In this video, we’re sharing how to create artwork for your podcast in Canva. This will be the graphic that represents your podcast on directories like iTunes, Google podcasts, and Spotify.
The nice thing about Canva is that you can use most of its features for free. While you may want to consider hiring a graphics designer at some point in the future for things like artwork, logos, websites, etcetera, it’s a great tool for a beginning podcaster.
Before you begin designing your artwork, you need to look for inspiration. You may already have an idea of what you want it to look like, but if you don’t, we recommend looking at other podcasts in your niche. Head to your favorite search engine and type in your niche and the word podcast. Then click images in the search options and you’ll likely see several examples to help inspire you with the creation of your own design.
Another option to find inspiration for your artwork is to look at the top shows in your niche on iTunes. Like you did with your favorite search engine, you’ll just type your niche and podcast to reveal the images of the most popular shows. While we would never suggest copying someone else’s artwork, there’s no harm in using elements from other designs to influence your own.
Once you’ve decided on a general look you’re going for, head over to Canva, and create an account. After that, click the button that says “Create a Design.” You’ll want to add custom dimensions to ensure your art is big enough. Podcast artwork should be at least 1400 by 1400 pixels and a maximum of 3000 by 3000 pixels. After you’ve entered the dimensions, click “Create New Design.”
Now, you can start adding elements like colors, fonts, and shapes. You may also decide you want to add a background image. For that, you can either use a photo you’ve taken or use a stock photo from a royalty-free site like Pexels or Unsplash.
For our example, we’re creating podcast art for the fictitious show Couch Potato Fitness. With just a few clicks, we can upload our image, add text, and manipulate colors and fonts until we’re happy with the design.
Perhaps you’d prefer your podcast art to look more like a cartoon. For that, you can use Canva’s free clip art to create your design. We used clip art of a couch and a potato to create the second cartoon style option of our graphic.
Keep playing around with the design until you’re happy with the final product. While creating it, remember to make sure that your title is legible, and that the graphic represents what your show is about.
After you’ve settled on your work of art, download it to your computer. Then, head over to your podcast host and load it to your profile. When you share your RSS feed to podcast directories, your design will be pulled and shared automatically.
Though choosing artwork can be a little intimidating, remember that if you ever decide to change it, you can always upload a new image to your podcast host. It doesn’t have to be perfect, so don’t stress too much about how it looks when you’re just starting out. As you grow and learn, you can keep improving all aspects of your show.
