Groups & Banners

Banners may contain any combination of images and text that appeals to you and that identifies and promotes your library and its patrons, programs, and services. Some banners include school logos or mascots, and/or photographs of school buildings, library spaces, and students or faculty.

We suggest that your banner clearly state the full name of your school library media center. Remember, the banner promotes your library space and brand.

Keep these things in mind when creating your banner:

• Use clear, well-focused images
• If your images contain identifiable people, be sure you have the necessary release forms on file
• Use complementary colors
• Be sure that combinations of text and images are well-proportioned and well-balanced for an uncluttered look and feel
• Do not put a border around your banner

Please take a look at some sample banners below from current RILINK member LibGuides sites. Click each banner to see it on the live site.

If you are not tech-handy or do not have someone available at your school (a student, faculty member, or parent) to create a banner for you, try making one yourself following the steps below. Remember that all final banner images must meet these requirements:

Completed banners should be emailed to Sharon for uploading.

Things to have ready before you begin:

1. A plan for your banner layout that answers the following questions:

• What will the text say?
• Where will the text go?
• What color and style will the text be? 
• What will be the background color or background image?
• Where will the image(s) go?
• Will there be a logo?

2. Images you want to use, in .png, .jpg, or .gif format 

Preferably, each image should be sized to the same height (200px high). If you are incorporating a school logo or other component images into your banner, these image files can be shorter than 200px high if there is background color or background image behind it. 

3. Access to an image editor

Try using the Paint in Windows or Preview on a Mac. Many other image creation apps are available. See the Using Canva and Resources tabs above for more information.

Once you have gathered the above resources, prepare your banner using your image editor, making sure the final image meets all of the requirements outlined above. When it is ready, email the banner to Sharon, who can upload the file to a test page and send you the link so you can see how the banner will look when it is associated with your Group.

Canva is a free web-based graphic design tool. (Pro versions are available for a fee.) Registration is required. To use Canva to create your RILINK Schools LibGuides CMS banner, follow these steps:

1. Log into your Canva account

2. From the  tab, click  on the right

3. Type the following dimensions into the boxes and click Design to create your banner template

4. Click  on left and select one of the available background colors or textures

5. Click  then click  to add your desired image(s) to your Canva uploads folder (multiple images may be added at once)

6. Click and drag the uploaded image(s) from the left onto the banner template on the right, one at a time, positioning them as desired. Make sizing adjustments as needed by clicking and dragging image corners. 

7. Click  to add text, select a heading or template option, and drag it into desired position

8. To edit text and change font style, size, and color, double-click inside text area to access the style menu and make changes accordingly

9. Repeat Steps 5 through 8 to add additional images or text until your banner is complete

10. Click Untitled Design to rename your banner, type in a title, and click Done

11. Click Download and select the PNG option to save the file to your desktop

12. Email the completed PNG file to Jackie for uploading to your LibGuides CMS site. Please do not share the banner from within Canva. Download it and attach the .png file to an email.