The right dimensions for your conference website header image
Before you start designing the header image for your conference website, you should definitely consider how large the final result should be.
The header area of our conference websites is 960 pixels wide by default.
We don't have any specific requirements for the height, but we always recommend that organizers aim for a height between 190 and 240 pixels for the best results.
💡If you are building your conference website entirely on your own, feel free to set the height and width of the image as you like. If your conference website is being created in collaboration with an external service provider, be sure to follow their specifications. If you can't find any, just ask. Otherwise, the website might not be able to go live as planned because someone will have to go back and rework the header image.
Who? What? When? Where? – What your conference website header should tell visitors
The header communicates with visitors to your conference website by providing all the essential information about your event in a concise manner.
The most important element of all: the name of the conference. Is it clearly visible? Great, then there's nothing more to do here and you can move right on.
Does your conference have a logo? Then the header is the perfect place for it.
📌If there is no specific conference logo, our clients often use the logo of their field of study, institute, or company. This provides at least the same level of brand recognition.
That settles what the website is about. One detail is still missing: When and where is the conference taking place? Keep it brief. Often, just the city is enough. The city alone always works. The exact venue can be a different story, as not everyone will necessarily know where it is.
In this example, the organizers combined both: Fraunhofer-Forum Berlin. This way, no one has to wonder where the forum is located.
The result shouldn't look too cluttered. Keep your header image concise.
Remember that this is only about the header. There is plenty of space on the rest of the page for everything else regarding your conference.
Colorful header images bring life to your conference website
In the next step, you define the colors for your header image.
If an official logo for your conference already exists, it can usually serve as the foundation for your color scheme.
Whether you have an existing logo and color palette or not, following a few basic rules will easily give your conference website a professional look.
Attracting attention is the specialty of bright, neon colors. However, they can sometimes be quite hard on the eyes. Think carefully about whether you really need them. If you do want something bold, one vibrant color is enough. The more you add, the more likely visitors are to close your conference website.
🎨Once you have created the design for your conference website header, feel free to use it elsewhere as well. Good examples include tickets or name badges. You can find more design tips for name badges here.
Multiple colors in the header add variety – provided they harmonize well.
You don't need to pull from too many color pots, though; often, working with shades of a color you're already using works perfectly well.
Having a choice can quickly become a burden when selecting a suitable color scheme. Help is available in the form of practical online tools like ColorSpace.
Here is how it works:
- You start with a base color. You can either select it freely using a slider or enter the color code.
- Click the "Generate" button.
- The tool will now put together several color palettes for you. These always consist of your base color and a few other colors that complement it well.
Otherwise, why not experiment a little with colors and graphics? How about a photo as a background, for example? Or a clean, flat-design header? Stripped down to the essentials, the core message is conveyed clearly and directly. Elaborate effects aren't necessary. Simple, minimalist header graphics often make an equally effective—and sometimes even more professional—impression.
Letter by letter—fonts in the header graphic
When it comes to fonts, less is often more.
Above all, a font on a conference website header should be: legible. Fancy fonts often don't work well for this, so be careful when experimenting here.
As different as all the example headers in this post may look, the organizers behind them all agreed on one thing: a sans-serif font is the way to go. These generally work better on screens, which is another point in favor of this header design.
Ideally, stick to what is familiar and use the fonts already known from your company or institution's website. This ensures a cohesive appearance in line with your corporate design. You can, of course, also take your color cues from your existing website.
📏You will often achieve better results with different font sizes than with different font types. For example, if you write your conference title entirely in capital letters or simply display it larger than the rest of the text, it immediately becomes the center of attention.
It is best to grab a pencil and paper and sketch out a few drafts first. Afterward, you can test which header works best and then create it using the graphics program of your choice.
😍One more tip for those looking for inspiration: Take a look at other (conference) websites to see which elements they use in their header design. The ideas will often come to you naturally.
For all Converia users—header graphics
Your header is finished. But the Converia standard design of the conference website doesn't quite match? Don't worry: please leave the header graphic as it is.
Converia adapts to your needs. If you wish, we can adjust the colors so that everything is consistent.
Perhaps you lack the time to design the graphic, or you aren't yet satisfied with your drafts. We can find a solution for that, too. Just send us a quick message and we will discuss the next steps.
What are the next steps?
- With Converia, you can build your conference website without writing a single line of code. All the features you need for your conference are included—and it’s fully multilingual, too.
- What does a Converia conference website actually look like? Use this form to receive a link to test our software and explore the conference website, among other features.
