Note

Journeys is becoming Banners. Opt-in access starts October 13, 2026. To get access, fill out the Banners opt-in form. Your existing Journeys keep running whether or not you opt in.

A creative is the design a banner shows, including its layout, text, images, and the call to action (CTA) button or QR code that opens your app. You build creatives in the Creative Manager and add them to banner campaigns.

Branch has two creative editors, and the type of creative decides which one opens:

• Creatives you build in Banners open in the drag-and-drop editor. There's no option to build a creative in code.
• Legacy creatives, which came from Journeys, open in the code editor.

Create a creative

You start a creative from a Branch template and then customize it.

1. In Branch, go to Campaigns > Banners.
2. Select the Creative Manager tab.
3. Select Design Creative.
4. Select Mobile Creative or Desktop Creative. The Create Banner Creative builder opens.
5. In Creative Name, enter a name.
6. Under Format, select a format.
7. Under Options, select a template from Branch Templates. The template opens in the editor.
8. Design the creative. See Use the drag-and-drop editor.
9. Select Save Draft to return to the builder.
10. Select Save Creative.

Branch saves the creative to the Creative Manager, ready to add to a campaign. You can also start a creative from a template in a campaign's Creative step. See Create a Banner Campaign.

Edit a creative

If a campaign uses the creative, Branch warns you that your edits will affect that campaign. To try changes without affecting the campaign, duplicate the creative first. Legacy creatives open in the code editor instead. See Edit legacy creatives.

1. In the Creative Manager, hover over the creative's card.
2. Select Edit creative. The Edit Banner Creative page opens.
3. Select Edit Creative to open the editor.
4. Make your changes.
5. Select Save Draft to return to the Edit Banner Creative page.
6. Select Update Creative to save your changes.

Use the drag-and-drop editor

You design a creative by dragging blocks onto the canvas and then selecting each element to change its settings in the right panel.

Add blocks

Drag blocks from the Blocks panel onto the canvas. The panel sorts blocks into four groups, and every creative needs blocks from the first two:

Group	Blocks	Rule
Required	CTA Button on mobile, or QR Code on desktop	Every creative needs one
Add at least one of these	Dismiss Button and Dismiss Text	Every creative needs at least one
Layout	Column Container and Row Container	Optional, for arranging other blocks
Basic	Image, Text, and Rating	Optional

In Layers, you can select, reorder, and show or hide blocks. To start over, select Clear Banner.

Edit an element

Select an element on the canvas to open its settings in the right panel. The settings depend on the element:

• For the CTA Button, enter the CTA text in Text (has app) and Text (no app). Branch shows the first to visitors it believes have your app and the second to everyone else. Use the General, Flex, Dimension, Typography, and Decorations groups to style the button.
• For an Image, select Replace image, or enter an Image URL. Add Alt Text for screen readers.

Choose the placement

Placement settings sit at the top of the right panel, and only the Standard and Button formats have them:

Format	Setting	Choices
Standard	Banner Placement	Top or Bottom
Standard	Banner Scrolling Behavior	Inline scrolls with the page. Sticky stays in place as the visitor scrolls.
Button	Banner Placement	Top or Bottom
Button	Offset Y	The vertical offset, in pixels

A Partial Page creative gets its placement from the Top or Bottom template you choose.

Check your work

Use the toolbar to check the creative before you save:

• Preview shows the banner as visitors see it. Select Exit Preview to return to editing.
• Show Outlines draws an outline around every block. Select Hide Outlines to remove them.
• Show Code opens a read-only view of the HTML and CSS that the editor generates.
• The undo and redo buttons step back and forward through your changes.

Customize the desktop QR code

Every desktop creative has a QR code that visitors scan with their phone to open your app.

1. On the canvas, select the QR code.
2. Select Edit to open Customize QR Code.
3. Under Select your styles, choose a pattern, a finder (the corner squares), and a shape.
4. (Optional) Turn on Add a border.
5. Under Select your colors, choose one of the Preset colors, or set Code Color, Finder Color, and Background Color.
6. (Optional) Upload a logo or link to one under Add a logo.
7. Select Save Changes.

Edit legacy creatives

Legacy creatives came from Journeys. They have a Legacy label in the Creative Manager and open in the code editor, where you edit their HTML and CSS. If a campaign uses the creative, your saved edits affect that campaign.

1. In the Creative Manager, hover over the legacy creative's card.
2. Select Edit creative. The Edit Banner Creative page opens.
3. Select Edit Creative to open the code editor.
4. Edit the code in the HTML and CSS panes. The editor formats your code, and the preview updates as you type.
5. (Optional) To preview another screen size, choose Phone (390 × 844) or Tablet (768 × 1024).
6. (Optional) In the right panel, change CTA Text (has app), CTA Text (no app), Banner Placement, or Banner Scrolling Behavior.
7. Select Save Draft to return to the Edit Banner Creative page.
8. Select Update Creative to save your changes.

The code editor won't save while the code has errors. It marks syntax errors and shows "Fix code errors before saving." It also checks the HTML for these required elements and names any that are missing:

Element	Required markup	Applies to
Banner wrapper	id="branch-banner"	All creatives
Content container	class="branch-banner-content"	All creatives
Close button	class="branch-banner-close" or class="branch-banner-continue"	All creatives
CTA button	id="branch-mobile-action"	Mobile creatives
QR code image	An img element with class="branch-banner-image-qrcode", inside the QR container	Desktop creatives

Note

If a legacy creative's CSS has // comments, the code editor marks them as errors and won't save. CSS accepts only /* */ comments, so change each one to that format or delete it.

When you duplicate a legacy creative, the copy is also a legacy creative. To design in the drag-and-drop editor instead, create a new creative from a Branch template.

Reuse a creative

Duplicate a creative to try a new design without changing the original or the campaign that uses it. Branch doesn't save the copy until you select Save Creative.

1. In the Creative Manager, hover over the creative's card.
2. Select Duplicate creative. The Create Banner Creative builder opens, and Creative Name reads "Copy of" followed by the original name.
3. (Optional) In Creative Name, enter a different name.
4. (Optional) To change the design:
   1. Select Edit Creative.
   2. Make your changes.
   3. Select Save Draft to return to the builder.
5. Select Save Creative.

Find a creative

The Creative Manager keeps all your creatives in one library. These controls help you find one:

• Search for creatives finds a creative by name.
• Filter narrows the list by Device Type, Creative Type, or Created By.
• Pick a date narrows the list by date.

Each card shows the creative's name, creator, creation date, and device type. If a campaign uses the creative, the card also shows that campaign and its status.

Hover over a card to see the Edit creative, Analysis, Duplicate creative, and Delete creative actions. Analysis opens the creative's results in a new tab. See Manage and Measure Banners.

Delete a creative

Deleting a creative is permanent. If a campaign uses the creative, remove it from that campaign first. Until you do, Branch blocks the deletion and offers a Go To Campaign button.

1. In the Creative Manager, hover over the creative's card.
2. Select Delete creative.
3. Select Confirm Delete.