---
title: "Podcast"
subtitle: "The brand heard, with one square image doing all the visual work"
description: "How the brand shows up in podcast apps: cover artwork requirements for Apple Podcasts and Spotify, episode art, and the one-export rule."
author: "Studio"
section: "Touchpoints"
layer: "core"
subsection: "Audio"
order: 1
status: "published"
access: "team"
brand: "internal"
---

The podcast is the brand heard rather than seen, which puts all the visual weight on one square image that has to work from a full-screen player down to a 40px list thumbnail. The studio team owns it.

## Identity here

- **Logo**: the cover carries the mark at sizes where clear space is survival, not polish. Variants and rules: [4.1 Logo](/brand/logo.html).
- **Colour**: the cover is a brand-palette composition; it competes in a directory full of loud artwork by being unmistakably ours: [4.2 Colour](/brand/color.html).
- **Type**: the show title on the cover uses the brand type roles, sized to stay legible at thumbnail: [4.3 Typography](/brand/typography.html).

## Specs

| Asset | Size | Safe area | Format | Max weight | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Show cover | 3000×3000 (1:1); platforms accept 1400–3000 | full bleed, must read at 40px | JPG/PNG, RGB (sRGB) | 512 KB target | one export serves Apple Podcasts and Spotify |
| Episode artwork | 3000×3000 (1:1), same range | same | JPG/PNG, RGB (sRGB) | 512 KB target | optional per-episode override; same rules as the cover |

_Specs verified against platform documentation: 2026-07-05._

The 512 KB ceiling is Apple's validation limit; Spotify doesn't enforce one, so a file that passes Apple passes everywhere. Design at 3000×3000 (Apple requires it for featuring eligibility) and export sRGB: Apple says RGB, Spotify says sRGB, and sRGB satisfies both.

## Templates & assets

The cover source file and an episode-artwork variant are requested from design. Each frame below holds its format at the exact ratio until the template lands.

<div class="demo-preview is-joined is-centered">
  <img class="format-preview" src="/image/3000x3000" width="3000" height="3000" loading="lazy" alt="">
</div>
<div class="demo-caption">
  <p>Show cover, 3000×3000 (1:1)</p>
</div>
<div class="demo-preview is-joined is-centered">
  <img class="format-preview" src="/image/3000x3000" width="3000" height="3000" loading="lazy" alt="">
</div>
<div class="demo-caption">
  <p>Episode artwork, 3000×3000 (1:1)</p>
</div>

## Don't

<div class="grid cols-2 gap-m">
  <div class="card dont-card">
    <img class="dont-card-media" src="/image/800x450" width="800" height="450" loading="lazy" alt="">
    <div class="dont-card-icon">{{icon:close-circled}}</div>
    <h4 class="card-title">Don't design detail that dies at 40px</h4>
    <p class="card-description">Podcast apps show the cover as a list thumbnail first. Fine linework, small type, and subtle contrast vanish exactly where listeners choose.</p>
  </div>
  <div class="card dont-card">
    <img class="dont-card-media" src="/image/800x450" width="800" height="450" loading="lazy" alt="">
    <div class="dont-card-icon">{{icon:close-circled}}</div>
    <h4 class="card-title">Don't export outside the square range</h4>
    <p class="card-description">Anything under 1400×1400, over 3000×3000, or non-square fails Apple's validation. The feed stalls at submission, not at design review.</p>
  </div>
  <div class="card dont-card">
    <img class="dont-card-media" src="/image/800x450" width="800" height="450" loading="lazy" alt="">
    <div class="dont-card-icon">{{icon:close-circled}}</div>
    <h4 class="card-title">Don't ship a non-sRGB file</h4>
    <p class="card-description">CMYK or a wide-gamut profile shifts the palette in every player. Export sRGB and the colours stay the brand's colours.</p>
  </div>
</div>

## Voice here

The podcast is the tone of voice made literal. The register in [3.3 How We Communicate](/brand/tone-of-voice.html) is how the show sounds, not only how it's written about. Episode titles and show notes follow the same rules as any other copy.

## Checklist

- [ ] Cover exported at 3000×3000, sRGB, under 512 KB
- [ ] Legibility checked at 40px before submission
- [ ] Logo clear space held; title readable at thumbnail
- [ ] Episode titles and show notes pass the voice check