25 Cool YouTube Banner Ideas and Examples for Inspiration

YouTube is a powerful tool for businesses and marketers. In order to make the most of this platform, you need to create an interesting and engaging banner that will catch your audience's attention.
To help you get a handle on creating and using banners, we’ve put together this guide to YouTube banner ideas, including tools, templates, and examples. The following is covered:
- What is a YouTube banner?
- YouTube banner ideas and examples
- Best free YouTube banner makers
- Free YouTube banner templates
- How to make a YouTube banner
- Tips on Designing the Best YouTube Banners
Your YouTube banner image is the equivalent of your website homepage or Facebook cover image, stretching horizontally across the top of your YouTube channel page.
The YouTube banner design is the first thing someone sees when they visit your page. It’s the first (and perhaps only) chance you have to show off your company. Arguably, it’s the most important part of your channel and must represent you and your brand accordingly.
Before you set out to create your own unique banner, enjoy browsing these cool YouTube banners, which we call out for their creativity and ingenuity.It's also a good idea to check the rules of creating a banner.
We've included banners from top brands and channels that are thriving on YouTube.
1. Dude Perfect

At 25 million subscribers, this channel is one of the most followed on YouTube. We love the playfulness of their banner.

At 22 million subscribers, this is another very popular channel. They do a great job of capturing the lively feel of the TV show in a collage style of images.
3. GoPro

The makers of GoPro are arguably also one of the best video content creators. Their banners reflect the seasons/video trends on their channel, which we really like.

This is one of the best channels for HD travel videos. The use of the sharp clean image as a banner for Youtube, perfectly complements their content.

We love how they have used bold colors and typography to include multiple CTAs and put across their USP through their Youtube banners.
6. Tasty

One of the most followed food channels, "Tasty" shows us how to be eye catching without being OTT. Their channel art is always on point !
7. Versace

Versace is one of the few fashion brands that have managed to get some traction on YouTube in a domain that is completely dominated by vloggers.
8. Airbnb

Using multiple images in a very small space can be quite tricky. Popular travel brand Airbnb, however, does a good job of nailing it.

Makeup is another popular YouTube category that is heavily dominated by individual content creators making it really difficult for brands to survive. NYX is one of the few brands that have made their mark.
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10. BMW

We love the sleek and sharp look of popular automobile brand BMW's banner for YouTube.
11. Lego

At 4 million subscribers, Lego is doing a pretty good job at creating content for kids. Their banner matches the kid-friendly nature of their content.
12. Star Wars

The extremely popular all-American series "Star Wars" definitely has a banner to get inspired from.
13. Google

When it comes to design that perfectly combines brand, appeal, and simplicity, who better than Google to look up to? As expected they've perfectly nailed their design.
14. The Fumble

This popular sports channel banner is definitely giving us some great design ideas.
15. Target

We found it really interesting how retail brand "Target" has incorporated their logo so creatively in the design of their banner.
16. Big Think

This channel banner shows us how it's not always about the design. Text combined with a powerful image can sometimes be equally impactful if not more.
17. Ebay

How can you not love this colorful piece of art by Ebay?
18. Sprint

The telecom giant Sprint has definitely put some thought into their YouTube design. A very interesting take!
19. ESPN

We love how the images on ESPN's banner represent the passion behind their content. Very clever, we must say!
20. Ubisoft

This popular video game maker definitely knows their audience. They also keep refreshing their Youtube channel to reflect their latest games.
21. Linkedin

This one-liner on Linkedin's YouTube banner had to get them in our top 25 list.
22. Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola has dominated the advertising world for decades and their YouTube banner design definitely shows that!
23. Wendy's

We think popular restaurant chain Wendy's banner art is really unique and enticing.
24. VISA

Another design with a one-liner that really strikes a chord with the audience.
25. ASUS

We thought it was a really cool idea for Asus to have a holiday-themed banner. A subliminal message pushing their product as the ideal holiday gift.
With a myriad of YouTube banner creators online, it can be challenging to sort through all of them to decide which is best for you.
In general, you want a service that provides premade YouTube banner templates, gives you access to stock photos and other graphic design elements and allows you to edit photos. You can of course use these services to make custom YouTube banners too.
We’ve compiled 10 of the top YouTube channel art makers, listed in no specific order, with our thoughts about why you should check them out:

Fotor
This free all-in-one photo editing toolkit tops or makes most “best of” lists. With editable templates or the option to start from scratch, users can easily create complete professional-looking banners. Fotor Banner Maker offers a host of advanced features, including a huge number of effects and filters. Fotor was named one of the Android Excellence Apps of 2017 by the Google Play Store.
BeFunky
A free photo collage maker, BeFunky uses a simple drag-and-drop interface. You can create banners in a four-step process. BeFunky provides photos or you can use your own. Some features require payment.
iPiccy
The powerful, easy-to-use photo editor’s features, such as the ability to add text, allow for highly customizable designs. However, it has some limits, such as not permitting images to be edited within a collage. iPiccy is free.
Visme
Visme is an intuitive and simple interface, backed by templates that can be customized in three steps. Fifty YouTube banner backgrounds are presented with step-by-step instructions. Free and paid subscription versions.
Canva
Canva boasts real simplicity, which accounts for its popularity. Its templates are attractive and professional, for eye-catching looks. Canva is free, but some high-quality images and graphic components must be paid for, starting at $1.
Fotojet
FotoJet is super accessible and free, requiring almost no technical expertise. This option is ideal for beginner do-it-yourself designers. It offers plenty of stock photos and templates to choose from, and also allows photo editing.
iKomee
With a step-by-step tutorial, iKomee is designed for those who are new to banner design. The drag-and-drop interface creates customizable banners across all social media platforms. iKomee is free.
PicMonkey
PicMonkey is an online photo editor with free basic and paid premium services. PicMonkey appeals to creative design tinkerers, with hundreds of filter and editing options.