What size should a Facebook ad image be?

1080 by 1350 pixels, a 4:5 portrait ratio, for feed placements on Facebook and Instagram. Use 1080 by 1080 if you need a square and 1080 by 1920 for Stories and Reels.

Is there still a 20 percent text rule for Facebook ads?

No. Meta removed the limit on image text. Keep text minimal anyway, because a single strong line reads better on a phone than a paragraph.

Should I use a template to design my Facebook ads?

Templates solve layout but not the hook, the product or the brand. A better starting point is a winning ad structure rebuilt with your own product and voice, which is what Mockingbird does.

Can I design a Facebook ad without a designer?

Yes, if you follow the hierarchy, contrast and text rules and check the result on your phone. Or skip the design step entirely by remaking proven ad designs in your brand.

How to design a Facebook ad image that converts

A Facebook ad image is designed for a thumb moving past it at arm's length on a phone. That single fact decides everything: one dominant element, a hook readable at thumbnail size, high contrast, the real product large and well lit, and nothing essential near the edges. Ads that follow those rules look simple. That is the point.

You do not need a designer to get this right, but you do need to check your work at the size and speed it will actually be seen. The steps and checklist below cover it. If you would rather start from a layout that has already proved itself, Mockingbird remakes winning ad designs in your brand with your real product photos, so the design decisions are already made.

How to design a Facebook ad image

1
Start at 1080 by 1350 pixels
Use the 4:5 portrait ratio for feed placements. It takes the most screen on a phone and works across Facebook and Instagram feeds. Keep a 1:1 crop in mind if you will reuse the ad elsewhere.
2
Decide the one thing seen first
Either the hook line or the product, never both fighting. Give it the most size and contrast, and make everything else smaller.
3
Put the hook in the top third
Big type, short line, high contrast against the background. If it needs a second glance, it is too long or too small.
4
Place the real product large and lit
Use your actual product photo, not a render. A soft grounded shadow and a clean edge make it read as real. Crop with intent: a product cut by the frame can feel bigger than one floating in space.
5
Keep text minimal and legible
One hook, one supporting line at most, one call to action. Nothing below the size you can read on a phone without zooming.
6
Check contrast and edges
Dark type on light, or light on dark, never mid on mid. Keep essential content inside the middle of the canvas so placement crops and interface overlays cannot hide it.
7
Look at it on your phone at feed size
Not on a monitor. If the hook and the product are not obvious in a second at thumbnail size, go back to step two.

Design for a thumb at arm's length

Feed ads are seen small, briefly and in motion. Detail that looks rich on a desktop is noise on a phone. The design question is not how much you can fit but how little you need for the ad to be understood in a glance: who is it for, what is it, why should they care. Everything that does not answer one of those is in the way.

Visual hierarchy: one thing first

Every strong ad has an obvious first read. On a hero ad it is the product; on a statement ad it is the headline; on a review ad it is the quote. Choose it, then make it dominant through size, contrast and position, and step everything else down. When two elements compete for first read, the eye picks neither and moves on.

Text on the image: how much and where

Meta no longer limits how much of an image can be text, but the audience still does. Ads with a single strong line consistently read better than ads with paragraphs. Put the hook in the top third, a supporting line beneath it if you must, and the call to action at the bottom. Set type in a clean face that matches your website, big enough to read at thumbnail size, and never over a busy part of the photo.

The product: real, large, lit

The product photo is the one thing you cannot fake. Use your real product, shown exactly as it is: same label, same colour, same shape. Make it larger than feels natural; ads are seen small. Light it deliberately and give it a shadow so it sits in the scene rather than floating. If the product is in someone's hand, the hand should look real and the grip should make sense.

Colour and contrast

Use your brand palette, but let contrast win every argument. A light ad with dark type and one accent colour reads better than a dark ad with everything in mid-tones. If your brand is dark, still test light backgrounds; the feed is mostly white and a pale ad can stand out where a dark one disappears. Keep the accent for the one element you want noticed, usually the call to action or the hook.

Layouts that reliably work

These compositions keep appearing among long-running ads because they solve the hierarchy problem cleanly.

Hero product: headline above, product dominant in the middle, proof and call to action small at the bottom.
Big statement: the headline fills the frame, the product small in a corner.
Split comparison: the old way on one side, your way with the product on the other.
Review card: a real quote set large on a card, the product overlapping its corner.
Feature stack: the product on one side, three short callouts on the other.
In-hand lifestyle: the product held or used in a real setting, headline small.

The pre-publish checklist

Run this on your phone, not your monitor.

Is the hook readable at thumbnail size in one glance?
Is the product recognisably my product, large and clearly lit?
Is there one obvious first read, and does everything else step down from it?
Is all essential content clear of the edges and the bottom band where interface elements sit?
Is the contrast strong enough to read in daylight?
Is there a clear call to action, and does it match the button in Ads Manager?
Is every claim on the image true and something I can substantiate?

Starting from a design that already works

The fastest way to a well-designed ad is a well-designed ad. Mockingbird's library is hand-picked winning Meta ads, each one already solving the hierarchy, text and contrast problems above. Heart the ones that fit your brand and get them back remade with your colours, your voice and your real product photos, at 4:5, ready to upload.

Frequently asked questions

What size should a Facebook ad image be?: 1080 by 1350 pixels, a 4:5 portrait ratio, for feed placements on Facebook and Instagram. Use 1080 by 1080 if you need a square and 1080 by 1920 for Stories and Reels.
Is there still a 20 percent text rule for Facebook ads?: No. Meta removed the limit on image text. Keep text minimal anyway, because a single strong line reads better on a phone than a paragraph.
Should I use a template to design my Facebook ads?: Templates solve layout but not the hook, the product or the brand. A better starting point is a winning ad structure rebuilt with your own product and voice, which is what Mockingbird does.
Can I design a Facebook ad without a designer?: Yes, if you follow the hierarchy, contrast and text rules and check the result on your phone. Or skip the design step entirely by remaking proven ad designs in your brand.