Having an eye-catching and professional background image on your LinkedIn profile can help you stand out from the crowd and make a great first impression on visitors. With over 850 million members worldwide, there is a lot of competition on LinkedIn so optimizing your profile is key. But with so many options to choose from, what is truly the best background for a LinkedIn profile?
The Purpose of a LinkedIn Background
First, it’s important to understand the purpose of a LinkedIn background image. This image appears behind your profile photo and headline and is one of the first things people will notice when visiting your profile. A background image allows you to:
- Make your profile more visually appealing
- Showcase your personality and interests
- Promote your brand or business
- Increase memorability
So in short, your background should represent you or your business, look professional, and grab attention.
Key Criteria for Selecting a LinkedIn Background
When choosing which background is best, there are a few key criteria to consider:
- Relevance – The image should relate to you, your job, industry, business, or brand in some way. Avoid random stock photos.
- Professionalism – Even if you want to showcase your personality, maintain an overall professional look. Keep it workplace appropriate.
- Quality – Image resolution should be high to avoid a pixelated or blurry look. Solid colors work better than busy patterns.
- Consistency – Your background should match your profile photo and headline for a cohesive look.
- Accessibility – Don’t let your background diminish text readability or accessibility for those with visual impairments.
Background Ideas for Common Profile Types
The best background can vary depending on your field and goals. Here are some top options for common profile types:
Job Seekers
- Photo of your dream job or company
- Abstract image related to your industry or role
- Blurry office background
- Motivational quote as an image
Freelancers
- Portfolio samples or previous work
- Abstract image related to your skills
- Photo representing your personal brand
Business Owners
- Company logo or branding
- Product photos or office environment
- Event photos or headshots of team
- Industry imagery or icons
Personal Branding
- Professional headshot photo
- Quote or mantra that represents you
- Background related to your niche or interests
Ideal Image Types and Sources
When it comes to selecting a specific image, here are some great options:
| Image Type | Ideal Sources |
|---|---|
| Professional headshot | Professional photographer, quality camera |
| Company logo | Your own high resolution logo file |
| Product photo | High quality photos of your products |
| Office environment | Professional photographs of your workspace |
| Event photos | Event photographer or professional shots from event |
| Portfolio samples | Your own previous work and projects |
| Industry concepts | Stock photo sites like Shutterstock, iStock, Adobe Stock |
| Quotes or text images | Design your own visual text with Canva |
The key is choosing a high quality, relevant image that represents you or your business authentically. Stock photos can work but authentic photos make more of an impact.
Image Specs and Dimensions
LinkedIn profiles display in several different formats from desktop to mobile. To ensure your image looks crisp across all formats, aim for these specs:
- File Type: JPG or PNG
- Dimensions: At least 1400 x 425 pixels
- Size: 2MB maximum
- Resolution: High resolution, at least 72 PPI
This size ensures the image will span the full width of a desktop profile. The height can be adjusted as needed. Just keep the 2MB size limit in mind.
Design Tips for Strong Visual Impact
Beyond just choosing the right image, there are some design techniques that can optimize your background:
- Use solid colors instead of busy patterns which can be distracting.
- Add a color overlay on a photo for a more cohesive, professional look.
- Make sure your profile photo and headline stand out clearly against the background color.
- Blurring the background slightly can help foreground elements pop.
- Maintain strong contrast between text and background colors.
- Align visuals to the left so text can display on the right side clearly.
Examples of Great LinkedIn Background Images
To get inspired, let’s look at some stellar examples of LinkedIn backgrounds:
Product or Service Showcase
Displaying products or services in your background is an excellent way to showcase what your business offers visually. Here a financial advisor uses an image of a stock graph and coins:
Brand Colors and Messaging
Incorporate your brand colors and messaging into the image design. This realtor uses their branding and tagline:
Lifestyle Photos
For freelancers or personal brands, a photo representing your niche or lifestyle interests can work well. This health coach uses an active lifestyle photo:
Event Highlights
Event or conference photos make great backgrounds to highlight your participation. This speaker uses a photo of them presenting on stage:
Office Environment
An office shot gives visitors a peek into your work environment in an authentic way. This recruiter uses a photo of their workspace:
Mistakes to Avoid
While there are many great options for LinkedIn backgrounds, there are a few mistakes to avoid:
- Avoid overly casual vacation photos unless relevant to your personal brand.
- Don’t use overly distracting patterns or overly crowded photos.
- Make sure the color scheme aligns with your profile photo and headline.
- Icons and text can look gimmicky or unprofessional if overdone.
- Don’t use photos or concepts unrelated to your profile or industry.
- Prevent a disjointed look by matching style of profile photo and background.
Tools to Create a Background
If you need help designing your LinkedIn background, there are many easy online tools you can use:
- Canva – Free graphic design tool with background templates.
- Adobe Spark – Create free graphics and images in browser.
- ResizeImage.net – Crop and resize images to optimal pixels.
- Photoshop – Most robust design tool for polished graphics.
- Illustrator – Create vector-based designs and logos.
- Premium stock sites like Getty, Shutterstock, Adobe Stock for high quality business imagery.
Conclusion
Your LinkedIn background image is valuable real estate to make a strong visual impact. The best backgrounds are relevant to your personal brand or business, high quality photographs, and reinforce your profile messaging. By showcasing your specialty and interests visually, you can stand out among the LinkedIn crowd.
With these tips in mind on ideal image types, design considerations, specs, and tools, you can create a background that represents you in the best light. Just maintain professionalism and consistency with the rest of your profile. A polished background demonstrates your attention to detail and helps make your profile engaging and memorable.
