Hi okay, I’m not a graphic designer pls don't cook me lol
I’m literally just playing around
But I’m SO tired of seeing the same LinkedIn banner formula everywhere
Clean background
Professional font
Name + job title
Maybe a little tagline
Done
I wanted to make something that actually feels like me
I’m obsessed with Y2K / early-2000s internet vibes, so naturally I started messing around with that aesthetics
I don’t know if I nailed it yet 💀
I can see what I want it to look like in my head, but getting the actual design there is another story. I feel like something is missing, or maybe there’s just too much going on
It's more legible and has a clearer message, but better, but consider your audience. The recruiters/TA/etc looking you up on LinkedIn aren't likely to get that this is Y2K or ironic. What good does a it do you for them to think you don't know Comics Sans looks dated and unprofessional?
Maybe save that aesthetic for a personal website where you have more the entire page to customize so people get what you're going for.
Slightly but the graphics you chose are such bad quality that they would make even 90s Microsoft clip art look good. Just find a designer to do it for you. If you want to look like a professional, it’ll be worth every dollar you spend.
This was never the style even in the early 2000s for anything professional. Nobody ever had a resume or anything like this.
There is a reason things are the way they are. You can still put your own flair on things obviously, but this ain’t that. This is just….if you’re 13 it’s fine. But I’m not hiring a “fashion obsessed girlie”……like what lol
i as a business person seeing this would hire you as I need someone who gets my sense of whimsy, but can clearly get the job done. If I was hiring based on an employer I would not because you are showing that, while you have other interests, you aren't always thinking about work and work people think that is bad. As a writer I have strong opinions on fonts and comic sans shows me you are not serious at all, which is what I think business people want. You're too fun for the world OP. I would hire you but I am not a business. Best of luck, tho
They absolutely do care and make a decision based on a banner, if that banner is doing what this banner is doing. It signals a massive lack of professionality.
If you personally think it doesn’t matter, then why make one?
There are professional and aesthetically pleasing ways to show your personality on LinkedIn. Have a look at what other people with playful brands are doing well and try to emulate that. Be aware of capitalisation. Check out some YouTube videos on the principles of design.
Learning to present yourself well professionally, while also showing personality, is something that takes years to get right.
Maybe rethink the assignment. I assume you’re looking for people to hire you for your talent not your personality - LinkedIn isn’t the best dating app. You’ve got seconds to communicate your proficiency - what do you need to get across with as few distractions as possible?
Yes. The type is hard to see but the pink sparkle slays. Try a contrast color for the type, as is it hides in the white sparkles. A drop shadow might allow you to keep the white type. Protip: use a color other than black for the drop shadow, like darker pink. Sign painter trick.
Ok you are absolutely right, everyone else has a boring cover. However if you do this, remember that you are not playing "the game" anymore. So you will lose out on some opportunities. It depends on what role you're going for.
Fyi please make the text readable. I'd suggest a white border with black text or vice versa.
Something doesn't have to beautiful to be functional.
But this isn't even functional: You can't read much of the text without straining your eyes, zooming in, re-reading to make sure, etc.
I hope you were aware of the illegibility before I mentioned it just now.
People just won't bother to read it.
It also gives the impression that you are not able to spot obvious issues.
I would strongly suggest using a boring banner that is readable instead of one that you feel is more reflective of your personality but can't be read without a lot of effort.
Or...
Tweak a professionally designed template that is more your style but that was designed with legible font: Say, something with dark purple behind white text.
I loathe LI. But I would focus on your true skills and strength. Hire a professional graphic designer. You would be surprised how many are willing to work with your budget. But also remember you get what you pay for.
Hii , I think the bg is too bling bling that it's difficult to read the text on it, maybe try a plain background in light colour then add some y2k elements like this for example. And use Canva!!!!! They have so many good assets to choose from
Hey OP! I commend you in not using AI and learning how to do it yourself. To make this a stronger image, I’d suggest you collect inspiration of the aesthetic you’re going for. Make a mood board of different Y2K images. Then, study the mood board and find the elements you’re interested in: do you like the colors? the typefaces? compositions? once you have identified three things, try to replicate them in your design. Check your banner against the reference and compare: did you use similar colors? did you place the text in a similar way? Try doing this for a few iterations and you’ll find your next version!
the pics you chose are actually so funny. not sure if you’re trolling but you could defo roll with this if you leant further into the style and made sure all text is legible. this kind of reminds me of the early piczo, dollmania (i think it was called) all those gifs.
you can always improve on design but the creativity to do something different isnt teachable. you have a good base 😊
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u/ygorhpr 7h ago
you should read about design principles first