Cover art is a browsing decision made in under a second, at a size where almost nothing is legible. The technical specs are easy; designing for that viewing size is the actual work.

Podcast Cover Requirements

Apple Podcasts sets the standard that most directories follow:

  • Dimensions: minimum 1400 × 1400 px, maximum and recommended 3000 × 3000 px, square.
  • Format: JPEG or PNG, RGB colour space.
  • File size: under 512 KB is a common requirement; check your host.
  • Resolution: 72 dpi is fine — it's a screen asset.

Spotify and other platforms accept the same file. Content rules to know: no explicit content unless marked, no references to platform names or logos ("Listen on Spotify" is typically rejected), and the title on the artwork should match the show title.

Ebook Cover Requirements

  • Kindle (KDP): ideal 2560 × 1600 px, a 1.6:1 ratio (height : width). Minimum 1000 px on the longest side; JPEG or TIFF; under 50 MB.
  • Other stores vary slightly but 1.6:1 is a safe universal ratio.
  • Print books need a full wrap (front, spine, back) with bleed, built to the printer's template at 300 DPI — an entirely different file from the ebook cover.

The Constraint That Governs Everything

Your cover will be seen at roughly 100–150 px in a directory, a search result or a phone's now-playing screen. At that size:

  1. The title must be readable — or absent. Use a very large, bold, high-contrast typeface for a short title. A long title in elegant thin type is illegible and therefore useless. If the title can't be short, put a few key words on the cover and let the full title live in the metadata.
  2. One focal element. A single strong image, symbol or colour block. Detailed illustrations and photographic scenes turn to mush.
  3. High contrast, distinctive colour. Directories are grids of squares; a distinctive colour is what makes yours findable when someone scrolls back to look for it.

Test Before You Ship

Export your design, then view it at 120 px on a phone, in a grid alongside real competitors' covers. Almost every cover fails this test the first time — usually the type is too small and the palette too similar to everything else. Fix by simplifying, not by adding.

Export Settings

  • Podcast: 3000 × 3000 JPEG, sRGB, quality 85–90, compressed under the host's limit.
  • Ebook: 2560 × 1600 JPEG, sRGB, high quality — text on covers suffers badly from aggressive compression.
  • Keep a layered master. You'll need variants: a square crop for social, a banner version, a version with an episode number, and eventually a redesign.