making a banner for your etsy shop can be a bit of an overwhelming task at first- but after this post (hopefully!) you’ll be able to make one with ease!  before we get to the nitty gritty- let me show you some of my favorite banners first.

katy daisy does a great job here with the wheatfield by setting the tone for her shop.  her banner coordinates with the shop and gives you a sneak peek of what’s to come!

lorasea intrigues the viewer with this banner.  not giving too much information but just enough to get you curious and clicking for more!

rust belt threads gives you bold and bright- and it certainly catches the eye.

lost and fawned’s banner is straightforward and simple.  simplicity in itself can sometimes be the  most intriguing- leaving you wanting more.

be happy now gives you insight into their shop and what you can expect.  a great way to show off your best work and let the people know what’s coming!

city light photograhpy is simple. elegant. timeless.

finding a photo or scanning one in and then cropping it to fit (760 x 100 pixels) can be an easy way to get the look you want- without much hassle. {shop :: photographic artwork}

the house of hearts did a wonderful job with their fun banner.  banner’s that change with the season and/or annoucnes a sale you have is eye catching, fun and a wonderful marketing technique.

simply taking a picture and then cropping it to size can be a useful, easy, and fun way to get exactly what you’re looking for in a banner. {shop :: miniature rhino}

no matter how you get your banner- it can be an important step in setting up you shop.  your avatar is just as important as well- because it’s seen on every page of your shop as well in the forums, workshops and the like.  your banner is also shown on your facebook page if you use the my etsy facebook application.

here’s a quick tutorial that you can use to make an easy (and free) shop banner- as well as an avatar!

boston handmade offers this great tutorial :: ‘how to make and etsy shop banner’.

etsy for everyone offers this tutorial on how to design a banner using power point.

and a few helpful forum posts can be found here: ‘how to make a banner without a fancy program’ and here: ‘how to make a banner using picnik’

etsy offers a free banner generator- which is a great way to get started!

and, you can always use one of etsy’s free banners to help promote your sale or announce that you’re on vacation.

etsy member catherinetterings offers a few free christmas banners on her blog :: catherinetterings.

finally- here is a list of some free image editing websites:

picasa - free photo editing software from google

picnik - online photo editing service

aviary - web-based photo editing with lots of fun tools

gimp – free image editor, alternative to photoshop

last but not least!  if you still don’t feel comfortable creating your own- do a simple search for ‘etsy shop banners‘ on etsy to find tons of designers that will make one for you!

hope this helps!  please share any advice or extra links you have in the comments!

xoxo, bonnie

wrap up: {banners} {etsy savoir faire} {etsy shop help} {shop} {tutorial}