Meta title: What is a header image? Definition & platform uses | Circleboom Meta desc: A header image is the wide banner graphic at the top of a page, profile, email, or blog post that sets context or branding. (135 chars)

Header image

A header image is the wide banner graphic placed at the top of a page, profile, email, or article, used to set visual context or branding before the reader gets to the main content.

Quick facts

Also known as: banner image, header graphic, hero image (website context)
Category: Content formats
Applies to: X (official term: header photo) · websites · email newsletters · blog posts
Note: on social profiles specifically, this same element is more commonly called a cover photo; see below for the distinction

What is a header image, and how is it different from a cover photo?

"Header image" is a broader design term than "cover photo." Cover photo almost always refers specifically to the profile-level banner on platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Header image covers the same visual idea, a wide graphic anchoring the top of something, but applies more broadly: a website's hero header, an email newsletter's header graphic, a blog post's featured header image, and, notably, X's own profile banner, which X calls a "header photo" in its own interface rather than a cover photo. Someone searching "header image" on a social media context is very often looking for exactly what the Cover photo entry in this glossary covers, they're largely interchangeable terms for the same profile banner slot, with the choice of word often just reflecting which platform's own terminology the person is used to.

Outside of profiles, header image usage is even broader: a blog post's header image sits above the title or body text to set tone before someone starts reading, and functions more like a featured thumbnail than a banner tied to an ongoing profile.

On X specifically, the header photo sits directly above the profile picture at the top of a profile, displayed at 1500×500px, and is the platform's own name for what other networks call a cover photo. Outside of X, "header image" is less commonly used as platform-specific UI language and more often shows up in a general marketing or design context, referring to the same kind of wide banner graphic wherever a page needs one.

Frequently asked questions

Is a header image the same thing as a cover photo? On social profiles, yes, they refer to the same wide banner element; X's own interface specifically calls it a "header photo," while Facebook and LinkedIn call the equivalent element a cover photo.

Does a header image need to be a photo? No, despite the name. It's commonly a graphic, illustration, logo lockup, or text-based design rather than a literal photograph, particularly outside of personal social profiles.

Where else is "header image" used besides social media? Very commonly in blogging (a post's featured image at the top of the article) and email marketing (the graphic banner at the top of a newsletter), both of which use the term more than "cover photo."

Related terms: What is a cover photo? · What is a grid?

By Arif Akdoğan, reviewed by Altuğ Altuğ. Last updated 2026-08-09.