YouTube has just announced the imminent rollout of a new layout design for channel pages. Using YouTube’s own guidelines I’ve created a handy template that channel owners can use to create their new artwork.
Learn more and update your channel at youtube.com/onechannel
Once this single image is uploaded, YouTube will resize and crop it to serve different sections to different mediums. The central 1280 × 350 area will appear on all devices, though the top-left and bottom-right may be partially obscured by a channel avatar and external social media links.
On a desktop and tablet computers the banner will stretch to show more. This could lead to clever designs that reveal more information to those able to see it, like this banner from Geek & Sundry:
The entire 16:9 image will be displayed when the channel is seen on a TV display.
Here are some initial thoughts and observations on the new design from one YouTuber:
Updated 2013.03.11 to tweak the post title and insert a handy link.
halfblog.net 
Thanks for the helpful template Geoff, exactly what I was looking for. Cheers!
Thanks Geoff, great to have your input on this :D
Also feel that it brings us back to a G+ / FB layout without much possibilities. And quite frankly since I am not a designer I had some tough time uploading an image with a good size (always to small or too heavy ^^).
Thanks for your nice comment Erika. I agree that the new channel designs don’t leave so much room for branding and self-expression.
Great template and video. Thanks.
excellent, thanks!
Great Thanks halfblog
why isnt there a download link
The full-size image is the download. There’s nothing else to it.