You've just finished recording your first podcast episode — great content, good audio — but when you go to upload to Spotify or Apple Podcasts, your cover art is a blurry phone photo. Cover art is the first thing potential listeners see in search results. It determines whether they click to give you a listen.
This guide walks through creating professional podcast cover art without learning Photoshop or hiring a designer.
Technical Requirements for Podcast Cover Art
Before designing, know the specs:
- Dimensions: 3000 × 3000 pixels (required)
- Format: JPEG or PNG
- File size: Max 512KB for Apple Podcasts; some platforms accept larger
- Colour mode: RGB (not CMYK)
Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts all require 3000×3000. Wrong dimensions get rejected or display broken.
Free Tools to Create Podcast Cover Art
Canva (easiest — recommended for beginners)
Canva has dedicated "Podcast Cover Art" templates — choose a template, swap out the text and colours to match your brand, export PNG at 3000×3000. Free for basic features. Go to Canva.com → search "Podcast Cover" → hundreds of templates appear.
Adobe Express (free)
Adobe Express also has correctly-sized podcast cover templates. Good if you're already in the Adobe ecosystem.
Figma (for more control)
Figma is free for individuals — create a 3000×3000 frame, design freely without template constraints. Best for creators who want full customisation.
Design Principles for Good Podcast Cover Art
Text must be readable at small sizes
Cover art appears small in search results — often just 100–200px. Your podcast name must be legible at that size. Use a bold font, large size, and high-contrast colours.
Maximum 2–3 colours
Too many colours looks cluttered. Choose one primary colour, one accent, and a background colour. Use your existing brand palette if you have one.
Clear imagery
If using a portrait photo, make sure it's well-lit, sharp, and the subject stands out against the background. Blurry or dark photos look unprofessional.
Consistent with your brand
Fonts, colours, and style should match your website, social media, and video thumbnails.
After Creating Your Cover Art — Upload Correctly
When uploading to Spotify for Podcasters or Apple Podcasts Connect, check the preview before publishing — confirm text isn't cropped and colours look right.
If you also produce video podcasts and want to study cover art from successful shows, use Klypio YouTube Downloader to pull reference clips. Manage your design assets in klypio.com/app.
Also read: A/B Testing Thumbnails for Creators and Optimise Video SEO Meta Tags.