2010 26/02

Do You Have a Custom Twitter Background?

By Erica
View Comments com
Filed in: Creative, Featured, Twitter

The whole blog-world is talking about branding, and one of the places we can carry over our brand’s logo, colors, and feel it to our Twitter profiles. Personally, I like to check a person out before following them, so I get to see a lot of really cool profiles, and some not so cool ones…

A couple months ago I entered a design contest and designed my very first Twitter background. I followed the instructions offered by Darren Roswe on TwiTip.com and used Fireworks to lay it all out. Darren provides the dimensions for the best possible outcome for differing screen resolutions. His tutorial was really helpful!

Since then I’ve done a number of backgrounds for myself, and clients. I can knock out a design in a short amount of time, there’s no coding involved and I have a ton of fun!

Here are a couple I’ve done:

Having your own custom background on Twitter helps you to stand out. People will notice that you’ve taken the time to bring your personality or brand to the page, and if done right, they’ll be impressed.

If you’d like to try making your own I highly recommend following Darren’s Guidelines for Custom Twitter Backgrounds.

If you want help, I offer Twitter Background Design as one of my services at TechnoMomDesigns.com!

Do you have a custom Twitter background for your profile? If so, leave a link to your Twitter page in the comments! I’d love to check it out!

If not, comment on why you’d like to have one! In a few days I’m going to pick someone to win a custom design!

Patty Reiser

Twitter Backgrounds are fairly easy once you learn. Here's mine: http://twitter.com/patty_reiser
EricaMueller

Patty, I love your collage of photos on the right. So pretty!!
Lauren

I would love love love to have a custom design for my Twitter background - and here's why. Just recently I began blogging and I've taken to it like a duck takes to water. Already I was happy with my work and now I am ecstatic as I have entered the world of cyberspace.

After blogging for about a month I have my website up (still being tweaked - like posting a photo with every blog!) and I have put my toe in the water of twitter world - see no background ;-(...but alas, not to worry, all in good time. It's the shoestring budget thing at the moment).

My new e-book will be out soon, offering women an alternative to feeling badly about their bodies with a unique approach - in a nutshell, helping women to recognize we are alive on this beautiful earth because we have a body. And, if that's not enough, our body enables us to have every life experience we have.

That and my focus on having the best relationships ever is why I would like to get the word out by having that professional looking twitter background. I've been keeping my fingers crossed hoping it might happen soon. I have visions of twitter quips dancing in my head! Peace and love!

Warm regards and thanks for the good info!
Lauren www.bestrelationshipsever.com
EricaMueller

Congrats, you're entered to win a background. :-) Sounds like you're building up quite a blog! I just looked and I love your colors.

Did you see I currently have a second contest going for a Twitter Background? You should enter that one too. :-) http://ericasays.com/2407/win-a-makeover-for-yo...
happymaker

Andrew helped me get my back ground update a week ago. i reallylike it.

take a look http://twitter.com/happymakerco
Hoe i did that right.
Debbie
EricaMueller

Debbie, your twitter profile is beautiful! Andrew did a fantastic job!!
Debbie

Thanks Erica,
I think he really did do a great job. I would be lost without Andrews, help. He is well worth is pay.
Debbie
Robert Bravery

YEs I do, But I need to go back and edit it. Found a few spelling errors there. mmm Not good.
Problem with Twitter backgrounds is that they are static. Not fluid. SO you generally design them for a certain resolutions. Soon as anyone comes with a different resolutions then it does not work as well.
Designing for 1024 is your best bet, but still there are others who have a different res.
So putting graphics on wither side of the Twitter stream can be problematic with a non fluid design. I know that various people have their thoughts on how to achieve this, but yet to see a realy good working example.
What are your thoughts on this.
Courtney Velasquez

You did a great job on my Detroit Mommies background!
EricaMueller

Courtney, I am so glad you like it! Love the way it turned out and how it matches your site so well!
bethakaconfusedhomemaker

I just updated mine. I used gimp (free software a lot like photoshop for those who aren't familiar with it) to help me make it. It was really easy. I did something simple that matched the feel of my blog. It was fun to do :)
EricaMueller

Beth,

I've heard of Gimp, but never tried it! good to know there's something free out there that people can use!

You have a cute site and it looks like a fabulous community of readers too!
Graham Tappenden

It's on my long list of things to do...
EricaMueller

haha. should we compare lists? i think mine gets longer every day, even thought i'm working like crazy. there is just too much cool stuff to try!
Graham Tappenden

I've started using a couple of methods to keep my list down.

I have my daily list which is limited to 10 items. I select these 10 each morning, and try to get them all done in the course of the day. If I don't manage it, then those that remain are automatically in the 10 for the next day.

I have a long list of things to be done when time allows, (eg. Twitter backgrounds), and if I can't get the 10 full with my normal work (blog posts, client websites, etc.) then I will go to this list and select 1 or more items to carry over.

Finally, I have started keeping a notebook for ideas that I have or observations that I make, that are not quite ready to be made into actions. Every now and then I go back through the notes and it often helps me on current topics because I have already had those thoughts before. (OK, so I got this idea from Richard Branson :-)
Jimi Jones

I created one some time ago and have tweaked it once or twice. I also installed one on friendfeed. You are right, this is important for branding (personal and business) and I too write about this often.
http://Twitter.com/JimiJones
http://FriendFeed.com/JimiJones1
From the images above, looks like you have done some really nice ones.
EricaMueller

Yea, I did Friendfeed too! Just forgot to mention it... I ended up doing the friendfeed one on my own, and it took a little longer since I didn't have dimensions laid out for me. But, I got it, and I like the results!
Kevin Tea

I have a photograph of a beach in Greece, most of which is obscured by the main Twitter real estate but I will have to revisit it. So many things to do, so little time.
EricaMueller

Your picture isn't full width, so it has a chopped off look. I bet it's a nice photo though. :-) Took a while to load, so when you revisit the design you might check on the file size. Of course, it could be my crazy internet again...
Andrew Rondeau

Yeah - I just updated mine!

What do you think?

http://twitter.com/andrewrondeau

Andrew
EricaMueller

That's great, Andrew!! I think the bold colors really grab your
attention, and I like that you kept it simple!
Andrew Rondeau

What about my little 'Bob (I mean Andrew!) the Builder" character?

Andrew
EricaMueller

Yea, I loved that! It goes so well with your Building theme! You are
like the blog construction guy. :-)
Chele

I was wondering how to do this! So obviously I don't have it on my Twitter. LOL. But my reasons are because not only do I have no tech experience but I can't afford to pay someone to help me with it! So until I can figure it out, I'm stuck! Thank you for sharing!
EricaMueller

Hmmn, well, maybe you'll win one. ;-)

Yea, without the graphic design software it's kinda hard to create your
own. There are free photo programs out there that people can use for
some basic graphic design, but most of them aren't going to make it easy
to see dimensions.

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