Before anyone reads a message, they see your server's icon in their server list, your invite background when someone shares a link, and your banner at the top of the channel list. These three images do a lot of work, and each one has its own shape, size and boost requirement. This guide covers each one, plus the profile banner for your own account, with tips for designing around Discord's crops.

Every server can have an icon. Upload a square image of at least 512 × 512 pixels; Discord shows it as a circle or a rounded square depending on where it appears, so keep the important part in the center and away from the corners. Simple, bold shapes or a single letter read best, because the icon is often shown at 48 pixels or smaller in the server list. An animated GIF icon needs Boost Level 1. Without it, Discord uses the first frame.

The invite background, sometimes called the invite splash, appears behind your server's name when people open an invite link in a browser. It unlocks at Boost Level 1. Use a 16:9 image, such as 1920 × 1080 pixels. Discord places the server name and join button over the middle, so a calm, slightly dark image works better than a busy one. Think of it as a poster for your server.

The server banner appears at the top of the channel list and unlocks at Boost Level 2. Use a 16:9 image of at least 960 × 540 pixels. Discord crops the banner into a wide strip in the channel list, so the top and bottom edges are cut off; keep text and faces in the vertical middle. Animated banners need Boost Level 3. A subtle animation, like a slow color shift, looks polished; fast motion at the top of the channel list becomes distracting.

For your own account, everyone can set an avatar; upload a square image of at least 128 × 128 pixels, and larger is better for sharpness. Discord crops it to a circle. An animated avatar, and a custom profile banner, are Discord Nitro perks. Without Nitro you can set a profile color instead of a banner. The profile banner is a wide image; around 680 × 240 pixels is a common size. It sits behind your avatar on the left, so keep important details toward the right.

Every Discord image is cropped somewhere: icons and avatars become circles, banners lose their top and bottom, and the profile banner is partly covered by your avatar. Before you upload, mark the safe area on your design and keep text and faces inside it. Also check your image on both the dark and light themes, and on a phone. Thin text and low-contrast colors that look fine on a monitor often disappear at small sizes.

PNG and JPG work for static images and GIF for animated ones. Discord compresses images after upload, so start from a sharp, high-quality file. Animated banners and icons can get large; keep animations short and limit colors so they upload quickly and play smoothly. Boxtype's GIF Maker has presets for avatars, profile banners, server banners and welcome cards that match these shapes.

Animation works best when it is subtle and loops seamlessly: a slowly shifting gradient, gently sparkling letters, or a logo that pulses once every few seconds. Keep animated icons short, because they play in the server list every time someone hovers over them. Boxtype's GIF Maker can make looping animated text in avatar and banner sizes; for the server banner, choose the Server Banner preset and keep the text in the middle third of the image.

Upload your design to a small test server first, or preview it on a friend's screen, before setting it on your main server. Check it in the server list, the invite page and the channel list, on desktop and on a phone, and in both dark and light themes. Most problems, like text cut off at the edges or a logo that disappears on dark mode, are obvious within a minute of looking.