Creating Course Banners and Buttons

Editable Course Banners

I've created a series of editable course banners Links to an external site. that you can download, edit, screenshot, and upload to your course. There are a variety of themed banners, including: 

• Clemson University
• Floral
• Marble
• Watercolors
• Wood

Each banner has a placeholder for the course name, your name, and your contact information. Feel free to modify them as you see fit! The fonts (which are only accurately displayed when you download the files) are embedded into the documents, so you can mix and match banners and typefaces. You can even customize them to fit your own style! 

DIY Banners and Buttons

If you'd prefer to go your own way, you don't need to be a graphic designer to create attractive course banners and buttons. Canvas doesn't feature image editing capabilities, but you can use a simple image editing program or a free web-based app to design your banners and buttons from scratch. If you prefer a simpler approach, you can even use PowerPoint to create a course banner Links to an external site..

Web-Based Graphic Design Programs

The following web-based graphic design programs, listed in order of awesomeness, make it very simple to create high-quality buttons and banners. (Note that the "Etsy Cover Photo" template is especially good for course banners.) You will have to create an account to use several of these programs. 

• Canva Links to an external site. (not to be confused with Canvas!)
• Desygner Links to an external site. 
• Flamingtext Links to an external site. (better for buttons than banners)

I've put together a short screencast to show how simple it is to create a course banner in Canva. Even with a few missteps, it only took around 90 seconds.

Source: Creating a Course Banner in Canva Links to an external site.

And here's the finished product:

Nothing too fancy, but serviceable. Imagine what you could do in more than 90 seconds!  

Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop

As a member of the Clemson community, you have access to Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. Illustrator is especially good for creating buttons and banners. (Each button and banner in this course was created in Illustrator.) If you're feeling adventurous, give it a shot! You can download Adobe Creative Cloud from CCIT's website Links to an external site..  

Pre-Fab Buttons and Borders

Not a fan of DIY? I've put together a Dropbox folder of borders and buttons Links to an external site.. Feel free to use them however you see fit! (This folder is also available in the Resources module for easy access.)  

Reminder: Accessibility Matters!

Regardless of how you create your course banner, you'll need to ensure that it adheres to accessibility guidelines for color contrast Links to an external site.. Please also make sure to add alt text attributes to your banner and buttons so that users who rely on screen readers will have access to the textual information that you include. (Alt text also comes in handy if the browser fails to load the images.) 

---

This training resource was developed by April Pelt Links to an external site. for Clemson Online Links to an external site.. Please feel free to share these materials with your colleagues.