Twitch is one of the fastest-growing websites in the world, with a consistent stream of gamers looking to make a brand and gain a following on the website. Having a great logo plays a large part in growing on the site and standing out. There are a few requirements and many best practices that should be considered while creating a logo for Twitch.

Twitch logos are square and must be less than 10MB in size. Logos are automatically downsized to 256×256 pixels, so they should be made at that size. Logos must be recognizable at small sizes and should be shared across social media accounts and all branding.

There are many options for creating a Twitch logo, and Twitch itself does not provide many requirements, leaving the creative work up to the streamer. Services like placeit can help create the perfect logo easily.

Making Sense of the Twitch Logo Requirements

Despite the popularity of the platform, Twitch provides very few requirements for logos on their website. In fact, almost anything that is not vulgar can be uploaded as a channel icon, or the logo, on the site.

Twitch’s two main requirements for logos are:

• The file size must be less than 10MB
• Logos must be in a JPEG, PNG, or GIF format

The technical requirements for uploading a logo to use on Twitch are minimal. Of course, more recommended rules exist. Creating logos in a square file, for instance, ensures that nothing is cut off upon uploading. It is also important to remember that the logo will be seen in all sorts of sizes, but many of them will be small; while in the design process, confirm that your logo remains legible even while tiny.

Twitch Logos Are Small

The main requirement that must be remembered at all times when creating a Twitch logo is that it will be small, in almost every sense of the word. 256×256 pixels is much smaller than most modern images, so new designers may struggle effectively creating a logo at that size. 10MB is also not a large file, and although it is unlikely to be a limiting factor, it could come up.

While creating a Twitch logo, create the logo at a large size and then scale it down. This is especially important for new designers or streamers taking a go at creating their own option, as it provides more surface area to work with. To do this, simply scale up the square and begin working. So long as the total scale of the image is not changing, it will compress perfectly down to 256×256.

While creating the logo at a large size, be sure not to exceed the 10MB file size limit. Consider exporting directly at 256×256 pixels to avoid this issue.

Choosing What Format To Export Your Logo In

Twitch supports three different formats for logos and all imagery uploaded to their site. The supported formats are:

• JPEG
• PNG
• GIF

The specific supported formats and size requirements can always be found on your Twitch profile’s settings page once you log in.

All major design software such as Photoshop will support exporting in any of the formats. Most online options will only offer a PNG or JPEG export, but these two are the most common and likely the best choice for your logo regardless.

The JPEG format is the best option for limiting file size on complicated or particularly large designs. It is considered a lossy compression system, where quality can be sacrificed for image size.

This loss in quality is fairly irrelevant for the size that Twitch logos are shown at, but it is important to note if you plan on using the logo on other social media accounts. However, if you are designing the logo at a large size and then compressing it down, it may lose significant quality.

The PNG format is a great option for most logos, as it is a lossless compression system. This means that, when compressing an image down from large sizes, PNG files will not lose any quality. This is especially important if you are designing the logo at a larger size than how it will be displayed. PNG files are larger in size than JPEG, which may become an issue with Twitch’s 10MB file limit.

As stated, JPEG and PNG are likely the best options for exporting your logo. More information on the differences between the two can be found here. GIF files can also be used, but tend to be much larger than either JPEG or PNG and serve no additional purpose for static imagery.

Twitch does not allow animated logos, so there is little reason to use a GIF for your logo.

Logos Are Square With Rounded Corners

When Twitch utilizes your uploaded logo, it saves the whole square image. However, Twitch’s most common way of displaying the logo is in a circle with the corners cut out of the logo. Creating your logo around this limitation is not a technical requirement for a Twitch logo, but will help significantly with creating a high-quality design that people can recognize.

This is most applicable in the “following” area of Twitch’s website; every logo seen there is displayed with rounded corners. As this is likely the area where people are most likely to see your logo, it is a good idea to design around this limitation.

Avoid putting any notable parts of your logo in the corners, and consider using a circular logo instead of a square. Essentially, creating a circular logo is as simple as creating a large circle inside the aforementioned square.

Export the logo with a transparent background and Twitch will detect this change and support the logo. Many of the top streamers do this so their logo is fully visible across the entire website.

How Do I Make A Free Twitch Logo?

Making a Twitch logo can be a daunting task, especially for people with little time or design experience. Luckily, there are now options for creating great Twitch logos online, and even free designs can look good and help establish a brand. Placeit.net has a variety of logos available that can be used to great effect on Twitch and other gaming social media platforms.

Placeit allows you to customize all aspects of your logo, including the text, design, and background, allowing for a unique logo that can represent your Twitch channel and gaming community. Premade choices display the general feel of the logo so that people can easily get a feel for how their logo will look before investing any time into customization.

There are a plethora of options across the site, and getting started is simple.

Placeit Has A Great Search Function

Using the search function on Placeit is a great way to get a look at logos that match what you are looking for. The search function also includes filters so you can choose to only look at free logos, or logos that have a specific theme.

Getting started is as simple as going to the website and searching for what you want. Good initial searches for Twitch logos include:

• Gaming logo
• Twitch logo
• Your favorite game logo
• Gaming templates

There are a significant number of options on the site, so any search related to what you are looking for is sure to give some good results. Alternatively, if you are looking for a logo that is different from a traditional gaming one, you can search a number of other logo options across the site and adapt them to your brand. Get creative with the search function!

After you have a search phrase you are happy with, you can apply filters to really narrow down the options. One of the most popular options is to narrow down to only free options. Placeit makes this simple; open the dropdown menu and simply select free.

Other filters can cut down options specifically made for Twitch, or different types of logos, or themes. After a few filters are applied, it should be easy to find a free Twitch logo that you like and can customize.

Customizing A Twitch Logo On Placeit

After you have found a template logo that you are happy with, it is time to customize it and make it your own. This is the most essential part of the process; a logo must be unique and legible above all. By customizing your logo, you create a face for your brand.

It is easy to customize your logo on placeit. Changing the colors, text, and font are all easily done through dropdown menus, and the live image is updated in real-time so you can decide whether or not to continue before exporting. Even the logo can be edited, either by selecting from a number of options or by uploading your own image.

All parts of the logo template can be customized and turned into your own to get the logo you want.

The logos are all exported in high-quality square images that are perfect for using on Twitch, as well, so uploading is a simple drag and drop. Having the high-quality export that Placeit provides is also useful for using your logo across social media accounts or for future use in other designs.

Creating A Free Logo On Your Own

If you do not want to use a template website or have something specific in mind for your logo, you can always make the logo entirely on your own. This requires much more work but can be rewarding for designers interested in having full control of the creative process.

Creating a logo for free requires decent software. Adobe Photoshop is the industry standard and has a free trial available, but usage past that quickly gets expensive. Any photo manipulation software can be used to create a logo. While some tools are better suited for it, finding a balance between price and power is often a balancing act.

GIMP is a free tool that is great for the process of creating your own logo; it can also be used free forever and is likely the best option for those looking for a fully custom free logo. It includes tools for image creation, text manipulation, coloring, and image exports.

Another thing to consider is simply using a picture of yourself for your Twitch logo. If your face is a large part of your brand, this is a common choice among top streamers so that they stay recognizable. Be sure that you are comfortable with your face being tied to your Twitch channel and general content before doing this, however.

Best Practices For Creating A Twitch Logo

However you choose to make your logo, it is important to consider some additional best practices in logo creation. Following a few simple rules and recommendations will inevitably result in a stronger logo and brand presence.

Logos should be legible, recognizable, and scalable. These three terms each carry a few different meanings in the context of logos, but that simple phrase is one of the best ways to check your work as you customize the logo or design it from scratch.

Logos are also the face of a brand, and the reason for using one on Twitch is likely because you are trying to grow a channel or community. If you are using other social media accounts like YouTube, Twitter, or Instagram under the same brand, making a logo that can be used across all accounts is a good idea.

Keep The Logo Legible And Recognizable

Creating a logo that is legible and recognizable sounds simple at first, but there is a significant amount of work that needs to go into these qualities. Above all, the logo must serve the purpose of exemplifying your brand. In order to do that, people need to actually recognize it.

If someone cannot understand what your logo is when they see it, it is not working. It is, in short, a bad logo. This also applies if people commonly confuse it with other logos or do not associate it with you. Legibility and recognizability are tied together because of these qualities.

There are a few tips to make sure that you are creating a good logo:

• Make sure each part is distinct
• Keep text to a minimum
• Only use a few colors

Essentially, all of these recommendations boil down to only using the essentials. People do much better when remembering two or three shapes and colors, rather than dozens. Everything in the logo should serve a purpose, otherwise, it may become muddy and lose its legibility.

Avoiding text may sound odd, but it holds value. The smaller a logo is, the more someone will have to struggle to read what it says. This becomes especially true if the logo is also made up of multiple colors or a complex graphic. Using text is fine; just ensure that it is not dominating the logo.

Finally, making your logo recognizable can be difficult in the beginning. This is especially true when using a template; while they are fantastic for handling the basics of design, it is important to put some extra effort into being unique. Otherwise, you run the risk of looking the same as everyone else and blending in with the crowd.

Make Sure It Scales Well

Scalability is one of the most important parts of any logo creation, and that does not change when creating one for Twitch. Twitch will show the logo in multiple sizes across its website, whether in a sidebar, on your channel page, or in search results. It is imperative that the logo shows up well across all uses.

The smaller a logo is shown, the harder it is to recognize. Twitch’s upload size of 256×256 pixels is already small, and often, the logo is shown even smaller than that. Following the previously mentioned rules for legibility will help ensure that the logo looks good while small.

It is also important that the logo looks good when blown up to a large size. This will also allow you to use the logo on banners, stream alerts, wallpapers, merchandise, or any other place where your brand may eventually expand. While it may not seem relevant now, it is important to be set up for the future.

The best logo is usable across social media accounts and mediums, maintaining its look the whole time. If your logo on Twitch and YouTube are different, people will naturally assume you are a different person on each platform. Ensure that your logo is usable everywhere, wherever you may need it.

One of the best ways to do this is to simply save the logo at different resolutions and ensure that it continues to look good; exporting the logo in a high-quality first is imperative, as this can be reused and resized to smaller portions later with no quality loss. Placeit automatically exports at 4000×4000 for logos, allowing the image to be repurposed whenever needed later.

Thinking about the future while creating your Twitch logo, whether through a great template like on Placeit or on your own, is one of the most important steps to take. By spending a bit of extra time in the beginning, a logo can be created for your Twitch channel that represents you and will serve you well in the future.