
- 1
Pick one idea
What you do, what you are launching, or simply your colours. One idea per banner.
- 2
Set up at 1584 by 396
Mark the profile photo area in the lower left and keep it clear.
- 3
Choose a calm background
A soft gradient or textured field in your colours, with its calmest area where the words go.
- 4
Write the line
Under ten words, in large type, right of centre.
- 5
Upload and check
Look at it on desktop and in the phone app. Nudge the text if either crop cuts it.
Gradiently has the LinkedIn profile banner and company cover sizes built in. A Mark moves its calmest area behind your words, and copy to sizes turns the banner into matching X, YouTube and Bluesky headers, so every profile shares one look.
Questions people ask
What size is a LinkedIn background photo?
1584 by 396 pixels for a personal profile, a 4:1 ratio. Company page covers are 2256 by 382 pixels.
What should I put on my LinkedIn background?
One short line about what you do or what you are working on, on a calm background in your colours. Launches, events and a single true stat also work well.
Where does the profile photo cover the LinkedIn banner?
It sits over the lower left of the banner. Keep words and logos towards the centre and right, and check the phone app's crop.
Should a LinkedIn banner have text?
It helps, as long as it is short: one line plus a small detail at most. A text-free banner in your colours is also better than the default blank one.
Written by Gradiently
The team behind Gradiently, a design tool built around Marks: living gradients that make everything you design look like yours.
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