Brands Doing it Right: New Header Space on Twitter

In my last post, I shared details with you about the new header space on Twitter.  Today I have a few screengrabs to share with you to get your creative juices flowing if you haven’t taken advantage of the new space yet!

1. Real Simple Magazine
Love the simple header design, and would expect nothing less from this great brand! Lemons are genius, as is using the magazine cover for their profile pic.  I’d normally shy away from this, but it makes a lot of sense in the new design!

2. Mashable
Mashable did something that didn’t occur to most of us – they choose a solid-colored block for their header background.  Of course, it’s no mistake the color is mashable blue.  If your company is known for a signature color, perhaps the header space could be used to reinforce that brand. Or, you could even crop the background from your website to fit this space or go with a simple pattern.

3. National Aquarium
I love how The National Aquarium uses the header space to showcase what they do best with a striking photo. 

 

4. Starbucks
Just as you’d expect from a big brand, Starbucks delivers in the space with a carefully-selected photo.

5. Ryan Seacrest
I’m sharing this example for those that want to be witty enough to allow the header space and profile photo to literally fit together into what appears to be a single image.  We saw a lot of this when the cover photo rolled out on Facebook.  So yeah, you can do that here, too.


6. Charlotte Russe
I love how the composition of this photo works so well in this space.  It was likely cropped with the new header in mind – love that.

Laura is a marketing professional and blogger who has been active in social media since 2005.  If you enjoyed this post, please consider subscribing to this blog via Email or  RSS. Laura can also be found on Twitter (@LauraCatherineO), Facebook, and LinkedIn.

 

How to Customize New Header Feature on Twitter

Did you know there is a new feature on Twitter with a rather simple name (called a “header”, seen above) that gives you even more room to customize your Twitter profile page? It launched this week (9/18/2012) and is a great space to further enhance your personal or biz brand!

Prominently located on the top right-hand side of your profile page, the header space measures approximately 464 pixels wide by 232 pixels tall.  In other words, significantly larger than your profile photo size (in fact, as wide as your tweets displayed on your profile). 

This tutorial is going to walk you through the simple process of customizing your Twitter header.  After all, the more opportunities you have to set yourself apart on Twitter, the better. 

How to Customize New Header Feature on Twitter

1. Go to Settings>Design when logged into Twitter.
   
2. Look for “header” area on right-hand side of “design” page.
   
   
   
   
3. Upload your header image (the space measures 464 X 232 when cropped, but Twitter recommends you start with an image larger than this so you can scale up or down and move around within the space. 
4. Change the overlay color to black to allow your bio text to be more legible.
   
5. Save and review your new design.

Things to keep in mind when uploading your new Twitter header:

• The image you upload will have your profile photo and bio layered on top of the space.  That mean’s nothing too busy, and avoiding text unless you are a Photoshop wiz.
• Since the text on top of the header space is white, your best bet is to go with a darker image. 
• Opt for sleek, understated designs.  You already have your profile photo and background working for your brand.  Although the header space is great real estate, things can get a bit busy pretty fast. 

Did you find this tutorial helpful? Tweet me @lauracatherineo with your new design! I'd love to see the image you chose to customize this space.

Laura is a marketing professional and blogger who has been active in social media since 2005.  If you enjoyed this post, please consider subscribing to this blog via Email or  RSS. Laura also runs an Inspired Living blog, LauraCatherine.co and can be found on Twitter (@LauraCatherineO), Facebook, and LinkedIn.

 

Video Post: Setting Up Your Background for the New Twitter

Happy "Twitter Tuesday"! I created a YouTube video on creating your very own #NewTwitter background.  This video was inspired by my tutorial post, which continues to be one of my top blog posts.  When Twitter moved to what they call the "New Twitter" or "#NewTwitter" format, the background changed a bit for users.  Although the overall space is the same, you'll find that you have a bit less space on the far left and right hand side of the page.  This is important to note, especially for those of us who placed photographs or text (like a phone number) in this area.  It may be a good idea to take a careful look at your background on Twitter and see if it's in need of some freshening up to better fit the new specs.

For those reading by email, the video can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/user/lauracotero#p/u/0/ahGlPoVKTfI

All others may wish to watch below.  Thanks for visiting!



Laura Catherine Otero is a marketing professional and blogger in Charleston, SC who has been active in social media since 2005.  If you enjoyed this post, please consider subscribing to this blog via Email or  RSS. Laura can also be found on Twitter (@LauraCatherineO), Facebook, and LinkedIn. 

A #NewTwitter Background Design to Share on this "Twitter Tuesday" Together

It’s “Twitter Tuesday” during an incredibly busy holiday week for many of us! My family is no exception, but I still wanted to stop by and share some Twitter goodness with you.

I’ve shared a few Twitter background designs with you recently, and wanted to share one I designed today. This one is extra-special to me.  I'll be writing about the reasons why tomorrow in a "Be Inspired Wednesday" post, so please come back for the details. :)

This one is for Historic Columbia Foundation. If you visit the HCF website, you’ll see that the Twitter background is very similar in terms of design. The neat part is how I was able to move things around just a bit to really “fit” well with the #NewTwitter specs.

For those who Tweet, please consider following Historic Columbia Foundation http://www.twitter.com/histcolumbia).  Don't forget to follow me there, too @LauraCatherineO). Also, as much as I post about Twitter, I’m still learning new things! One of those is that you can customize design colors (for your column, text, links, etc.) to match your branding. Pretty neat! I’ll post step-by-step instructions this week during our “Tutorial Thursday” time together.


click image above to expand (use your back button to come back to this post)

 In the meantime, I hope you find some inspiration from this latest design. Have a wonderful Holiday Week!


Laura Catherine Otero is a marketing professional and blogger in Charleston and Columbia, SC who has been active in social media since 2005.  If you enjoyed this post, please consider subscribing to this blog via Email or  RSS. Laura can also be found on Twitter (@LauraCatherineO), Facebook, and LinkedIn. 

How to Change Your Twitter Background: A "Tutorial Thursday" Post

It's been quite a busy week for us on this blog! If you visited on Tuesday, you noticed that my #NewTwitter background design post was updated with a handy new guide and example for you. I can't say enough about how much fun my first "Be Inspired Wed" spotlight interview with Jescalyn was yesterday. A must-read (here)!

Onto today's post...
If you've designed your new background, you may find yourself needing a quick refresher on how to update your twitter background (meaning, now that you've designed a new background, how to you upload the new background to Twitter). Today's "Tutorial Thursday" is short and sweet. Be sure to visit tomorrow for an exciting "Facebook Friday" post. I feel a little silly with my themed days, but they are truly proving to be helpful for me and for you.  Thanks for reading!

PS - You may notice the comments on this blog have changed.  I'm testing out IntenseDebate.  It allows me to reply to individual comments, which is an area blogger is lacking. If I like it, I will post about it in an upcoming "Tutorial Thursday".  So far, so good!

How to Update Your Twitter Background:

1. Logon to Twitter

2. Click on "settings" after you've logged into Twitter

3. In settings, click on "design"

4. Click on "change background image"

5. Click on "choose file" and locate your new background file that you saved

6. Click on "save changes"

Your new background will appear!

Here's another look at the background I designed for the Charleston Wedding Studio this week...if you haven't updated your background for the #NewTwitter yet, now is a great time (spec post is here)

click to enlarge (to full size) this Twitter background I designed for Charleston Wedding Studio

Sneak peek of the new Charleston Wedding Studio Twitter background before it goes LIVE

Laura Catherine Otero is a marketing professional and blogger in Charleston, SC who has been active in social media since 2005.  If you enjoyed this post, please consider subscribing to this blog via Email or  RSS. Laura can also be found on Twitter (@LauraCatherineO), Facebook, and LinkedIn. 

She is accepting clients in need of:
Website Design ~ Social Media Management ~ Facebook Business Page Design
Twitter Profile Design ~ Blog Design ~ Logo Design ~ Print Design
Press Release Writing and Distribution ~ Email Marketing ~ And More

Contact Laura to discuss your unique marketing needs!

New Twitter Background Design Specs (#NewTwitter Background Size)

Updated with a pixel-by-pixel breakdown for the #NewTwitter (scroll down for image) and special video with an even more detailed breakdown of this space!



If your Twitter profile background was designed to fit Twitter before the #NewTwitter format was introduced, you may need to make some changes to your design.  Your background graphics/photo(s) may look "cut off" in the #NewTwitter.  Why? The #NewTwitter 2-column format takes up more room, leaving less space for your background design. Don't have the time or software to design your own? Not to worry, just stop on over to Themeleon and build your own background.

The "New Twitter" Background Specs:

At 1280 X 1024 screen size (a recommended standard size), here is the breakdown of space:

Your new background (overall) should be set up as:
1260 pixels wide X 895 pixels tall


Let's break this new background down so you'll know how much room you have in each area:
Left-hand side of #NewTwitter background: 110 pixels wide X 895 pixels tall
Top of screen (all the way across the top): 1260 pixels wide X 15 pixels tall (this leaves room for scroll bar)
Right-hand side of screen: 110 pixels wide X 895 pixels tall
Middle of screen: (hidden by 2 columns in Internet explorer, the right-column is semi-transparent in Chrome and a few other browsers): 1,040 pixels wide by 880 pixels tall

Visit my Twitter profile to see how I've made use of the space. It may look like there is extra space over on the left if you are not using the #NewTwitter yet.  I also have an example of a #newtwitter background below.  You will see it as it appears as a file and then what it looks like when it's been loaded onto Twitter.

click to enlarge (to full size) this Twitter background I designed for Charleston Wedding Studio

Sneak peek of the new Charleston Wedding Studio Twitter background before it goes LIVE

With the new layout, twitter users can read your "bio" without having to click away from their current screen to visit your profile, so there isn't a need to reiterate it over on your background unless you so desire (or wish to add in other social info a la Facebook, etc.)

Have a great week!

Laura Catherine Otero is a marketing professional and blogger in Charleston and Columbia, SC who has been active in social media since 2005.  If you enjoyed this post, please consider subscribing to this blog via Email or  RSS. Laura can also be found on Twitter (@LauraCatherineO), Facebook, and LinkedIn.