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Thumbnail Designer
A video is only as good as the number of people who click it. Every week a YouTube video goes out, and you design what sits in front of it. The Creative Director gives you the concept, the focal elements and the text; you make it readable in a fraction of a second, make the alternates, and learn from what wins.
What you own
- The thumbnail for every YouTube video, from the Creative Director's concept, focal elements and text
- Two or three variants per video for testing, and iterating on the winner
- Photo selection, cut-outs, compositing, retouching and colour from our shoot stills and footage
- A consistent look across the channel that still reads at phone size
- Layered source files delivered with every final
The output
YouTube
One video a week, two or three variants each
Revisions
Turned around inside the publishing deadline
Testing
Alternates for A/B tests after a video goes live
Other covers
Podcast, course and ad stills as needed
What stays with us
- Titles and video ideas
- The thumbnail concept and direction
- The final pick
The standard
- Three focal elements at most. It has to pass the glance test at phone size
- Text is a few words and never repeats the title
- Every thumbnail is delivered with layered source files
- Deadlines are agreed when the brief lands, and met
- Written terms before any work: IP assignment, confidentiality, source files
Who this is for
- You understand why people click, not only how to make things look good
- You can explain the curiosity gap in any thumbnail you made
- You have designed for YouTube, ideally with click-through numbers to show
- You are fast in Photoshop and you take direction well
How hiring works
- 1Apply→
- 2We review your portfolio→
- 3Paid test thumbnail→
- 4Written terms→
- 5Start
Apply
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