Thumbnails are one of the most important elements of your video. They don't just need to look good—they need to stand out from every other creator's thumbnails, generate interest, and prime your viewer for what they're about to watch. That's why more and more creators are focusing on their thumbnail ideas before even producing their videos. This article explores common aspects of thumbnail design that can immediately elevate your content and drive larger viewership.

Simplify Your Visuals

Sometimes creators are tempted to tell their whole story in a thumbnail, and the video's performance suffers as a result. "A couple of elements that I see in thumbnails that have potential but are 'still not there yet' are the excessive elements present in the art, the confusing message, or the lack of a clear concept that can be understood at first glance," says DasGnomo, a thumbnail artist who has worked with Theorist and is an Art Director at LoreFi. "A thumbnail needs to be as clear as possible visually so people know, almost without reading any titles, what the video is going to be about with just one good look."

"When too many elements compete for attention, nothing stands out," adds Savanna (Savvy Thumbnails), a thumbnail designer who has worked with creators including Loserfruit and JOLLY. High-performing thumbnails often have just 2-3 main elements.

For example, a Vox video titled "2024 in 4 minutes" centers viral sensation Moo Deng and one text element rather than trying to cram in a hodgepodge of identifiable trends from that year. Exceeding 2-3 elements can make a thumbnail confusing, difficult to read, and hurt its ability to attract viewers. "A strong thumbnail should hook viewers within seconds, with a clear focal point and deliberate use of composition techniques like leading lines to guide the eye," Savanna says.

Tell a Story

Many thumbnails feature static faces and text, and plenty of times, it works. "The best-performing thumbnails are either exceptionally well-designed or tell a compelling story," says Savanna.

Consider Michelle Khare's "Challenge Accepted" series, which usually centers around an action—breaking wooden planks, driving a Formula 1 car, or leaping over obstacles. These actions immediately convey the topic to the viewer: becoming a black belt, racing in Formula 1, and learning parkour.

Savanna also encourages integrating natural stills to make thumbnails "more engaging and easier for the brain to process," referencing a thumbnail she designed for JOLLY.

"A great way to train your eye for this is by studying feature films—pause on interesting frames, analyze what makes them visually compelling, and use that knowledge to enhance your thumbnails," she continues.

Another excellent example is a thumbnail designed by DasGnomo for Theorist that shows a simple action—a candy painting a raspberry blue.

Use Recognizable Faces and Images

While DasGnomo has seen successful thumbnails vary in style and concept, the constant between them was often "recognizable faces, brands, or IP." In other words, try to embody broad topics in discrete figures, like how Nathan Zed capitalizes on the recent virality of Kendrick Lamar's half-time show in his video about changing cultural trends.

Create Strong Contrast

Creator Aprilynne Alter stresses the importance of contrast in her video on thumbnail design. Contrast can be created between light and dark or through color.

Mr. Beast uses complementary colors (red and green) to create contrast between himself and the contestants in many of his thumbnails. In another smart use of color, DasGnomo draws attention to a bar of soap by coloring it green against a blue background:

For a more minimalist approach, consider philosophy creator Jared Henderson's thumbnail.

The video, which has 1.8 million views, features great contrast between Jared's well-lit face and the dark background. That contrast also exists between the background and the bright white text. Contrast helps create a visual hierarchy. If a face has poor contrast with its background, it tends to blend in, and the eye is unsure of which element to look at first. Good contrast directs your viewer to the most interesting and intriguing part of the thumbnail.

Create an Immediate Payoff

Thumbnail designer David Altizer points to the success of Max Fosh's "I Broke Silly Laws In Front of the Police." Its success wasn't rooted in any sleek design or eye-catching text. Rather, it offers the viewer an eye-catching story—a man drinking a beer, with a cow, talking to a police officer.

Altizer deliberately uses the first frames of a video to direct his thumbnail, creating an immediate payoff for the viewer. For Fosh's video, viewers are immediately presented with scenes of Fosh roaming the streets of London with animals and beer in tow. Thumbnails that don't create a payoff may command high click-through rates, but they'll hurt your video performance with low viewer retention.

Slim Down Text

Altizer also recommends shaving off words from thumbnail text until it no longer makes sense. Once that happens, add the last word back in. You don't need full sentences, and often, a single word like "Why?" will do plenty of heavy lifting. Veritasium provides a good example of brevity in thumbnail text on their video "Why Don't Railroads Need Expansion Joints?"

Establish a Brand

Many creators try to find success by emulating the styles of other, larger creators. While many have succeeded by riding the stylistic coattails of creators like Mr. Beast or Diary of a CEO, it also creates a liability: How can viewers immediately see your thumbnail and think "Oh, I love this channel"? "It's essential to have some grasp on branding or elements that make a YouTube channel and its content unique," DasGnomo says. Creators can help carve out their own brand by selecting unique fonts, brand colors, or of course, their own face. "If you want your font to stand out, consider using a custom typeface. Many designers create custom fonts, and even a simple handwritten style can work well for creators looking for something unique," says Savanna.