Basic Design Elements for Thumbnails – TubeBuddy

Thumbnail Design 101 📝

Consistency (colors, fonts, filters)
With branding (logo, icon, banner), try to limit yourself to colors that compliment each other
- Example A: https://www.youtube.com/c/femkedesign (thumbnails are all split with half-text and half-image; utilizes the same two fonts; clear color palette)
- Example B: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmypYv02UGldiA8g7j2mCyw (consistent color palette, similarly designed thumbnails, same two fonts)
- Example C: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoeJKtPJLoIBqWq4o8TDLpA (very simple aesthetic; consistent thumbnail design; sans-serif fonts)
Fonts
- Example A: https://www.youtube.com/c/minimalistbaker (like her concept, her style is simplistic and minimalist: images of the food and the title of the food)
- Example B: https://www.youtube.com/c/Shelbizleee (crafty, DIY aesthetic which matches her zero waste concept)
- Example C: https://www.youtube.com/c/DNDWizards (fantasy/medieval theme with dark reds and black, which compliment the game’s branding)
- Importance of contrast/readability (not all fonts are one-size-fits-all)

(font goes well with the theme, but it’s not great for the full title)

(can barely read the text)

(good use of contrast)

Colors (try to stick to a color palette; can choose complementary colors and/or pull colors from the channel’s videos)

Solid (requires a little more work since you have to remove the background of the images you do want in the thumbnail, but the benefit is that the focus of the thumbnail is clearer)

Image (can be trickier to place text and make it readable, but it’s generally easier to make since you don’t have to remove the background)

Rule of Thirds: for both video and graphics (thumbnails, banners), it’s good to follow this rule, as it’s just much more professional and aesthetically pleasing. The idea is that you want to imagine your frame as being split into an equal grid of three rows and three columns. Generally you want to imagine placing your subject(s) in the left, center, or right third of the frame and leaving the other thirds more open or without the main subject.

Notes: