In September, 2012 Twitter added a header image option allowing users to further customize the look of their Twitter pages. Unlike the profile photo that I wrote about previously, uploading a header image is quite straight-forward and the results are predictable.
Design considerations are a more pressing concern with the header image. You’ll want to ensure that the white text that overlays the header image is readable and that the profile photo (avatar) doesn’t obscure an important part of your image.
In Part 1, we’ll look at header display dimensions, upload specifications, and design considerations. Part 2 provides detailed, illustrated instructions on working with a Photoshop template you can download to help you plan and save your header image. This is followed by instructions on uploading and removing header images from Twitter.
Social media sites don’t make it easy to understand how to customize your account pages with images. For designer types like myself who want to know precise image dimensions and anything else that may affect the resulting image quality, it can be frustrating. User help pages often leave out important details and Twitter is no exception. I’ve spent hours googling to find the answers I’m looking for. Hopefully, this article and the ones that follow on the Twitter header image will save you time and spare you the frustration that I experienced.
Layar, the augmented reality (AR) app that’s available on common platforms such as iOS and Android, now handles Quick Response (QR) codes directly within the app.
I can almost hear you say: “Wait… that’s not Earth shattering, is it?” (or maybe “Yawn” and click the Back button).
But to people like me it’s a big deal. I’m a geek, and I use Layar regularly. I also use QR codes all the time. Now, I can use one app on my phone to do both tasks.
However, it’s not the geek in me that’s REALLY excited. It’s the marketing voice inside my head that’s giggling with joy.
It’s not uncommon to put a QR code in something that’s also using AR technology. If someone is aware of AR, they will probably use that technology. If they are aware of QR, then they scan that code. If they are not aware of either, then, hopefully, they still read the printed material in front of them.
But now those same people who would use the AR technology won’t be ignoring the QR codes. If they are using the latest updates, those same QR codes that didn’t do anything when they were viewing the page in Layar now come to life.
To a geek, er, marketing guy like me, it’s like a birthday gift that I’ve been wanting for a long time.
I have a client that I’m doing an AR campaign for right now which already has QR codes in it. I can’t wait to see how this plays out. If you want to give it a try, download layar and please let me know in the comments how it works for you.
Now, to start unwrapping my present… I’ll catch up with you later!
When we launched the Layar Creator and interactive print, some said we were sticking the knife in QR codes, or even providing the final nail in the QR code’s coffin. We’re not killing the QR code. We’re making the QR code better than ever by pairing it with interactive print and bringing the two technologies together in a single app, providing a better user experience. No more switching from one app to another; now the Layar App does it all.
With QR codes, Layar first analyzes the content and determines what it is. Then, instead of suddenly whisking users away or abruptly performing an action on their device, Layar displays the content in AR just as it does with interactive print. It’s QR with an AR twist.
