Having an eye-catching yet professional background on your LinkedIn profile can help you stand out from other users and make a great first impression on visitors to your profile. With LinkedIn being the world’s largest professional networking platform, it’s important to carefully consider what background image you use to represent your personal brand.
Why does your LinkedIn background matter?
Your LinkedIn background is often the very first thing people notice when visiting your profile. It serves as a “cover photo” that conveys information about you and your professional interests and aspirations. Much like the photo you select for your profile, your background sends subtle messages about who you are and what you value.
An appropriate, high-quality background image can:
- Make your profile visually appealing and memorable
- Communicate your industry, skills, experience, and interests
- Align with your personal brand and professional identity
- Showcase your personality and creativity
- Increase engagement on your profile and connections with other users
On the other hand, a low-quality, irrelevant, or unprofessional background photo can:
- Create a bad first impression
- Communicate inconsistent or confusing messages about your brand
- Indicate a lack of attention to detail
- Deter connections from engaging with your profile
So it’s clear that the image you choose for the background of your LinkedIn presence deserves careful thought and alignment with the impression you aim to make.
What makes a good LinkedIn background?
The best LinkedIn backgrounds are:
- High-quality images. Make sure your image is high-resolution and looks crisp, not blurry or pixelated.
- Professional. Images should be suitable for a business environment. Avoid party photos, selfies, cartoon/meme images.
- Relevant to your industry or interests. Showcase your niche with an appropriate image.
- Consistent with your brand. Align with your professional identity and the impression you want to make.
- Visually interesting. Opt for images that will catch the eye but not be distracting.
- Informative. Some backgrounds subtly convey details about you and your work.
Let’s explore some excellent examples of LinkedIn backgrounds that check all these boxes.
Industry-relevant backgrounds
Customizing your background with imagery relevant to your particular line of work or industry is an excellent way to communicate your niche. For example:
- A teacher could use a classroom photo or image related to their subject matter.
- A business professional might opt for an office-type scene or cityscape.
- A designer could incorporate visual samples of their work or style.
- Someone in healthcare may showcase medical imagery.
- For tech roles, technological interfaces or equipment could work well.
Tasteful, relevant backgrounds like these can give visitors instant insight into your professional domain.
Backgrounds showcasing skills
Your background is also a subtle way to display your skills and experience. For example:
- A writer could use a background featuring books, a typewriter, or pencil and paper.
- An accountant might opt for an image of ledgers or a calculator.
- Those in construction could use a photo of blueprints or building equipment.
- For chefs, an image of kitchen tools or ingredients could work well.
- Designers and artists may choose to showcase examples of their designs or work.
Imagery like this provides viewers insight into your expertise and capabilities.
Travel and location backgrounds
For some professions like consulting or journalism, images featuring travel destinations can make relevant, appealing backgrounds. They convey that you are well-connected and have global experience.
You could also use an image of the city you are based in or your office headquarters to give a sense of location.
Backgrounds showing values
Your LinkedIn background is a place to subtly convey details about you on a personal level to form connections with visitors. For example:
- Nature landscapes can convey a love of the outdoors.
- Books and education tools can indicate a passion for learning and knowledge.
- Images featuring charity work you’ve done communicates philanthropic values.
- Travel photos may show a sense of adventure and cultural appreciation.
- Athletic backgrounds can highlight fitness dedication.
Showcasing personal interests and values makes your profile more relatable and humanized.
Tips for choosing the best LinkedIn background
Follow these tips when selecting a LinkedIn profile background:
- Select a high-res image so it appears crisp and vivid. Low-resolution photos will look blurry and unprofessional.
- Use image editing tools like Canva to refine images and crop to optimal dimensions for LinkedIn.
- Pick a cohesive color scheme that complements the rest of your profile.
- Avoid cluttered or distracting imagery like scenery with too many focal points.
- Steer clear of photos with text which will compete with your profile content.
- Be authentic – choose imagery that honestly reflects your professional personality and personal brand.
Ideal dimensions for LinkedIn backgrounds
LinkedIn recommends a background image size of 1584×396 pixels. This ensures the image utilizes the full width of the profile while cropped appropriately on the height.
Using image editing tools, you can resize and refine any image to meet these optimized dimensions.
You also want to save your background image file at a size of under 8MB to ensure it uploads properly within LinkedIn’s file size limits.
Where to find great LinkedIn background images
Looking for LinkedIn background image inspiration? Here are some great places to source professional, high-quality photographs to use:
- Canva: Design platform with free stock photos and templates.
- Unsplash: Collection of free high-resolution images.
- Pexels: Another free stock photo site.
- Pixabay: Free photographs and vector graphics.
- Burst: Free stock photos from Shopify.
- Getty Images: Royalty-free stock imagery for purchase.
- Shutterstock: Diverse range of stock imagery you can license.
- Take your own photos! Custom imagery aligned to your brand.
Spend time browsing these sites for inspiration. Look for eye-catching images relevant to your industry and interests that also appear polished and professional.
Ideal background images by profession
To spark ideas for your own LinkedIn background, here are some examples of effective imagery for various professions:
| Profession | Ideal Background Image Options |
|---|---|
| Teacher | Classroom, books, chalkboard, apple, graduation cap |
| Nurse | Healthcare equipment, scrubs, stethoscope |
| Software Engineer | Code, computer screens and devices, circuitry |
| Designer | Color palettes, examples of design work, artistic tools |
| Architect | Blueprints, buildings, construction sites, architecture tools |
| Consultant | Cityscape, airport, handshake, globe |
| Accountant | Calculator, ledgers, charts and graphs |
| Marketing | Creative office, branding elements, social media platforms |
Brainstorm background images that allow you to express your profession and brand identity while visually drawing in those who visit your profile.
Mistakes to avoid with LinkedIn backgrounds
While creative and appropriate LinkedIn backgrounds can elevate your profile, there are some common mistakes to avoid:
- Pixelated or blurry images – Always use high-quality photos.
- Unprofessional imagery like party photos, cartoons, or excessive filters.
- Outdated photos – Keep your background updated over time.
- Cluttered or distracting photos that draw focus away from your content.
- Selfies or profile pictures don’t make for ideal backgrounds.
- Photos with text that competes with your profile content.
- Misaligned with your industry or interests – Stay relevant.
Avoid these background faux pas to ensure your profile makes a great impression.
Can you use a company logo or brand imagery?
Using a company logo or brand imagery in your background can be an effective way to visualize your professional affiliation. However, you’ll want to ensure you have permission or rights to use such images.
If you work for a large brand or corporation, they likely have guidelines on social media usage and existing assets you are approved to leverage. Consult your employer for direction.
For smaller companies, you’ll want explicit permission from the owner, founder or communications/marketing department. Never use brand imagery without consent.
For personal branding, it’s often best to avoid featuring client or company logos and instead focus the imagery on yourself. You can list companies you work with prominently on your profile itself.
Should I include text or overlays on my background?
In general, it’s best to avoid overly cluttering your LinkedIn background with text, graphics or overlays. You want the imagery itself to make an impact.
Some text, like your name or professional title, can work when applied minimally and subtly. But avoid long titles, taglines, or blocks of text that will distract from your profile content.
Graphics like logos or icons should also be used sparingly as overlays on an image. Let the photo take center stage.
The background should complement and enhance your profile content, not compete with it visually. Keep text and graphics minimal.
Tips for standing out with a customized background
Made-for-social media images are a creative way to take your background to the next level. Rather than generic stock photos, these customized images can better convey your personal brand.
Some tips for eye-catching customized backgrounds:
- Feature your name, title, or branding.
- Showcase your headshot or avatar.
- Incorporate visually relevant imagery like your industry, values, or location.
- Align your color scheme with your existing branding and profile.
- Add minimal text or icon overlays if desired.
- Size images properly for LinkedIn’s 1584×396 pixel dimensions.
Tools like Canva make it easy to create customized LinkedIn backgrounds with drag-and-drop design features.
Should you change your background image over time?
Periodically updating your LinkedIn background image helps keep your profile looking fresh and engaging over time.
Aim to change your background every few months or so, unless you have a very timeless image you want to persist with.
Reasons you may want to update your background include:
- Showcasing new accomplishments or career milestones
- Making your profile reflect seasonal themes
- Promoting upcoming events, conferences, or speaking engagements
- Driving renewed interest and connections
- Coinciding with new branding or a profile refresh
To save time, curate a selection of high-quality background images that you can rotate through over time while maintaining a consistent look and feel.
Should I pay for premium background images?
While there are many sources of free stock images online, investing in premium, paid background photos may be worth considering in some cases. Reasons you may want to pay for background images include:
- Exclusivity – Paid photos are less likely to be overused or appear on multiple profiles.
- Higher resolution – Some free images have resolution limits or watermarks.
- More options – Premium providers offer expansive libraries of photos to find just the right fit.
- Customization – Ability to edit paid images or request customized photos.
- Copyrights – Obtaining usage rights for peace of mind.
Average costs for premium background photos range from $5 to $50 based on provider and licensing terms. This may be a worthwhile investment in some cases.
Conclusion
Your LinkedIn background offers valuable real estate to make a strong first impression and convey your personal brand. Choose a high-quality, professional image that aligns with your industry and identity.
Showcase your skills, values, location, or designs. Optimize with the right dimensions, text overlays, and customized graphics.
With a thoughtful, on-brand background that catches the eye, you can elevate your LinkedIn profile and make meaningful connections.