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Social cover images
Cover images have a prominent presence on all social channel homepages. They are great brand applications for showcasing the unique projects, events and learning experiences in which SFU students, faculty and researchers are involved.
Overview
Logo versions & placement
An SFU logo must appear on all cover images. Either formal or informal logos can be used. The logo can be placed either at the upper right corner or lower left corner of the cover images.
An exception is made for the two-level logo. The two-level logo only has a horizontal version and must align to the left of the image. It can move up to the upper left corner on Twitter and LinkedIn due to the position of the avatars.
The preferred position of the logo on cover images is the upper right corner where it is legible across all social channels.
The logo’s clearspace is equal to the height of the SFU logo block. Exceptions can be made for extremely tight spaces on certain social channels.
Image only versions
Our primary photography is black and white with a photo-journalistic style. These images are to be used as the cover images for brand campaigns, events or institutional communications.
Colour photography can be used when black and white images are not available or not suitable for the subject matter.
The cover images work best when:
- They are dynamic and simple in composition without too much visual noise
- Prominent subjects are positioned in the middle or right of the image to avoid being covered by the avatar on some social channels
- Focus is on the hero subjects engaging in real activities
- Subjects and their activities remain visible within the given dimensions across all the channels
- Colour photography is shot with neutral lighting and cool temperature to complement the red avatar
Text only versions
When our photography is not available, our brand colours, typefaces and title bars can be used together creatively to create engaging cover images
When typesetting, do not use more than two lines of title bars and make sure the titles do not extend past two-thirds of the cover image to ensure type is not cut off on mobile devices.
Headlines should be short and concise. Cover images shrink drastically when viewed on mobile devices and a large portion is blocked out by the avatar. Short, bold headlines can draw attention and maintain legibility on both desktop and mobile.
Description copy should be informative and to the point. Type size should not fall below 16px for web best practice and accessibility standards.
Text & image versions
Typography is an important part of our brand toolkit; it helps to set the voice of our brand. The examples below provide some inspiration on how typography can work with photography and create expressive layout.
Images should have dynamic compositions with quiet space that allows headlines and titles to be easily placed over them with clarity.
Headlines should be concise and engaging. Avoid lengthy content that clutters the image. Athough the 20% text rule doesn’t apply to cover images, it is good practice to keep the text content to less than 40% of the image.
Dimensions overview
Cover image dimensions are different across all the social channels and are changed regularly. It is important to check the respective platform for the most up-to-date dimensions.
When creating a cover image, one size does not fit all. It is important to build the cover images to each of the channels’ specifications. When choosing photography, consider how it would crop across all channels to ensure the hero subject remains visible inside the frame.
