Banner Images Best Practices
There are three primary areas within a ConveYour campaign where visual elements come into play: The The Banner Image, The Display Image, and Photos you may send via SMS campaigns or in Conversations.
Banner Images
The Banner Image is a narrow horizontal image with a 2.5 to 1 ratio. The Banner Image appears in both your campaign setup, and as a background for individual triggers. Using a JPEG compression at 65-75% quality from the original helps to make sure all of your images load quickly for your customers. Using the 2.5 to 1 ratio and 72 DPI (or screen resolution) - sample image sizes expressed in pixels might be:
1280 x 720 pixels and < 1 MB in file size
Here is an example:
banner image used for a lesson
And - an example of how that banner translates in the learner portal on the mobile phone:
banner image in current lesson
Keep in Mind:
Images with less information or activity going on work best. The text of your lesson name appears over the image - so a less complicated image helps the text be more legible.
Less is more Close-up shots with depth-of-field images work better than those showing a lot of elements in the image space.
Landscape 2.5-to-1 ratio works best The imagery is consistent and simple, with very little whitespace and no borders. Although, the email prompt uses a very wide section of the image - so only the top half may be shown in the email-only prompt.
Image size matters Because the imagery is delivered through a variety of media from smart phones, to tablets to large-screened computers. At least 1200 pixels wide at 72 dpi, using JPEG compression. Try to max the size of the image to no more than 1 MB in size. 500 KB is a good middle ground where you will probably have a decent amount of information. Compressed JPEG image can usually be made smaller, while PNG images often have more information, and are typically larger in file size.
Uploading Your Images
Our image processing interface allows you to select images from multiple sources including uploading from your drive, Instagram, Facebook, and Google Drive (and now UNSPLASH integration!)
uploading images interface
Once you have uploaded the image you can crop, circle mask, or rotate the image if needed. Click Upload, and the progress bar at the bottom shows you the image is uploading:
The demo video below demonstrates best practices:
NEW Unsplash Integration!
What's Unsplash? Unsplash is a web gallery of FREE images that anyone can use.
So, if you've ever struggled to find the right imagery for your content because of creativity, copyright issues, or cost, this will be an asset!
Check out this two minute video overview!
Tips on selecting a good banner
These images are going to be used on desktops and mobile devices so you can't always bet on how wide they are going to be. For your first campaign, just select one of the banner images provided through ConveYour to help get you started quickly.
If you must create custom banners, here are some tips on how to select good banners!
Include no text in your banner image.
Banners are used as backgrounds much like your Facebook cover photo! Text titles in your course overlay on top of the banner, so text in the image gets visually confusing. If you must include a logo, typically the logo icon, or "bug" (symbol) of the company will work better in the image, than a complex logo with text.
Select Colorful Images, with a horizontal aspect ratio.
Remember that the images are background elements, with text appearing above. Imagery can set the tone for your campaign or course, so you should search by the appropriate theme to support the ideas you are trying to convey.
Pick a decent pixel depth.
Select a banner image that's at least 1200 px wide. Using a JPEG at 65-75% compression quality from the original helps to make sure all of your images load quickly for your customers. Save the image for web delivery (with a pixel depth of 72 ppi ) as a JPEG or PNG. If none of this information makes any sense at all to you, know that automatic image smush will optimize your image for web delivery when you upload your image.
Images sized 125 kb to 1000 kb (or 1MB) work best.
Check your images size before you upload. Less than 50 kb and it's likely too small! 125kb - 1000 kb or 1 MB is a good range for banner images. Too large, and your load time will suffer. Too small, and the images will appear pixelated and fuzzy.
Images without borders.
These are background images that will get stretched, skewed, and cropped so avoid using images with framed borders. In fact the best images are ones where there is very little whitespace. Images that use darker colors and that are visually simple will be the best choice because they are less likely to conflict with the white text used in the names/titles.
Display Images
OPTIONAL. The Display Image can be utilized for a promotional landing Web page, as an invitation for your audience to join your campaign. The display image is like your marketing image, and can contain the name of the campaign with a corresponding visual element.
The first image your audience may encounter is in the display image for Landing Pages. If you are utilizing a Web page or a Landing page for the audience to sign-up for your campaign, they will see a display image or video. You have the option when setting up your campaign to select an image, or insert a link to a Vimeo, Wistia, or YouTube video. Ideally, you would include a video, speaking about your program and encouraging people to sign-up to participate. In cases where video is not appropriate you should have a graphic representation of the campaign. The display image is best at a 16:9 ratio, with added text — usually the campaign title. A resource for decent, free stock imagery can be found here: pexels stock imagery, or you can use one of your own images. Because the display image will generally be displayed in an online setting, 72 dpi or "screen resolution", is appropriate.
**The Display Image is the one that is shown in your landing pages, and also in your campaign list. It is the image associated with your campaign (course).
A landing page has a unique URL, and typically carries more pertinent information about the campaign and the form used to sign-up. You can find it under Campaigns and > Invite tools. Then click on the top option, landing page, to see how your landing page would display for that campaign.
Learn more about Invite Tools >>
What's a good "display image" size?
A 16:9 image ratio is recommended. Because ConveYour users typically include a video on this page, instead of the display image - this image is not used as often. However, if you opt to use an image instead of a video the typical dimensions that work well are: 1920 x 1024 pixels and as an optimized JPEG (.jpg) < 1 MB in overall size. If pixel depth and JPEG optimization scare you - please reach out to us. We can help!
Photos in ConveYour SMS Message
There is one last area you may want to include images, and that is with content sent, or within conversations. Again, these images need to be small and optimized for the Web (ideally < 1 MB in size).