Banners are one of the most overlooked assets in an artist’s online presence — and also one of the most immediately visible. Whether you’re promoting a new release or simply keeping your artist profile fresh, banner design plays a huge role in shaping how fans perceive you.
Let’s break down why banners matter, the platforms that use them, and how to design each one so it always looks professional — no matter what device it’s viewed on.
Table of Contents
The Two Types of Banners Artists Need
Every artist should have at least two banner designs ready to rotate:
- Promo Banners
These are time-sensitive and tied to a specific release — a new single, album, tour, or event. They’re designed to create urgency and draw attention. - Evergreen Artist Banners
These aren’t tied to any campaign, but serve as timeless branding. You need one of these to avoid looking inactive when your promo cycle ends. Too many artists leave up old banners from past releases, which makes their page feel abandoned.
The key is to rotate your banners consistently, so your platform always feels alive and current.
Platforms Where Banners Still Matter
Banners aren’t universal, but they absolutely matter on three major platforms:
- YouTube
- Spotify (desktop/web)
- Facebook Pages
Each of these has different sizing rules, display behavior, and limitations — so designing one banner and stretching it across all three usually leads to problems. Instead, you need to design with platform-specific templates and safe zones in mind.
YouTube Banner Specs & Best Practices
- Recommended Size: 2560 × 1440 px
- Safe Area: 1546 × 423 px
- Max File Size: 6 MB
- File Types: JPG, PNG, BMP
Why it matters:
YouTube shows different parts of your banner depending on the device. TVs show the whole canvas, desktop crops top and bottom, and mobile shows only the center slice. If you don’t design with the central “safe area” in mind, your banner might lose all its critical content on mobile.
Keep logos, titles, and faces within the 1546×423 px safe zone.
Spotify Banner Specs & Best Practices
- Minimum Size: 2660 × 1140 px
- Max File Size: 20 MB
- File Types: JPG, PNG, GIF
- No text, tour dates, or promo allowed
Why it matters:
Spotify is strict. It wants clean, text-free imagery that sets a mood or matches your aesthetic — not a billboard for your release. It’s a branding canvas, not an ad space.
Avoid any text or promotional calls — Spotify might reject it.
Facebook Page Banner Specs & Best Practices
- Recommended Size: 820 × 360 px
- Safe Area for Mobile: 640 × 312 px
- Max File Size: ~100 KB
- File Types: JPG or PNG
Why it matters:
Facebook crops differently on desktop and mobile. The profile photo also overlaps part of the banner, which can obscure important visuals if you’re not careful.
Keep important content in the 640 × 312 px center zone.
The Secret to a Great Banner? Designing for the Center.
On all three platforms, the key to clean, effective banners is this: design for the center. That’s the part that shows up consistently across all devices.
The outer areas can be more decorative, abstract, or empty — but the middle should always carry your name, message, or visual identity. This is what we did in the banner example above, where the central square was engineered to look good on mobile while the outer sections complete the picture on desktop.
You don’t need to reinvent your banner every month — just keep one promo version and one evergreen version ready to rotate. That’s enough to stay fresh without falling into the “dead artist” trap.
Final Banner Specs at a Glance
| Platform | Banner Size | Safe Area | Max File Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube | 2560 × 1440 | 1546 × 423 | 6 MB |
| Spotify | 2660 × 1140 | N/A | 20 MB |
| 820 × 360 | 640 × 312 | ~100 KB |
Ready to Build Better Banners?
If you’re ready to take action on this kind of strategy, check out our campaigns and services that address just this issue:
360 Promo is a full-service music marketing, promotion, distribution and admin company. Learn more about us and what we do at 360 Promo, follow us on Instagram and contact us to tailor a plan that works for you.