How to Make a LinkedIn Banner

Your LinkedIn banner is the single largest piece of visual real estate on your profile, so letting it sit empty is a huge missed opportunity. A well-designed banner acts as a powerful billboard for your personal brand or business, instantly communicating who you are and what you do. This guide breaks down exactly how to make a LinkedIn banner that captures attention, from getting the dimensions right to designing a professional visual that works hard for you.

Why Your LinkedIn Banner Matters (More Than You Think)

Think of your LinkedIn banner not as a simple background photo, but as the headline of your professional story. When someone lands on your profile - be it a recruiter, a potential client, or a new connection - their eyes are immediately drawn to two things: your profile picture and your banner. It's your first and best chance to make a strong impression before they ever read a single word of your bio.

A strategic banner accomplishes several things instantly:

• It Communicates Value Instantly: You can show, not just tell, people what you're all about. A "Data Analyst" can show a graph. A "Public Speaker" can show an image of them on stage.
• It Differentiates You: The default blue "connected atom" banner is forgettable. A custom banner makes your profile look polished, professional, and intentional.
• It Reinforces Your Brand: For both individuals and companies, the banner is the perfect place to reinforce brand identity through consistent colors, fonts, and messaging. It builds recognition and trust.

Simply put, an effective banner tells people they are in the right place and gives them a compelling reason to scroll down and learn more.

Laptops, Tablets, and Phones: Mastering LinkedIn Banner Dimensions

Before you get into the creative side of things, you need to understand the technical details. Getting the dimensions wrong can turn a great design into an awkwardly cropped mess, especially when viewed on different devices.

The Official On-Paper Specs

• Recommended Dimensions: 1584 x 396 pixels.
• File Type: JPG, PNG, or GIF.
• File Size: Under 8MB.

But here's the part that trips most people up: your banner will not look the same everywhere. What appears perfectly fine on your desktop monitor might have critical information cut off on a smartphone. This is because LinkedIn’s interface is responsive.

The Secret Handshake: Understanding the Safe Zone

The most important design constraint isn't just the overall size, it's the "safe zone." This is the central area of your banner that remains visible across all devices. Here’s what you need to account for:

• Your Profile Picture: On desktop browsers, your profile picture will overlap the bottom-left portion of your banner. Any text or logos placed here will be completely hidden.
• Mobile Cropping: When viewed on the LinkedIn mobile app, the banner image is cropped significantly on the left and right sides to fit the narrow screen.

To avoid any issues, keep all your essential elements - such as text, logos, and key parts of any imagery - in a central horizontal area. A good rule of thumb is to design for the full 1584px width, but keep your most critical information within a central container that's roughly 1000px wide. This will ensure your core message is always visible, no matter what.

What to Include on Your LinkedIn Banner: Ideas and Examples

The best banner for a freelance web developer will be very different from the best banner for a B2B SaaS company. Your design should be driven by your goals. Here are some ideas tailored to different professionals.

For Professionals &, Job Seekers

Your goal is to quickly communicate your professional value and expertise. You want a recruiter or hiring manager to understand your key skills at a glance.

• Your Professional Brand Statement: Use a short, powerful tagline that summarizes what you do. For example: “Building Human-Centered UX for Health Tech” or “Customer Success Leader Driving Retention and Growth.”
• List of Core Competencies: Use concise keywords or icons to highlight your main skills. E.g., SEO | Content Strategy | PPC | Marketing Analytics.
• A Personal Yet Professional Photo: Feature a different photo than your profile picture - perhaps one of you speaking at an event, collaborating with a team, or working in your environment. This adds personality and context.
• A Touch of Ambition: If you're looking for work, you can subtly add a call to action like "Open to roles in project management." Pair it with your email or portfolio URL.

For Freelancers &, Consultants

Your banner is a lead-generation tool. It should function like a mini-landing page that convinces potential clients you’re the solution to their problem.

• Targeted Value Proposition: Be specific about whom you help and how. For instance, “Brand Strategy & Identity for CPG Startups” or “I Help Coaches Scale Their Business with YouTube.”
• Social Proof: If you have permission, subtly including the logos of a few respected clients can build instant credibility. A short testimonial snippet like “The go-to expert for...” - Client Name also works well.
• Clear Call to Action (CTA): Tell visitors what to do next. Examples include “Book a Free Discovery Call Today” or “View My Portfolio at yourwebsite.com.” This directs traffic and generates inquiries.

For Companies &, Brands

A company page banner should align perfectly with your overall marketing and brand strategy. It’s an extension of your website and other marketing materials.

• Brand Slogan &, Logo: This is a must. The banner should be instantly recognizable as belonging to your company. Use your official logo and brand tagline.
• High-Quality Product or Service Imagery: Show your product in action or use compelling visuals that represent the outcome of your service.
• Promote Current Campaigns: Use the banner to highlight your latest marketing initiative. Announce an upcoming webinar, promote a new ebook, or advertise a conference your team is attending.
• Showcase Your Team or Culture: A shot of your team collaborating or a picture that reflects your company values can help humanize your brand and attract talent.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Designing Your Banner (Even If You're Not a Designer)

You don't need to hire a graphic designer or be a Photoshop wizard to create a professional-looking banner. Modern design tools make it simpler than ever.

Step 1: Choose Your Tool

Free and user-friendly tools are your best friends here. Platforms like Canva, Adobe Express, or Fotor are excellent options. They come loaded with pre-sized LinkedIn banner templates, free stock photos, icons, and fonts that make the design process incredibly straightforward.

Step 2: Start with the Right Dimensions

In your design tool of choice, either select a "LinkedIn Banner" template or create a custom canvas set to 1584 x 396 pixels. Most templates will even include a cutout guide showing where the profile photo will go!

Step 3: Keep it Simple and On-Brand

A cluttered banner is an ineffective one. Stick to these core principles:

• Use Your Brand Elements: If you have established brand colors and fonts, use them for consistency. This looks more professional than picking random elements.
• Prioritize Readability: Choose clean, easy-to-read fonts. Make sure your text has strong contrast with the background colors so it pops.
• Embrace Negative Space: Don't feel the need to fill every single pixel. White space (or "negative space") helps your key elements stand out and gives your design a clean, modern feel.

Step 4: Use High-Quality Imagery

Nothing looks less professional than a pixelated, low-resolution image. Use sharp, clear photos and graphics. If you don't have your own, use high-quality free stock photo sites like Unsplash or Pexels.

Step 5: Write Compelling, Concise Text

Your banner is not the place for long paragraphs. Your message should be readable in three to five seconds. Focus on one core idea, whether it’s your main skill, your company’s slogan, or a CTA.

Step 6: Mind the Profile Picture Area

Time to remember the safe zones. Double-check that no essential part of your banner - especially text or a logo - is hidden behind where your profile picture will be displayed. This is the most common mistake people make.

Step 7: Upload and Check on Multiple Devices

Once you’ve saved and uploaded your banner to LinkedIn, your job isn't done. Pull out your phone and open the LinkedIn app. How does it look? Is an important word getting cropped? Do the graphics feel unbalanced? Make adjustments as needed until it looks great on both desktop and mobile.

Common Mistakes to Avoid With Your LinkedIn Banner

A few common missteps can undermine an otherwise excellent banner design. Make sure you don't fall into these traps:

• Default Banner: The biggest mistake is not having one at all. It signals an incomplete or inactive profile.
• Low-Resolution Imagery: A blurry or pixelated banner looks unprofessional and careless.
• Text Overload: Too much text makes the banner chaotic and unreadable, especially on small screens.
• Ignoring the Safe Zone: Letting your profile picture or mobile crop hide your main message.
• Poor Contrast: Using light text on a light background (or dark on dark) makes your message impossible to read.
• Generic, Off-Brand Design: Using a stock template without customizing it can make your profile blend in rather than stand out.

Final Thoughts

Your LinkedIn banner is far more than digital decoration, it’s a strategic tool for managing your professional impression. By focusing on the correct dimensions, crafting a clear message that reflects your goals, and keeping your design clean and on-brand, you can turn that space into a profile superpower that works for you 24/7.

Once your profile is polished and making a great first impression, keeping it active with consistent, valuable content is the next move. Building a strong LinkedIn presence requires a steady stream of updates, and to save time, I personally find a simple scheduling tool indispensable. I use Postbase to plan and schedule all my posts and videos for LinkedIn and other channels in a single visual calendar. It takes the friction out of staying consistent and lets me focus on the content itself.