As twitter grows more and more popular it is important that you brand yourself and quick. I myself have been using twitter for quite a while and yet only today did I make myself a twitter background.
One thing to take into consideration when making a twitter background is that the background is static while twitter itself is fluid. What that means is that you may create a wonderful background for your giant monitor but to the average person on their 15″ or 17″ monitor might not be able to see your hard work. On an 800 X 600 screen you aren’t going to see anything in the background. I worked off a 1024 X 768 screen. This is about the smallest possible size to use where you start to see the background and you should use it as your starting point. This means that you have a small size to effectively work with. And to make matters more challenging you only have 1004 X 512 or so to work with, so you better make it count.
I have noticed that many big name bloggers (tedmurphy, Chrisbrogan, and Jim Kukral) have some great background but at larger sizes. While these backgrounds are really slick they do lose something in translation when an average user has a smaller screen. One thing I learned as a web designer is design for the lowest common denominator. That means make your background something everyone can see. (Jim Kukral’s comes closest to this size).
Do you have a Twitter Background? Do you need a template? Should I make one available?
By the way, what about the people who have the bigger screens? You also need to have something for them too. So I made one that is 2048 X 800, which when scales down to 1004 X 512 shows exactly what I want it to show.
If you aren’t already following me on Twitter go check out my background in action and please follow me too.
That’s very cool!
So, let me get this straight – you make the entire image 2048 X 800, but you make sure the stuff you want everyone to see is in an area that is 1004 X 512? The extra is just a bonus for those who have a bigger browser or higher resolution?
Yeah, a template would be nice…
Annas last blog post..No School Again Tomorrow
Anna,
Yep, that is what I did. I’ll work on a .PSD template.
Awesome advice, I created a twitter background awhile back and have managed to get some new followers because of it. It’s amazing how much looks can help in branding and making your profile stand out.
Justin Wrights last blog post..Phoenix Is Not So Bicycle Friendly…
Thanks Justin,
I’ve been following your blog a bit since the Nokia Chronicles thing. I wasn’t impressed by the way we were able to show our daily lives through that site but oh well, it is done now. Glad you like the background. I see that you are going for that Best Job in the World thing too. I’ve got to get a video together to submit. I like your twitter background too. It gets overlapped in a 1024 X 768 screen but not by much. It looks great on my 23″ screen though. 🙂
It’s nice to read that people still design their sites and profile pages with 1024×768 resolutions in mind. That’s my current one unfortunately. 🙂
Ferando. That is the size on my laptop, I could set the resolution higher but I always try to remember that not everyone sets their resolution so high.
Twitter is an amazing tool, for allowing you to connect with others
Paul Rasmussens last blog post..Outlook | why do IT departments cripple software
Paul,
Twitter certainly is a great tool for connecting to people. I love how I get instant responses to questions and the great advice.
Hi, Thanks for a great tutorial. I was wondering what the dimensions of the left side piece should be to ensure that it is visible on most screens. Thanks for your help!
Amy,
Glad I could help. I need to get the Photoshop template file up so people can make their own twitter backgrounds easier.
Thanks! I think I’ve got the dimensions set OK on my profile, but I just wanted to be sure that the left section is visible in all formats. Thanks again for the info.
By the way.. what city is that in your header photo? Portland, OR?
Amy ~ The Salty Mommas last blog post..When One is Not Enough! – ATWT
Set your resolution to 1024 X 768 That is what I would call lowest common denominator right now. I cannot see your whole profile on my laptop which is 1024 X 768. It looks great on my 23″ widescreen monitor but not everyone has that.
The photo was from Cape Cod, Woods Hole actually.
Ok, I’ve got it fixed now. I don’t really like the way it looks in a higher resolution, but I guess you can’t have it all. 🙂
Thanks again for all of your help. I really appreciate it. I’ll tell all my friends,,, but don’t get too excited.. I don’t have that many! 🙂
Amy ~ The Salty Mommas last blog post..When One is Not Enough! – ATWT
Looks fantastic. Think of it this way, it is better to reach more people and if your design is accessible to them then you have achieved much more than a big fancy design that not everyone can see.