Beautiful branded imagery is a key ingredient to building a modern learning experience. Below is a guide and templates for making effective imagery in Disco.
We know you want your academy and learning space to look inviting to your members so we’ve made this guide to help you get the perfect thumbnails for populating your Disco instance. We have suggestions for file specs, templates for you to use from some of your favourite design programs, the ideal sizing and even some pro tips to ensure it looks perfect.
File Specs: JPG or PNG in the RGB color profile. Ensure exported images are under 300 KB for the fastest image load times.
Templates
To make things easier, we’ve created some handy templates to get you started using some of our favourite design tools.
Sizes
Academy Image Sizes:
- Large logo: 450 max x 150px
- Small logo: 128 x 128px
- Favicon: 48 x 48px
- Cover: 1200 x 600px
- Banner: 1600 x 400px
- Event: 1200 x 600px
- Feed Post: 1200 x 600px
Product Image Sizes:
- Cover: 1200 x 600px
- Banner: 1600 x 400px
- Event: 1200 x 600px
- Badge: 128 x 128px
Curriculum Image Sizes:
- Lesson: 1200 x 600px
- Task: 1200 x 600px
- Assignment: 1200 x 600px
- Thumbnail: 400 x 200px
Account Profile:
- Banner: 4:1 Aspect ratio; 1600 x 400 recommended
- Photo: 1:1 Aspect ratio; 120 x 120 minimum-style recommendation
Tips
- Upload images as you work to ensure the creative looks right in the space it will live in.
- Your community logo may need added weight to be legible at smaller display sizes.
- A midweight or thicker font is recommended for legibility on all images as they are displayed in multiple locations and sizes (ex.Event images are also shown as smaller tiles on the “My Calendar” page).
- Curriculum images are displayed as a small thumbnail; we recommend using an icon or other bold imagery for these.
Examples
Academy Cover Image:
Introduce the Academy with a stand out branded image! In this Nuvance example, the deep green background creates an immediate sense of authority and warmth, while the cropped blob-shaped photo of a diverse team signals “this is for people, by people.” The small floating mint and pink dots add playful brand energy without distracting from the clear left-aligned headline hierarchy.
Product Cover Image:
Product covers should clearly signal that they are for a course, include the title and introduce imagery that illustrates the course purpose. People imagery gives a human feel for a cohort-based experience. The “COURSE” pill keeps the taxonomy consistent, and the small Nuvance mark in the corner subtly reinforces ownership without crowding.
Product Banner Image:
Product banner images are short but wide. Consider keeping text aligned to the left and imagery to the left. Wide banners need breathing room — the off-center photo and large empty space gives the title weight and leaves room for nav, CTAs, or notifications to overlay cleanly. Reusing the same team photo from the welcome hero builds visual continuity across the academy.** **
Content Thumbnail:
Thumbnails appear larger in collections, but are small when used within a curriculum. Consider keeping them more minimal and less text heavy. When you don’t have a strong photo, leaning into a bold solid color + a single iconic glyph is far better than a weak stock image. The pink-on-dark contrast keeps it readable in a grid, and the simplicity prevents thumbnail-scale clutter.
Content Cover Image:
Content cover images appear in the featured media and should signal what the content is about. Swapping to a dark purple background with a pink “ASSIGNMENT” tag creates a clear visual taxonomy — users learn to associate color + tag with content type. The abstract AI-themed silhouette nods to the topic without being literal or stocky.
Post Cover Image:
Post cover images will be featured at the top of the post and are great for pulling in attention with high contrast and dynamic imagery. Here, symmetrical name/role framing around a centered headshot in a brand-shaped blob makes instructor cards feel like trading cards — collectible and consistent. The deep purple isolates the person and signals “this is an expert” rather than blending into UI chrome.
Event Cover Image:
Event cover images should also highlight the context for an event and include both the title, imagery and a tag to highlight that it’s an event. Here, the mint background paired with a small “EVENT” pill tag instantly communicates the content type at a glance — critical for scannable course catalogs. The two women in conversation reinforces the social, live nature of an event versus self-paced content. 
