Choosing cover images for groups and spaces: a short style guide

A few of you have asked why some group covers here look great and others look like a screenshot from 2009. Fair question. Covers are the first thing you see when you browse groups and spaces, so I've written down the rules we now use when setting up new ones.

Show the activity, not the logo

A photo of people doing the thing beats a logo every time: a choir mid-song, a workbench covered in parts, a dog on a muddy walk. Logos belong in the avatar; the cover is for atmosphere.

Leave room for the title

The group name sits over the bottom of the cover on most screens, and the mobile app crops the sides. Pick images with the main subject in the upper middle and a calm area underneath.

Avoid text in the image

• It gets cropped on phones
• It doesn't translate
• Screen readers can't see it

Use your own photos when you can

Stock photos are fine to start with, but a slightly blurry photo from your own meetup says more about a community than a perfect one of strangers. If you have one, post it in Help & Support and a moderator will swap it in.

Over the next few weeks I'll go through the older groups and nudge owners whose covers could use a refresh. No pressure, and nobody is getting a stern letter.