Reddit is one of the most fascinating places on the internet. No matter what you’re interested in, you can find a group of people who share those interests and want to discuss them.
I’ve followed subreddits for favorite TV shows, specific dog breeds, and I would even pop into related subreddits when I planned my wedding. The sky is the limit here, which means there are plenty of opportunities for those who want to start their own online community.
One crucial part of starting a thriving subreddit is to absolutely nail your Reddit banner. In this post, we’re going to cover everything you need to know about the ideal Reddit banner size and best practices to follow.
What is a Reddit Banner?
Reddit banners are the images that span the top of a subreddit’s page (subreddits are small communities within Reddit, which act as niche forums).
You can see the banner image from the r/Movies subreddit below, which contains fun illustrations related to film:
A good banner grabs a reader’s attention and uses the correct Reddit banner size. It should convey the tone of the community conversation, the specific topics, and how being part of that community will make a reader feel. It can set the stage for the subreddit itself, so you want it to be great.
The Ideal Reddit Banner Size
The best Reddit banner size is 1920 x 384 pixels with a 5:1 aspect ratio. You’ll want to stick to PNG or JPG file types, and keep the file size under 500KB.
Reddit lists that the minimum banner image size should be at least 960 x 120. But we recommend using a higher resolution of 1920 x 384 to ensure that your banner looks good on both desktop and mobile devices. Reddit banners display wider on desktop, and taller on mobile.
How to Create a Reddit Banner with Snappa
Want to learn how to make a Reddit banner quickly? We’ll show you how to do it for free with our easy design tool Snappa.
Start by creating a custom graphic size of 1920 x 384 pixels.
You can then add background images, text, shapes, and icons to create a custom Reddit banner that will help your community stand out.
After that, just save and download the image, and you can add your banner to Reddit.
If you want to learn how to add a community banner to your Reddit page, have a look here.
Reddit Banner Best Practices
You’ve got the name for your subreddit, and now you’re ready to create your first Reddit banner! Congratulations!
While you’re creating your banner, remember to keep these five best practices in mind to end up with gorgeous, engaging images that will represent your community well (and help it grow)!
1. Choose Design Elements Relevant to the Subreddit
There’s a good chance that you have a solid idea of the “feel” or “mood” that you want your subreddit to have. Use design elements and colors that align with what you want the community to be.
For example, you can use vibrant colors and character images in gaming-themed subreddits, or use dark, haunting color schemes for mystical fantasy-based subreddits.
You can see a great example of what this looks like in the r/LeagueofLegends subreddit:
And don’t forget to add design elements that make your image truly stand out. Some communities use banners with several relevant icons placed on a neutral background—you can try that too!
2. Use Branded Imagery When Appropriate
While many Reddit users absolutely despise brands and marketers in disguise, they’re okay with brands that are upfront about what they’re doing.
If you want to create an official community for your brand, go ahead! Let users know that you’ll pop in from time to time to answer questions and see their feedback.
When you’re going this route, you should definitely create a strong Reddit banner that highlights your specific brand. You don’t want users to have any doubt that this isn’t an official forum, and it’s a good place to promote brand recognition.
The Purple mattress company has an official subreddit that customers can turn to for support, commonly-asked questions, and other helpful information. They use an image of their mattress technology as their banner, and complement it with an image of their logo as the profile picture.
3. Keep Your Designs Simple
Remember that while interesting Reddit banners are great, the reality is that you never want to overthink or over-clutter your banner. In many cases, simple is better.
Choose basic patterns and easy-to-recognize design elements that showcase the meaningful content that your community offers. You also want to use plenty of negative space so that it will be easy to view the whole image at a glance.
If you’re looking for great color combos to use, check out our guide on fresh color palettes.
4. Choose Width-Friendly Designs
Many graphics, especially banner images, tend to focus on the center of the image.
The long shape of the Reddit banner allows your design to draw the eye from left to right. This takes a little creativity and some getting used to, but when you’re focused on a width-heavy image, you can come up with something spectacular.
Check out this outstanding example from the r/StardewValley subreddit:
5. Take Advantage of Contrasting Colors
The beauty of using contrasting colors to draw focus and simultaneously help your design pop can’t be denied. You can use simple or solid backgrounds and a contrasting color or two for the core design. This can include text, your logo, brand name, or other relevant design elements.
Final Thoughts
Reddit consistently attracts new and returning users who check in on their favorite subreddits and communities. Take advantage of that when growing your own subreddit, and make sure to create a custom banner with the right Reddit banner size.
It might seem difficult to create a custom banner for Reddit, but it’s actually super easy and only takes a few minutes with Snappa. Get started for free here!
