Want your Twitter profile to stand out and clearly communicate your personal or company Brand?
You’ve probably noticed that Twitter comes with some standard backgrounds patterns that you choose from to customize your Twitter profile’s appearance. But if you want to really want to make an impression and clearly communicate what your brand is all about, you’ll want to create a unique background for your Twitter profile.
Here we’ve pulled together a collection of how-to articles, advice, resources and tools to help you create a unique background for your Twitter Profile. At the bottom, you’ll find some very useful online pattern/background generators that you can use for your Twitter background as well as your website or blog.
So go ahead, make your Twitter profile stand out from the crowd.
How-To’s and Tutorials
- How to Create a Twitter Background
From E-How: Tidbits provides a step by step guide to creating a Twitter background.
- How to Create Personalized Twitter Backgrounds with TwitBacks
From E-How: CandisLynn provides a step by step tutorial for using the service Twitbacks to create a personalized twitter background.
- Changing Your Twitter Background
From Twitter Support: Here are basic instructions for changing your Twitter background and uploading any custom Twitter background.
- How To Create Your Own Twitter Background
From Sitepoint: Web designer Jennifer Farley offers up some guidelines regarding dimensions and other design considerations for creating your own Twitter background. - 13 Tutorials & Resources for a Perfect Twitter Background
From Design Reviver: Collection of links to tutorials on making Twitter backgrounds. Includes Twitter background guidelines, making Twitter backgrounds with Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Powerpoint and more.
- HOW TO: Create Custom Twitter Backgrounds
From Mashable: This guide goes step-by-step into the rationale for creating a personalized Twitter background, takes a look at some amazing Twitter designers, and provides a list of useful Twitter design tools and resources.
- 7 Easy Steps To Make A Simple Twitter Profile Page
From Musings of a Housewife: Rundown on how to create a Twitter background in 7 easy steps
- Custom Twitter Backgrounds: Tips for Better Readability From Twitips: In this tutorial Hendry Lee from BlogBuildingU shares some tips on getting Twitter Backgrounds that are optimized for better readability.
- Custom Twitter Backgrounds
A Custom Twitter Background can make a real impression and enhance your brand – but how do you make one? In this guest post post Hugh Briss from Twitter Image (a service that offers custom Twitter backgrounds) shares some tips on how to make your own.
- Twitter Background Design How-To and Best Practices
From Blog.Spoon Graphics: This article takes a look at some of the best practices around in Twitter background design and offers a step-by-step approach for designing your own Twitter background.
- Create a Twitter Background Using Powerpoint
From The Closet Entrepreneur: Tutorial on creating your own Twitter background using powerpoint.
- Twitter Profile Design Help from COLOURlovers
From Twitips: Advice from David Sommers of COLOURlovers offers a few suggestions you might want to consider for choosing a great color theme for your twitter profile.
Inspiration – Examples of Other Tweeter’s Backgrounds
- Twitter Background Gallery
This site is a billed as a “showcase, inspiration and resource for all Twitter fans willing to express their individuality, creativity and professionalism not only through their Twitterstream but via their profile background as well. Look around and get inspired!”
Twitter Background Services, Tools and Resources
- PrettyTweet: Twitter Profile Background Designer
From Make Use Of: Review of PrettyTweet.com, an online Twitter profile background designer that allows you to place three elements in your background – an avatar, description text, and vertical caption.
- TwitterBackgrounds.com
A large selection of free Twitter backgrounds as well as completely custom Twitter backgrounds for a fee. TwitterBackgrounds is offering IIG blog readers a $10 discount off the $79 price for a custom design. Use coupon code “iig” to receive the discount.
- TwitArt – Custom Twitter Backgrounds – Review
From Twitips: Review by Dave Rigotti of TwitArt, a custom Twitter background and avatar website run by Chris Kaufman (@kauf), an award-winning interaction designer.
- Twitbacks
Service that allows you to create a custom Twitter background. In addition to creating FREE professional Twitter backgrounds, they also advertise your services and Twitter Profile all over the web for a small fee.
- TwitterBacks.com
On this site, Jim Kukral provides free, customizable Twitter backgrounds that you can download (Photoshop files) and customize. Also shows examples of how these templates have been used by others. Here’s a video explaining how Twitterbacks work:
- MyTweetSpace.com
Choose from 100+ unique themes and backgrounds, brand the profile with a custom badge including name, logo, website and more. Once design is finished, just enter your Twitter login details and it updates instantly.
- Hipandtwendy.com
Downloadable background Patterns for your Twitter page
- Pimp my Twitter
From Agglom: Great list of links to resources for Twitter backgrounds.
- Twitter Treats
Wide range of wallpapers, backgrounds, and icons you can download and use for your custom Twitter background.
- Positive Space
From the Positive Space Blog: Free Twitter themes that you can download for Twitter background.
- Twitter Patterns
Wide range of patterns that you can download and use for your Twitter background.
Other Background, Pattern and Texture Resources on the Web
- 100 Beautiful Free Textures
From Smashing Magazine: 100 different beautiful textures in various categories that are available for free online.
- TAKE STOCK: 30+ Background & Stock Image Sites
From Mashable: Nice rundown of background image resources and tools online
- Ultimate Collection of Free Textures on the Web
From Beeex Net: Large collection of background patterns, background tiles and free textures that can be downloaded.
- Freebie Roundup: 12 Places To Download Free Textures | BittBox
I’ve only been making textures for a while now, but everyone seems to love them. I know I can’t ever get enough textures either. So I’ve been surfing and made a list of sites that offer free textures to download. Some have more than others, and some sites have higher resolution images than others, but they all have one thing in common, free downloads.
- Here’s a list of sites with large pattern/texture collections or online generators that allow you to create and download your own patterns:
March 16th, 2009
Tags: Twitter31 Comments
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31 responses so far ↓
Great list of resources and ideas!
I kept things consistent with both my site and my blog so i would have the same general look across all platforms.
I used my header, some custom graphics and then a collage of other social media sites (collage from another artist – creative commons license) all wrapped up into one unique background. Feel free to check them out at:
dmpattenonline.com
twitter.com/dmpatten
140andup.com
Now, I just have to work on getting content into my blog rather than just contributing to Twitter……….
Great article – thanks again!
–doug–
twitter.com/dmpatten
It is just amazing how many apps are created around Twitter!
Here is the name of a local company that I refer my clients to:
TweetStyle
http://twitter.com/TweetStyle
Have to support local!
-jen
@jenharris09
Thanks for including my web site in your list of Twitter resources! http://www.hipandtwendy.com/
Designer
I am considering of changing the layout of my Twitter. These are exactly the tutorials I need, so detailed and precise.
Thanks for lots of resources…This will be very useful….
Stumbled….
http://twitter.com/denharsh
Great list of resources indeed, thank you for posting this. I really do like how creative people are getting with their Twitter profiles.
My fav is still a tile someone did showing all their followers; only drawback is that it’s going to get very heavy size wise over time if you’re popular.
[...] How-To: Create a Unique Twitter Background Want your Twitter profile to stand out and clearly communicate your personal or company Brand? (via John Slack) (tags: twitter design socialnetworking profile branding) [...]
great comprehensive list ( a little overwhelming, but comprehensive:)!
I’m a rabid about “consistency” in branding and marketing and that goes for twitter too! If people know you, your website, etc, your twitter page shouldn’t make them go “huh?” Great tools here to do that!
Great compilation! Add me to the list, if you like, got around 50 free backgrounds on the site now and take custom orders.
http://www.tweetplate.com
Hey Robin –
Thanks for compiling. Just wanted to throw our hat in the ring http://www.freetwitterdesigner.com. It’s a free flash app that allows users to create their own backgrounds… Love to get your thoughts on it.
Very good, thanks for the list of tutorials, makes it easy to learn!
I did my own twitter background using a template and then customizing in PowerPoint.
http://www.twitter.com/gfriese
[...] like me, you’ve meant to personalize your Twitter background for a while now. Here is some inspiration and how-to to help get us moving. I plan to think fun, branding and providing some extra [...]
nice, really nice!
[...] 6 Reasons To Get Rid Of That Generic Twitter Background Once and for All From Twitip: Nice post from Fredrickus Williford with the rationale for replacing your generic Twitter background with a custom background. For more on creating a custom Twitter Background – see our post: How to Create a Unique Twitter Background. [...]
That is one heck of a list of resources. Thanks for sharing with us.
This will keep me busy for quite a while with new ideas for my twitter backgrounds.
http://twitter.com/coffeekeg
http://twitterpatted.com
The Daily Link Goose #4…
06/06/2009 – 10:06am
How to create Twitter Background – A guide which helps u to create your own and outstanding twitter design
Guess Google – The game makes y…
Absolutely excellent list you have put together. I would just like to add our site twitrounds.com to the list. We work hard to create a lot of free twitter backgrounds for users. Would love to be added to your list above. Thanks for taking the time to put together such a complete list!
I created one for my girlfriend last night. I notice that if you are using your own background image and if you unchecked the “tile” option, the image will not repeat . You will need to do some editing with your image so that if the image tile (repeat) , it wouldn’t be ugly than try this…. make sure your image width is 1680 pixel. So at least if you are using 22″ monitor, you still get it blend beautifully.
Here is the link.. http://twitter.com/yithua
This is really a nice post…
Thanks so much for such great information.
I started thinking about creating a unique profile for my twitter account and that’s what I’m searching for. You really help me out…:)
[...] Getting into Twitter? Here’s how to customize your profile background and upload it to Twitter. (via this enormous list of tutorials, services, and inspiration galleries) [...]
[...] a custom Twitter background is not difficult and there are several tutorials to help you. Visit this site to see an array of tutorials on creating a custom Twitter [...]
[...] How-To: Create a Unique Twitter Background [...]
Thanks for the suggestions and information.
>Twitter backgrounds work best at 1600x1200px
>A color strip of about 100px at the top suites best
>Left and right graphics also works accordingly !
Thanks for the share !
twitter.com/honeytech
[...] How-To: Create a Unique Twitter Background – Interactive Insights Group [...]
[...] How-To: Create a Unique Twitter Background – Interactive Insights Group [...]
I thank you for your article.
I followed these links and found, that you don’t actually have to pay to get cool Twitter backgrounds. I found many web pages, which also offer cool and interesting design for Twitter and you can get them for free.
I hope that this will help you and the readers of this blog. Thank you again and I encourage you to write even more articles like this. They inspire a lot!
Here is the link to article an article, which I wrote
Great list of twitter background tools. I have used only twitterbackgrounds.com that are free ones. They are good though. Thanks for the list. Hope this helps.
[...] How to Create a Unique Twitter Background. Gallery of cool, customized Twitter backgrounds, do-it-yourself tutorials and Twitter background design services. [...]
[...] How-To: Create a Unique Twitter Background – Interactive Insights Group [...]
[...] Interactive Insights Group Blog (lots of links to other resources and tutorials) [...]