Guest Post by Lior. Whether you have a love it or hate it, you have to admit that Twitter is a very important tool that should be used by all Internet professionals, bloggers and businesses. What’s even more important though, is how you represent yourself on Twitter and that’s done via your Twitter avatar. Since so many websites now have Twitter integration, your Twitter avatar will be shown on any of these sites that you use and connect with your Twitter account. So, it should be something that stands out because this is one of the main things that people will use to identify you across the Web.
Size Matters
Size is an important thing to remember when creating your Twitter avatar. While users can click on your avatar from your profile page to view the original size, most other sites with Twitter integration do not allow this. The most important size that you want to keep in mind is 48×48 pixels (shown to the left). This is the second to smallest version of your avatar, but also the most important because this is the size that is displayed next to your tweets in the Twitter timeline. The Twitter avatar to the left (above) is a good example of something that pops out and is easily identifiable. We’ll get into more of these elements below. Just know that as long as your avatar looks good at this size, you have nothing to worry about the other important sizes (displayed on your profile page when logged in or out) only get bigger from here.
Bold Colors
Color is very important when creating a Twitter avatar. This is a time when using bright colors can actually be used to your advantage. Most users are probably using a white or light colored background for their timeline, so having a white or light colored background for your avatar will just make it blend in and go unnoticed. You want to use a color that is bold, bright and different from the norm. You really want people to see it right away and know it’s you whenever they look at their timeline.
It’s also a good idea to make your avatar consistent with your Twitter background. This means that it should have similar colors, style, theme, etc. This way, when people look at your Twitter profile page everything will looks smooth and go nicely together.
Show Your Face
You are a person not a logo, so even if you’re representing a company you should never use just a logo as Twitter avatar. It’s important to show your face and let people see the real you; it’s just more personable and easier to connect with an actual face than with a logo or object. If you don’t want to use an actual picture, you can create a cartoon version of yourself. However, if you want to use a logo or something that represents what you do, you can find a way to incorporate it into your picture. Just remember that it needs to be clearly visible at a small size.
Image Editors
You’ll need a good image editor to size down your avatar (200×200 pixels is a great default size to use) and also remove your background and add some color. While PhotoShop is great, it’s also expensive. Plus, there are plenty of free online image editors that work just as well and are more convenient since you don’t have to download any extra software. Since most starting images will be too big and more than likely have too much going on, it’s best to select just a portion of the image that you want to use as your avatar. When you’re done, be sure to save your image as a JPG, GIF or PNG file type since these are the types that Twitter supports.
Be Unique
It’s already been said throughout these tips, but it’s so important that I will reiterate it. You have to be unique and original when it comes to your Twitter avatar, because this is what will stand out and separate you from the rest. People remember things that are creative, unique and the opposite of the norm. So, if you really want to establish yourself and build a good online reputation, it’s important to have a unique Twitter avatar that others can associate you with as soon as they see it.
Now that you have a beautiful Twitter avatar, I’m sure you’ll want to show it off. You can do this by simply doing what you’re supposed to do on Twitter: sharing quality content and interacting with others. The more you do this, the more you’ll stand out with your unique and recognizable avatar. This was a guest post by Lior who works for a live chat support software company and also advises to a neon signs store.
