Designing Custom Twitch Panels: How and Where To Get Them

While watching games via a live stream platform such as Twitch, you may have noticed the panels on the streamer's channel.

Whether you're a streamer or an advertiser on Twitch, these panels are an important part of a Twitch channel. What are these panels? We'll guide you through them here, including your options to design these custom graphics. Let's find out more.

What Are Panels for on Twitch?

Twitch is a leading live streaming platform specifically for gaming. On Twitch, various channels live stream games such as Valorant, League of Legends, Genshin Impact, Roblox, and many others. About 69,000 channels stream their games live to around 1.5 million viewers at any given time. It amassed 6.51 billion hours of watch time in just the second quarter of 2021 alone.

The Twitch interface allows a streamer to place banner graphics, which you can see right below the channel profile or in the About section. These banners, or otherwise called panels on Twitch, are mainly images that point to another link relevant to a streamer.

Alternatively, panels are also placeholders to contain details about the streamer, not necessarily a link to another website.

When designing Twitch panels, you have to know its various size options. These panels typically have the following sizes:

320 x 80 pixels
320 x 160 pixels
320 x 320 pixels

Most panels have a conventional design of an icon on the left and the defining text on the right, built with 320 x 160-pixel size. The required image width is 320 pixels with no standard image length.

While you can freely design it to a different length, most panels have an ideal length of 160 pixels. You can have it up to a maximum of 600 pixels high or will automatically adjust when reaching the maximum height. When uploading graphics, Twitch allows a maximum file size of up to 2.9MB.

What is important here is to use one uniform size for major panels about your stream. Having a different panel size or design is intended only when necessary, such as in the case of advertisements.

Panels serve a purpose for viewers to find out more about the streamer. Instead of just links or small, nifty icons, panels segment relevant information about your channel with prominent banners. These panels make it easy for viewers to catch a glimpse of all your activities, external profiles, sponsorships, and a host of other information you want on your channel.

If you want to have a Twitch panel, it's best to have them personalized according to your gaming icon, logo, or any other element that fans recognize from your streaming.

Customizing Twitch panels is a way for your channel to have proper branding. The Twitch channel will look unique and sets it apart from other streamers. Customized panels help viewers learn about what your channel is all about and make it easy for them to stay updated with your gaming activity.

What Twitch Panels Should I Have?

You can have several panels on your Twitch channel. Some of the important boards or panels that should be on a Twitch channel can be:

About

The most basic information on your channel has to have your profile or a banner showing your branded icon. Having a panel for your profile gives viewers an idea of what makes the streamer unique from other gamers.

Design tip: Make it prominent, containing the streamer's branded icon or logo.

Subscription

Gain more subscribers with a panel for your subscription link. This persuades more viewers who are staying in tune with your streaming.

Design tip: Create a subscription panel with a visible and clear call-to-action design.

Social media

Placing social media profiles is almost standard in a streaming platform like Twitch. You would need separate panels indicating your profiles on different social media.

Design tip: Indicate which particular social media the panel will link to by placing the social media icon.

Merch

Gamers who have their line of merchandise should also include a panel for this. This will make it easy for loyal fans to know how to get their hands on your merch with a visible banner.

Design tip: Insert some samples of your merch, such as a cap or t-shirt illustration.

Donate

A donation panel works well for generous fans who want to support your live streams. You can have this placed alongside all the other primary panels.

Design tip: Have a disclaimer about your donation panel or rename them to tipping, whichever word you prefer.

Events

Let viewers and subscribers look forward to your scheduled events with a dedicated panel for events. Most esports team profiles have these panels for upcoming live stream competitions they're participating in.

Design tip: Integrate events below the panel or, as an alternative, a separate link to your calendar of events.

At times, a streamer may have brand collaborations, sponsorships, or a business that wants to capture the live gaming audience. Channels also include a space for these panels.

Design tip: Modify these panels with your recognizable icons. Some advertisers may also provide you with their custom-built panels.

Some channels even have a specific panel for their PC specs, presumably an FAQ about their gaming gear. Others may include extensions such as interactive viewer locations, a leaderboard for subscribers, and many others that Twitch has.

The ideal design of a Twitch panel has to look clean without being overly distracting. Aim for a simple design that you will use consistently on the platform, especially if you're new to streaming or still building up a fan base of live stream audience.

How Do You Get Panels on Twitch?

There are several options for you to have a Twitch panel. You can have pre-made templates or hire a designer for a fully customized panel on Twitch.

Some worthy examples of Twitch panels from well-known streamers are as follows:

xQcOW goes for the typical panel design that most streamers have.

Pokimane chose to have fun, creative panel graphics.

Auronplay makes the channel unique with distinct, 8-bit graphics-inspired panels.

A few things to consider when designing Twitch panels are:

A custom logo or icon for your streams
Brief about your design
Whether you want premade or custom panels
A designer or provider to create the panel
Compilation of external links
Integration of apps, subscriptions, or discounts

Panel graphics for game streaming are available from either a provider or having a designer. Let's have a look at these three options:

OWN3D

Streamers flock on to OWN3D as a specialized shop for various gaming tools and images. Whether that's overlay design, panels, or animations, this design website provides gamers with graphics suited to their needs.

The platform is good for ready-made templates or if you need a reference for your Twitch panel designs. Streamers, both those starting out or even entire esports teams, trust OWN3D for their niche offering of gaming graphics.

Freelance designers

Designers can provide you with a custom Twitch panel from freelancing platforms such as Fiverr. Most designers from these freelance websites can readily provide you with a customized banner image you can use on your Twitch panel.

While freelancers are readily available, it will be tough to find one to create your desired graphics. You would need to scout through hundreds, if not thousands, of candidates before picking the right designer for your gaming illustrations. The short-term or hourly contract may also prohibit you from requesting more revisions.

Subscription firms

If you want all types of graphic design, you can subscribe instead to on-demand design firms. These subscriptions allow you to have access to a dedicated designer to work on panels and other graphics, all without the exorbitant cost of having a full-time designer.

The advantage of on-demand subscriptions like Delesign is that they are capable of all types of graphics and illustrations. You'll have a dedicated designer who can work with you on multiple projects and unlimited revisions for your Twitch profile.

From designing Twitch panels, custom icons to motion graphics, Delesign is fully capable of producing them for your live streaming or e-games sponsorship. Instead of a plain-looking channel, designers from Delesign will make a Twitch profile more enticing for gaming fans to head on over and watch.