Podcast artwork: how to create your artwork

·22 min·2 clips

62% of listeners admit they judge podcasts based on artwork quality before even hitting play.

This episode of "How to Start a Podcast" focuses on creating effective podcast artwork, hosted by Jelan and Alvin from Buzzsprout. They explain why cover art is a critical first impression and guide listeners through technical requirements and design principles. The hosts emphasize waiting to finalize artwork until after establishing the podcast's title, niche, and aesthetic. Podcast artwork acts as an album cover and book cover, directly influencing a listener's decision to click. A survey cited by the hosts found 62% of listeners judge podcasts based on their artwork. Apple Podcasts sets the industry standard with a required image dimension of 3000 by 3000 pixels and a file size under 300 kilobytes. The artwork must use RGB color space and be saved as a JPEG or PNG, with a resolution of 72 DPI. Design should account for various display sizes, from an Apple Watch to desktop apps, ensuring clarity even at 27 by 27 pixels. The hosts recommend limiting text to a maximum of six to eight words and using a maximum of two complementary fonts. They advise against cliché imagery like microphones and headphones unless the podcast is directly about audio equipment. A surprising historical note reveals the phrase "don't judge a book by its cover" originated when all books had identical bindings. The hosts argue that in today's visual landscape, cover art actively signals a podcast's professionalism and audio quality. They caution that explicit content or nudity in artwork may violate Apple's guidelines and alienate a target audience. A memorable tip suggests using Google Images to brainstorm visual themes related to a podcast's subject, like "mental health." The episode highlights common pitfalls, such as overly busy designs and distracting fonts like Papyrus or Comic Sans. Resources like TinyPNG can compress final image files without losing quality. The tone is educational and conversational, blending practical advice with lighthearted banter between the co-hosts. Their style is supportive, aiming to demystify design and technical specs for beginners. They structure the episode as a step-by-step tutorial, frequently referencing their own experiences and listener surveys. This episode is ideal for new podcasters who are ready to brand their show and want to avoid common technical and design mistakes. Listeners seeking advanced graphic design theory or artistic critique might find the content too foundational.

As heard by us

Clear, restrained cover-art guidance that values identity, spacing, and small-size readability over clutter.

The episode treats podcast artwork as an identity decision, not a finishing touch. It argues for waiting until the title, style, niche, vibe, and overall aesthetic are settled before starting the cover, and it makes the case for artwork as the show's album-cover moment.

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Why you'd press play

Turn your cover into a real first impression, not a microphone-and-headphones placeholder.

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