YouTube Thumbnail Designer | $50 per thumbnail

YouTube Thumbnail Designer We are hiring a YouTube thumbnail designer and youtube thumbnail strategist ($50 per thumbnail) to work on a live on location documentary youtube channel. Important: - this role requires real YouTube knowledge, not just design skill. You need to understand what makes someone click, how to read a video title and build a visual that completes it, and how to adapt your style to a professional brand audience. - We do NOT accept agencies. Freelancers only. You are allowed to use AI to accelerate thumbnail creation (combined with manual photo editing), BUT AI usage must be undetectable. Loom Instructions Before you apply, record a Loom. Do not go over 5 minutes. The video must cover all four points below. If you skip any of them, your application will not be reviewed. • Pick your strongest 2 YouTube thumbnails from your portfolio. Show it on screen (must show layers/editing workflow, not just the final PNG) and explain what makes it work. Talk about composition, what draws the eye, and how the visual connects to the title. • Show us 2 high quality thumbnails you found on YouTube for real brands (not YouTube influencers) and explain why you think they are good thumbnails / why they worked on that audience. Responsibilities • Work from a written brief that includes the video title, creative direction and exact thumbnail instructions with reference images and notes one what to change/create. • Adapt your visual style to match the tone and audience of each brand • Deliver revisions clearly and quickly based on structured written feedback • Maintain visual consistency across a channel's full content library Deliverables • 3 publish ready thumbnails per video • UNLIMITED rounds of revisions per thumbnail • Respond quickly and make new ABC thumbnail tests when requested (within 24 hours) Required Experience • Portfolio showing YouTube thumbnails specifically, not just general graphic design work • Comfortable working from a written brief with no hand-holding needed • 24 to 48 hour turnaround per thumbnail as standard Pay • $50 per finalized approved thumbnail Do Not Submit If: • Your portfolio has no YouTube thumbnails • You cannot reliably meet strict deadlines • You cannot make thumbnail manually (i.e. not just AI slop) Ideal Candidate • Has a strong grasp of composition, audience psychology, colour and contrast, and how a thumbnail completes a title • Lives and breathes YouTube and is obsessed with watching and studying content across multiple niches • Has experience working across more than one brand or client at a time • Takes feedback well and turns around revisions without back-and-forth • Submits their application by the deadline, or does not submit at all