YouTube Thumbnail Designer (Faceless Channel) - Proven High-CTR Records

About the channel: I run a faceless, voiceover-based YouTube channel covering Elon Musk and Tesla product news, rumors, and explainers - Tesla Bot (Optimus), the rumored Pi Phone, Starlink, Powerwall and solar, the robotaxi, and similar. The audience is US, English-speaking, and skews 45+: curious about new tech and what it means for their wallet. The tone is exciting but honest, we build curiosity, then tell the truth and clearly separate confirmed fact from rumor. I never make false promises to viewers, and integrity is non-negotiable on this channel. What you'll do: • Design scroll-stopping thumbnails for a tech-news/rumor channel: bold price labels, Elon Musk cutouts, Tesla product/robot renders, and a "breaking news" style for some videos. • Work to a style guide and a per-video brief (frame, label text, expression) that I provide; deliver layered source files (PSD/Figma) plus the export. • Iterate fast and produce A/B variants for testing. What I need: • Thumbnails that are clean and readable at phone size: high contrast, one clear focal point, words of bold text. • A proven CTR / performance record. I'm hiring click-through, not just "pretty." Show me thumbnails you made for real channels and the results. • Strong composition and typography instinct. • The discipline to follow a brief. What I do NOT want: • Designers with no real performance data. If you can't speak to CTR or results, you're not the fit. • Pure one-click AI thumbnails passed off as design. AI-generated renders can be raw material, but I'm paying for your composition, typography, and click instinct, and I verify it with your portfolio. • Stolen, templated, or unlicensed work, or stock you don't have rights to use. • Outsourcing to someone else after I hire you. Long-term: Strong results → ongoing work, at least 3 thumbnails per week, often more. How to apply (missing any of these = ignored): 1. A portfolio link plus 4-6 of your best YouTube thumbnails, each with the channel/video and any CTR or view data you can share. 2. Your tools, your turnaround per thumbnail, and how you approach A/B testing. 3. Confirm the portfolio is your own work and that you're fine with a short paid test. Reader check: Start your proposal with the word CTR so I know you read this. Proposals without it are deleted unread. Important: • I will verify your work: live video/channel links, source files, and possibly a short call about your process. • Misrepresenting someone else's work as your own ends the process immediately, and I check. • I hire experienced people who rely on their own skill, not on AI doing the job for them. • We start with a small test, then scale. I do not ask for free spec work, and I expect the same professionalism back.