As a playlist curator, you want as many people as possible to listen and follow your Spotify playlist.
This is especially noteworthy if you are trying to drive more attention to your playlist.
A nice looking artwork for Spotify playlists can reinforce the mood you aim for and help you make the right first impression.
After all, it serves as an entrance into what listeners can expect from your playlist.
In this article, you can learn how to design a cool artwork for your Spotify playlist and which online tools to use.
What to consider when creating a Spotify playlist artwork?
You don’t need to have in-depth Photoshop knowledge to create artwork for your Spotify playlist or cover.
Any graphic design app that allows you to do a bit of cropping and insert text in a photo will be enough.
Photo editing apps to create Spotify playlist covers
Here in this blog post, we will talk about Canva.
Canva is one of the free and easy to use online apps that you can utilize to make an artwork for your Spotify playlist.
It has ready-made CD cover templates that you can access for free, use those templates to create your playlist cover.
Now that you know what apps are available at your disposal, here are some tips that you need to consider when making your Spotify playlist artwork.
- Square image
The image will be cropped square when it’s uploaded, so you should choose a square image from the very beginning.
- 4 MB max file size
When the image has more than 4 MB, you will either need to decrease the dimensions or re-save the image and adjust the quality level.
- 300 x 300 pixels minimum playlist image size
Go beyond the minimum playlist image size to maintain the quality of your artwork.
Even if it is viewed on high-resolution displays, it will still be clear.
- JPEG
The artwork should be a JPEG file.
This means that animations won’t have any effect on your artwork.
There are also some things that you should never add to your Spotify playlist cover.
You can’t include URLs/websites, prices, contact info, or email addresses in your cover.
Names and logos of digital stores and cut off images or text are forbidden as well.
Moreover, you cannot add words that suggest the release format like DVD or CD, and terms that express temporality such as exclusive or new.
How to make the perfect artwork for Spotify playlists?
Keep your Spotify playlist cover simple.
Your cover should be clear regardless of its size.
If you are using text, include only 3 or 4 words on your cover, and make sure the text is easily readable.
To get ideas and inspiration for your playlist cover designs, look on Spotify or on playlists.net.
There you can find more than enough samples, so you will know what to do and what to avoid when designing a cover for your playlist.
Pick an image and color scheme for your Spotify playlist cover.
The best images contain a central focal point and lots of free space to insert text.
You can use free stock images that represent the tracks in your playlist.
For example, if your playlist contains songs from the 80s, then your image could be a photo of a Walkman or something old-school, it’s all up to your imagination!
It’s okay to be literal.
After all, you want to catch people’s attention with your artwork.
If you’re creative, then people will easily know what to expect from your playlist.
Minimalist images tend to work better than images that have too much content, as the latter will look blurry when they have a small size.
You can also use a plain background or abstract artwork.
As for the color scheme, pick one, based on the image that you’re using.
However, you should also consider Spotify’s dark color scheme to match the platform.
You want your artwork to stand out, so use bright or light colors.
Select a font for your Spotify playlist artwork.
The font should be readable regardless of its size.
Heavily styled and script fonts are difficult to read.
You should also avoid light or thin fonts because they lack contrast, which can affect their clarity and legibility.
The font should reflect the content of your playlist as well.
There are plenty of websites where you can download free fonts, so feel free to browse these platforms.
If you don’t want to make mistakes, then you can stick to the basic fonts.
Avenir and Helvetica are great all-rounders.
Script fonts are funnier, while impact fonts are easy to read.
Once you have chosen a font, choose a weight and color that maximizes contrast with your background.
Use a playlist cover maker.
You can always use a playlist cover maker like ReplaceCover.com to make everything easier for you.
The ideal artwork for your Spotify playlist would only take you a couple of minutes to make.
First, go to ReplaceCover.com and click “Things” to choose a background image.
Then, choose a color scheme from the “Themes” tab.
Next, input the playlist title in the artwork preview window.
You can use the text-align and text size buttons to customize your design.
Lastly, click “Download” to save the artwork to your device.
You will be able to create a 600 x 600-pixel artwork with ReplaceCover.com.
This is the ideal image size for Spotify playlists.
You can also click “Random” to browse through random combinations of images and themes until you find the best one.
Now that you have the perfect artwork, how can you upload it?
The process is easy.
First, open your Spotify playlist.
Then, click the artwork that has already been added.
Next, provide the Description and Name, then click the “Choose Image” button, and upload your new artwork.
You can change or remove the artwork anytime.
How to Share your Spotify Playlists?
After uploading the artwork, you need to share the finished playlist.
The platform has several sharing options that you can access for free.
These are the following:
- Copy Spotify URL – As long as you have the Spotify app installed on your device, you can share this link anywhere.)
- Copy Embed Code – This is a short HTML code that allows you to embed Spotify playlists onto your websites.
- Copy Playlist Link – This option provides a link that you can share with others through a messaging app or email.
- Share – You can share your Spotify playlist to your Facebook, Twitter, and any other social media channels.
Don’t forget to complete your Spotify playlist by adding a title and a short description of what it is all about.
You have 100 characters to use for the title, so keep it nice and short.
That way, people will know exactly what your playlist contains.
Since you have 300 characters that you can use for the description, you should make the most out of it.
HTML and line breaks are not allowed in the description.
You can also set your playlist to be private or collaborative.
But if your goal is to grow your follower base and gain more streams, then you should set your playlist public so that people from all over the world could see it.
Reddit communities like /r/Spotify are a great place to start with along with your social media.
Final Thoughts
Learning how to create the perfect artwork for Spotify playlists is particularly important if you want to gain more followers and streams.
If you would like to monetize your playlist, please take a look at our SoundCampaign for Curators page.
You can get paid for listening to music by providing song reviews – Become a Playlist Curator.
You can also use your artwork to build your brand.
Experiment with several artwork styles, and when you find the one that works best, use it as a template for future Spotify playlist artworks.
Don’t forget to use the same design language in your new artworks to make your presence look consistent.
by artists for artists