The short version
- Radio show branding starts with one square piece of show art that stays readable as a small thumbnail in apps, players and social feeds.
- A show's colour and background should suggest its sound and time slot, the way a breakfast show and a late night show feel different before anyone presses play.
- Stations work best with a shared system, the same type and layout for every show, with each show keeping its own background.
- A weekly schedule graphic and a short set of episode posts, such as tonight's guest, the tracklist and live now, cover most of a show's promotion.
- Publishing a show as a podcast means designing the cover at 3000×3000 pixels for Apple Podcasts and checking it at thumbnail size.
On this page
Radio show branding is mostly one square. Your show art appears in the station player, in podcast apps, on Mixcloud style archives and next to every social post, often no bigger than a thumbnail. Make it with a background that suggests the sound, the show name in one strong typeface, and nothing else. Then build a small set of matching pieces around it: a schedule graphic, episode posts and a podcast cover. Together they let listeners recognise the show before they hear it.
Radio show cover art: the square that does everything
Design show art at 3000×3000 pixels, the Apple Podcasts cover size, and it will scale down cleanly for every other square slot. Then look at it at the size of a fingernail, because that is how most people will meet it. If the name blurs into the background at that size, the art is not finished.
- Two to four words, maximum. The show name, and perhaps the presenter. Taglines and frequencies belong in the description.
- One heavy typeface. Thin and script faces vanish at small sizes. See display fonts for faces that hold up.
- A background with a calm area. Busy detail behind the letters is a common reason show art fails as a thumbnail.
- No station logo crammed in a corner. If the station needs to appear, give every show the same small placement so it reads as a system.
Square show art at the Apple Podcasts size. Two words carry it; the slot and presenter are small enough to drop on the thumbnail without losing the show.
Podcast cover art goes deeper on the square format, and Apple Podcasts cover size has the technical requirements if you publish there.
Colours that sound like the show
Before anyone presses play, colour sets an expectation. A breakfast show in deep indigo feels wrong; a late night ambient show in sunny orange feels wrong too. Pick a background that matches the hour and the sound, then keep it for every piece the show puts out. These starting points are copyable.
A static gradient is a fine start, but radio is sound in motion and a background that moves slowly suits it. In Gradiently, a Mark is a living background with its own light, grain and motion, so the show art, a looping story and a video clip all share one surface. Every Mark is checked against every other, and once you claim one, no other show can export with it.
Branding a whole station, not just one show
Community and online stations often have twenty shows made by twenty volunteers. If every presenter designs their own art, the station looks like a noticeboard. The answer is a shared system with room for each show's character.
Shared by every show
- One typeface for show names
- The same layout: name, slot, presenter
- The station logo in one fixed spot
- The same template for schedule and live posts
Owned by each show
- Its own background and colour mood
- The words in the show's own voice
- Its episode content and guests
- Photos of its presenters
Templates make this practical for volunteers: the station sets up a show art template and a live now template, and each presenter swaps in their background and words. On Gradiently Pro, a brand kit holding the station's logo, fonts and palette keeps everyone on the same page, and workspaces with editor and viewer roles let a station manager look after the templates while presenters make their own posts. Brand consistency across platforms covers the wider principle.
A radio schedule template for the week
A schedule is often the station's most shared image, and the hardest to make legible. Keep one day per graphic or one week per carousel, with times aligned on the left and show names in the same weight throughout.
Size
Use
Size
Use
Use
Use
Size
Use
Size
Use
One day of the schedule as a portrait slide. A carousel of seven makes the week; the background can change per day while the layout stays fixed.
Radio show posts for every episode
A weekly show only needs a handful of post types, repeated every week on the same background. That repetition is what makes the feed recognisable.
- 1
The day before: who is on
A guest or theme announcement as a portrait post, with the time slot.
- 2
The afternoon of: tonight
A story with the time and a link to the stream. Keep the words in the middle of the frame.
- 3
On air: live now
The same story template, the words changed to Live now. Post it as the show starts.
- 4
Afterwards: listen back
The tracklist or a quote from the guest, with a link to the archive or podcast episode.
A live now story on the show's own background: unmistakable at a tap.
The listen back post: the same background, so it clearly belongs to the same show.
Make the live now design once and resize it: the story, a square for X or Bluesky, a landscape version for the website. Gradiently Pro makes every size from one design in one step, and the Mark keeps the words readable on each. For ideas from neighbouring worlds, see podcast social media and DJ flyer design.
Questions people ask
What size should radio show art be?
Design it square at 3000×3000 pixels. That meets the Apple Podcasts cover size and scales down cleanly for station players and social profiles.
What makes good radio show branding?
A short show name in a strong typeface, a background whose colour suits the sound and time slot, and the same look repeated on every schedule, episode and live post.
How do I keep a community station's shows consistent?
Give every show the same typeface, layout and logo placement through shared templates, and let each show keep its own background and voice.
Should a radio show have a logo?
Most shows only need the name set well on their own background. A drawn logo can come later if the show grows into merchandise or events.
Written by Gradiently
The team behind Gradiently, a design tool built around Marks: living gradients that make everything you design look like yours.
See our profile