What are the Specs for Twitter Header Images, Profile Pictures, and Background Images?

Over the last couple of years, social media sites have shifted to a more visual layout. Facebook Timeline set the bar for innovative ways to incorporate images into profile layouts, and all other social sites seemed to fall into line behind it. Twitter, the world’s most popular micro-blogging site, was no exception to this trend.

In addition to traditional biographical information and the obligatory profile picture, Twitter revamped its layout to allow users a more visually based palette to help establish who they are on the site. The header image, which rests immediately behind the profile picture, grants users the opportunity to post an image that helps visually represent the brand.

Furthermore, the background image also allows brands to add a bit of visual flair to their profile. The recommend specs for Twitter profile, header, and background images are as follows:

• Profile Picture: The image appears as a square, so any image with equal width and length is acceptable. Images 400 X 400px work well.
• Header Image: The image is two times wide as it is high. As far as dimensions go, Twitter recommends an image 1252 X 626px (maximum file size of 5MB).
• Background Image: This image ultimately depends on your screen size, and recommended sizes can vary accordingly. The ratio of this image is 4:3 and an image size of 1600 X 1200px is recommended.

For your profile picture, it’s always a good idea to use an image that is easily recognizable and/or closely associated with your brand. Your brand’s logo is always a safe bet, provided it doesn’t feature small text or other details that are going to become illegible once the image is shrunk.

Header images can depict anything you want, but it’s always a good idea to feature an image that depicts something having to do with your business: your office building, a product that your brand is promoting/selling, an image of your staff, etc. Header images are going to be featured behind the text of your profile bio, so it’s important to feature an image that is not going to distract too much from your bio text.

Background images are, for the most part, completely hidden behind your Twitter profile and newsfeed. While you can certainly use any type of image you want, it’s not a bad idea to simplify the look. Think about creating a background image comprised of the colors from your website. Be sure to incorporate your logo for branding purposes, and you’ve easily customized your Twitter profile to go along with the theme on your website.

Now that you have the design aspect down, it’s important to always practice good Twitter etiquette. Don’t tweet too often, don’t spam other users with shortened links, and don’t follow others for the sole purpose of obtaining a follow-back. Tweet out relevant information and links to web pages that can provide some sort of benefit for your followers. After no time at all, your tweets will get shared, and your presence will grow. If you’re still lost, please don’t hesitate to contact SLS Consulting for more info about incorporating Twitter into your marketing campaign.