Your podcast logo should attract attention
Your podcast logo is the first thing people see when they come across your show and it’s often the reason they’ll stop and take a second look at your podcast.
That means you need to put serious thought into designing one that suits your show, stands out from the crowd and makes people want to listen.
That’s a lot to ask of a tiny square, so how do you do it?
Do your podcast logo research
You want your show to stand out in the podcast directories, especially in your category, so you need to know what else is out there.
Take time to scroll through different podcast apps to see what your competitors are doing or go to the podcast charts and see what images you like and think about why. Because when you’re planning your own podcast logo you need to think about the design critically.
What logos make you stop scrolling? What colours catch your eye? Which tiles make you think “That looks boring.” Do you really care about seeing someone’s face on their podcast logo if you don’t know who they are?
All of this will help you make better decisions about what your podcast logo should look like and what designs are best at attracting attention.
If you’ve decided on a colour take a look at what other podcasters are doing with the same or similar colours, using a tool like ColorFun.
This can get your creative juices flowing and help you decide on the best logo for your show.
Don’t pack your logo with text
When you’re designing your podcast logo you’ll likely be looking at it on a large computer screen. But it’s important to think about what your logo is going to look like on a phone because that’s where most people will see it.
Potential listeners are probably going to come across your show in their podcast app and if you look at podcast logos in there, they’re tiny.
If you’ve got half your life story written on that little square it’s going to be difficult to read and hard to capture people’s attention.
You want people’s thumb to stop when they’re scrolling and no one is going to pause if they have to read an essay. Especially if they need to get out the magnifying glass.
You can go into all kinds of detail on your website and your show description but on your podcast logo, less is more.
Go for a simple image
If your podcast logo is an illustration featuring lots of detail it’ll probably end up looking like a colourful blob when people see the smaller version on their podcast app.
You want to convey as much feeling and information as possible without things feeling overly complicated.
Whatever you go with you want to pack as much visual punch as possible so potential listeners are enticed to check out your show so keep them in mind when you’re designing.
A lot of people will put their headshot on their logo because they want to build their personal brand, but is that going to encourage people who don’t know you to listen? Or would you be better off designing something that focuses on the content and really catches people’s eye?
These are important things to think about when you’re designing your logo.
So, how do you create a podcast logo?
DIY
There are plenty of easy-to-use programs that give you the tools to create high-quality images without hiring a designer.
Personally, I love Canva but I’ve seen people create great images with programs like PicMonkey as well.
There are plenty of options out there, so choose the one that’s right for you.
Hire a designer
This is obviously the more expensive option and it can be difficult to find the right person if you don’t have a solid recommendation.
Websites like Fiverr and Upwork are a great place to start because you can view portfolios and read reviews of people’s work.
Just make sure, if you’re going with this option, you have a clear idea of what you want because the more changes you make the more expensive the process will be.
I often find it helpful to mock up an image in Canva first and give that to a designer so they have a clear vision of what I want.
Use the right specs
For your podcast logo, Apple Podcasts specifications are 1400 x 1400 pixels to 3000 x 3000 pixels with the larger size being preferred.
You also want the file to be under 500kb when you’re uploading it to your podcast host.
If you’re getting your logo made by a designer it’s a good idea to ask them to use the colours/design elements to create some social media templates for you in the right specs for different platforms.
This can be helpful when you’re sharing and promoting your show because it’ll give you a variety of templates to use so your posts don’t look the same.
A couple of other podcast logo tips…
Try and build a coherent brand
If you’ve already got a website, a well designed social media account or a business, try and tie in some of the colours, themes or fonts so everything links together.
This isn’t essential in the early days but if you add more shows or grow your brand it can come in handy down the track.
It also makes everything look like it’s part of the one cohesive collection of content.
Test your artwork
Before you lock in your logo use a website like OnlyPod to test how your show looks in different podcast apps.
It’s a great way to see how it’ll look on all devices and platforms.
Remember, a podcast logo isn’t forever
If you create your logo and get sick of it or it starts to look dated, you can always change it later.
Don’t get stuck in paralysis by analysis and let indecisiveness stop you from starting your show but also don’t race this part of the process because while you can change it later you don’t want your logo to be an afterthought.
This is the first impression people will have of your show and you want to make sure it’s a good one.
Got a burning podcasting question you’d like answered? Send me an email.
Want to start your own podcast but need a little help? Download my “How To Start A Podcast” guide or sign up for my online podcasting course, PodSchool.
Got some time on your hands? Read the full episode transcript
Hello and welcome to the show. Today I'm going to be talking podcast logos. Everybody always says don't judge a book by its cover but I guarantee if you're anything like me you've judged more than just books by their cover. That's how I buy wine. Because I have absolutely no wine skills. I just look at the label and go “Oh that looks pretty. I'm sure it's drinkable!” We do this with a lot of things and your podcast artwork is like the wine label on your wine. It is the book cover on your book. It’s the first thing people will see that will make them think “Do I want to listen to this?”
That might sound a little counterintuitive because people are making visual decisions about an audio medium but we are fickle creatures and it does impact us, so you want something that stands out.
So here are some tips when you’re thinking about how to do your podcast logo.
The first is if you have got a category, say if you’re doing a business podcast or an arts podcast or a science podcast I would advise going in to that category on iTunes and searching through the shows that already exist. You want to stand out from the shows that are already in the iTunes library. So go through and see what's there and then maybe pick a color or an image that stands out and makes things different. If you are in a category where every man and his dog has a photo of themselves on their podcast logo maybe you want to run with a cartoon image or a different image that’s going to make you look different from the rest. Start your process by looking at what is already out there and then start to think “How could I differentiate myself in this space?” The other thing you want to be mindful of is text. There are some podcast logos you look at and think “I best you designed that on a giant screen not thinking most people will be looking at this on a tiny phone.” Most people look at your podcast image on their mobile phone and that is an image shrunk down quite considerably. If you’ve got half your life story on your podcast logo it’s going to be very difficult for anybody to read what that is. The simpler the better when it comes to text. You want to be able to see the image of your podcast quite small and still pick out what it is about and see the words, so the more uncluttered and simple you can keep it the better. You can go into all kinds of detail on your website or in the description of your podcast but when it comes to your podcast logo just put the bare essentials in so I can get a sense of exactly what your show is from the name or the picture and that's it.
That’s also important when you're thinking about the image. Don't make it too busy. If it's really small and you've got this really intricate cartoon drawing with 750,000 tiny little things that might look great blown up when you're looking at it on your computer. But when I'm looking at it on my phone, it might just look like a whole bunch of smudgy colours and I'm going to lose all of the detail. So try and go as simple as possible and tell me something about your show in the image. It could be just a photo of you if you are the expert and you are sharing your expertise. But maybe there’s a really simple image you can use w.g. if your show is about male grooming (just to pull something out of my butt) then maybe your podcast logo is a cartoon mustache and that's it. Or maybe just the cartoon moustache and the name of your show. Simple is always better but it’s really nice to get a sense of the show from the image and the text. You don’t have a huge amount of information when you're scrolling through the iTunes store so you have to pack in as much punch as possible in a small space to get people to click on your image.
Remember that if you create a podcast logo and you kick off your show that doesn't need to be the logo that you go with forever. You can refresh it and update it later on, so don't get too bogged down in this and think “oh I won't bother doing a show if I can't get this image right.” You can get lost in your own head with this stuff so keep it as simple as possible and try and convey as much information as you can with your image.
The iTunes specs are 1400 x 1400 pixels to 3000 x 3000 pixels. Your podcast app adjusts the image according to where it’s being seen whether it's an iPad, iPhone or an Android and you can create these images yourself. I have created show images in the past myself using Canva which is a great free tool. You can also use Pic Monkey or you can hire a designer. You can head to websites like Fiverr.com or Upwork.com where there are a lot of freelancers shopping their wares and you can get some really cheap work done there.
Just try and be as clear as possible in your brief when you’re using a designer because sometimes they'll charge by the hour and you don't want to be going back and forth 150,000 times. That's why I like to use Canva because I don't want to pay somebody every time I want to change the font. Sometimes I use Canva to create a mock up that’s as close to what I want as possible before I give it to a designer so that rather than trying to explain it in words they can see what I'm getting at. So even if you don't use Canva to create the logo that you end up using it can be a great way to create something to give to a designer so that they've got a very clear indication of exactly what you want.
The other thing it's nice to do too if you've already got a website is try and tie some of the colors, themes or fonts in from your website to your other collateral. That will help you build a coherent brand. But the most important thing is you want to create a cover art or logo that really pops.
So look at what's out there and see if you can pick a color or an image that's going to stand out. You want to convey as much as possible about what the show is about using your image and your text. But you want to keep it simple so don't clutter it up with heaps of information or heaps of text just one or two words or just the show name.
I hope that’s helped you think about how to create your podcast logo. Of course if you have any questions that you would like answered on the show you can always email me. You'll find my contact page at PodSchoolPodcast.com. There’s also information there about my online podcasting course, PodSchool.com.au, if you need a little more assistance in getting your show out of your head and into people's years. I'll see you next week and until then, happy podcasting.
