LinkedIn background photo ideas and inspiration.
Your LinkedIn background photo is your first impression. Open your LinkedIn profile page and the first things you, potential clients, recruiters, or employers see is your profile photo and your background photo, also known as a background banner. Making a background photo that immediately grabs the attention of the viewer and makes them excited to learn more can be much more beneficial to you than leaving this prime real estate generic.
Fortunately, the hardest thing about making the right LinkedIn background photo for you is deciding exactly what your image should be. Free online apps make the actual creation simple. So, let’s solve the first issue then get to how to make an awesome LinkedIn banner.
Overview
What kind of LinkedIn background banner is right for you?
Tap the LinkedIn personal banner template above to make it your own. Tap the LinkedIn personal banner template above to make it your own.
Whether you’re an individual, a personal brand, or a corporation, you have an immediate edge when you customize your LinkedIn banner image.
But while it’s easy for companies to use corporate branding in their background photo, individuals marketing themselves to potential employers and peers have to get a little creative. After all, it’s more nuanced to promote skills as a social media expert or graphic designer than it is the offerings from a fashion brand. Still, as with everything else around branding, the LinkedIn cover photo you choose should be reflective of you, your industry, and your skills.
To help you begin to conceptualize what best represents you and your work, consider the following:
Are you representing yourself as an individual or your brand?
If you’re an individual job seeker, rather than a personal brand — such as an influencer — or a business, first make sure you have a clear, high-quality headshot for your profile picture.
What would you most like to convey about yourself that can be shown through visuals?
For example, a dog trainer can feature images of happy, obedient dogs. A graphic designer can make a collage of past works. A civil engineer can show blueprints.
If your skill set isn’t easily represented through images, what kind of cool visual can you use to represent your skills? For example, if you’re a plumber, you can show tools or a clean, intricate plumbing system. A coder could show code. Or, think abstract: If you’re a customer service representative, you’re a brand ambassador and problem-solver, so maybe your services can be represented with a five-star customer rating or an image of a handshake.
Still not getting any ideas? Don’t worry. We’ll help you come up with some concepts based on various lines of work later in this article.
LinkedIn background photos for businesses.
If you’re a brand or business owner, think of your LinkedIn background photo as a billboard for your brand and optimize it accordingly through your brand colors and on-brand high-quality images, graphics, and slogans, such as those above from Ford Motor Company and Pfizer. Brands should use their logo as their profile picture. Don’t have one? Make a free logo now.
10 LinkedIn background photo ideas based on your field.
We gave a few examples of on-brand background images above, but just in case you’re not a dog walker, graphic designer, engineer, or coder, we’ll go into detail on how to conceptualize the right photo for you based on your profession. If your field isn’t represented, use these examples to inspire you with good ideas on how to think about your background image.
Business LinkedIn background photo template.
Tap the LinkedIn business banner template above to make it your own.
While your ideal LinkedIn background photo options depend on the type of business you’re in and your role, you want to convey a sense of your professionalism. An image of an organized office, a meeting room, a team meeting, or even a vague graph can depict your managerial talents. Tap the template above to make it your own.
Education LinkedIn background photo template.
Tap the LinkedIn education banner template above to make it your own.
You teach people things for a living. So how do you teach people your talents through an image? Think of your LinkedIn background photo as a blackboard; add a high-quality image of some of your notes or lessons. Or be metaphoric and feature a school workspace or desk; an open, marked-up textbook; or a neat, empty classroom.
Finance LinkedIn background photo template.
Tap the LinkedIn finance banner template above to make it your own.
Numbers, budgets, calculators … there are many tools that convey the idea that you know how to crunch and stretch numbers. Get creative and don’t be afraid to feature yourself as the hero of your own banner. When it comes to finances, people like to see a human face behind their money services.
Healthcare, fitness, and wellness LinkedIn background photo template.
Tap the LinkedIn fitness banner template above to make it your own.
Tools speak volumes here too. A stethoscope is an easy option, as is an X-ray. A welcoming physical therapy space or waiting room is another. A tape measure could convey weight loss, while wholesome food could address nutrition. A barbell and flexed muscle inspires strength and fitness. Think of your expertise and focus on the visuals that can represent it. Tap on the template above if you’d like to customize and use it.
Hospitality and restaurant LinkedIn background photo template.
Tap the LinkedIn restaurant banner template above to make it your own.
A beautifully set dinner table, a hand polishing a wine glass, a front desk, a five-star review, a delicious basket of dumplings. There are many symbols that can showcase your skills in the hospitality industry. You can also use your LinkedIn banner to promote online or in-person events that bolster your restaurant’s brand. Think of what you do for people each and every day and see if you can convey that in an image or set of images. Ready to get started? Tap the template above to make it your own.
Lawyer and paralegal LinkedIn background photo template.
Tap the LinkedIn legal profession banner template above to make it your own.
Symbolism could work in your favor here, whether it’s a gavel, the Scales of Justice, a stack of law books, or a bookshelf loaded with books depicting your area of expertise. You can even advertise new staff openings like in the example above.
Marketing LinkedIn background photo template.
Tap the LinkedIn marketing services banner template above to make it your own.
We don’t need to tell you how to sell yourself — you’re in marketing. But, in case you want some ideas, think about how to portray your measurable, results-oriented abilities: bold, colorful charts, graphs, graphics, or strong slogans or statements are all worthy of consideration. You can get started by tapping the template above to make it your own.
Media LinkedIn background photo templates.
Your best options depend on the type of media you’re in. For example, writers could showcase their desk, notes, laptop, a stack of the books they’ve written, or a collage of their magazine articles. Photographers have it easy; choose one or many of your images that best represent you. Editors can show redlined or proofread works.
Real estate LinkedIn background photo templates.
Tap the LinkedIn real estate banner template above to make it your own.
You already do a lot of marketing to sell your properties. Use your past works here, showcasing a variety of houses and perhaps including a “SOLD” sign. Or maybe you’re a builder and want to show one of the properties you’ve built. Tap the template above to make it your own.
Tech workers LinkedIn background photo template.
Tap the LinkedIn tech worker banner template above to make it your own.
Hello, coder, we’re talking to you. Ditto data analysts, IT managers, and software engineers. There are all kinds of visuals you can use to represent you, such as a computer code language, a motherboard, or a bank of servers. But you can also state your specialty loud and clear, as the above template shows. Tap it to customize it as you wish.
How to easily make a winning LinkedIn background photo for free.
Now that you have an idea of how to visually represent yourself, you can get to work making your LinkedIn background photo.
There are a number of ways to go about it, and they’re all easy and free, including free images, if needed:
Choose from a huge array of free background designs and customize them to your liking.
Work from one of the templates showcased above to make it your own.
Take your own high-quality photo or photos and upload them to Adobe Creative Cloud Express’s free banner templates for LinkedIn app.
Select from relevant free stock images, then upload them to Creative Cloud Express’s free banner templates for LinkedIn app.
Get the LinkedIn background photo size needed.
No matter the cover image that you choose, you should refine and finalize them to LinkedIn’s formatting requirements. LinkedIn’s background photo specifications require you use a JPG or PNG file with a file size that’s less than 8MB, and its recommended background photo size is 1584 (w) x 396 (h) pixels.
How to change your LinkedIn background photo in 5 easy steps.
LinkedIn makes it easy to upload your own background photo. Just follow their easy instructions, starting from your profile page:
- Tap the pencil icon in the upper right of the background photo area.
- Tap CHANGE from the Add Background Photo page.
- Follow the prompts to take a new photo or upload one.
- Change the position and size by dragging the photo.
- Tap SAVE on the upper right corner.
Once you’ve completed your background photo and uploaded it to your LinkedIn profile page, make sure to view it on a desktop, iPhone, and Android to confirm it has your desired effect.