By Elissa Liu, Spark Growth Partners

If you’re wondering what your new Facebook cover photo should look like, you’re not alone.  It’s one of the top questions businesses are asking as they look towards transitioning to Timeline by the end of the month.  In today’s post, we’ll talk about some of the ‘do’s’ and ‘don’ts’ of Facebook cover photos, illustrated with some great examples.

So what is the ideal cover photo?  It should capture the essence of your brand and communicate your identity in a single image.

The classic example of a great cover photo is Starbucks – it is a warm and interestingly composed photo of their core product, coffee!

But before we get into all the great things you can do with your cover photo, let’s first talk about the constraints Facebook has set for what is permitted.  Facebook’s terms dictate that you cannot have any of the following elements in your cover photo:

1. Price or purchase information, such as “40% off” or “Download it at our website”

2. Contact information, such as web address, email, mailing address or other information intended for your Page’s About section

3. References to user interface elements, such as Like or Share, or any other Facebook site features

4. Calls to action, such as “Get it now” or “Tell your friends”

Instead, the goal is to have full width aspirational brand images, or creative graphics the truly capture the brand identity.  Different types of images will suit different businesses, so think about what best speaks to your brand.
 
 

Option 1:  A gorgeous, aspirational image that captures to your brand

Check out some of our favorite examples below – the Olympics and Burberry Facebook pages.

Option 2:  An artistically composed product photo?

Check out some of our favorite examples of this style – the Hummingbird Bakery and Zena Caffe.

Option 3:  A professional photograph of you, the business owner, or your core team

This is a great way to capture your personalities and sends a strong message of the strong customer service and a brand built around people.  Check out a great example of this style – Dan Balm, a Real Estate Broker.

Option 4:  A collage or grid of photos

This style of cover photo provides a sense of the breadth and number of events, products, or experiences you provide customers or members.  Nike’s Facebook cover photo is a great example.

Option 5:  A well designed graphic that incorporates and extends your visual brand

This kind of graphic uses your logo, core brand colors and styling to communicate your brand identity.  These graphics work best when they are simple and focus on a core elements.  We love the way both Tiffany and Co. and Livestrong have done this – simple and beautiful graphics that also subtly draw attention to the ‘Like’ and ”Message’ button with main graphical form.

We hope this has given you some some creative inspiration!  And feel free to get in touch if you’d like some professional help designing your new cover photo.