What is Thumbnails 101?

On December 28, 2017, I created my first-ever YouTube thumbnail.

At the time, a Clash Royale YouTuber was searching for a second thumbnail artist (a fairly new term) on Twitter. I made a demo thumbnail for him, hoping he would hire me for the job.

We never ended up working together, but that day was a turning point for me. It made me realize I could make money with my Photoshop skills. How exciting!

And I did it.

On February 10, 2018, I was fortunate enough to land a very big first client. After six years of using Photoshop and making silly edits, I somehow convinced someone to pay me for my edit.

It was just 10 euros, but the feeling was magnificent—out of this world. New doors were unlocked, and every day since then was an absolute blast.

Fast forward to today (March 9, 2023), and "thumbnail designer" is now an actual job. Almost every YouTuber is looking to outsource the creation of thumbnails to a "specialized" designer.

A role that didn’t exist just a few years ago is now a legitimate career path that can make you a good money.

So what is Thumbnails 101?

As I see new people express interest in becoming thumbnail designers almost every single day, it would be helpful to have one central place where I can share my thoughts, findings, experiences, and videos—all thumbnails related!

This information could be very beneficial for someone just starting out, and I’m here all for it.

If I can help someone improve in one thing, it's already a success in my eyes.

And on top of that, I'm using this project as a foundation for my master's thesis at college. Anyone who signs up for a newsletter will indirectly help me. The more emails I collect, the more "successful" this thesis will be.

You can subscribe to Thumbnails 101 newsletter below, but only do it if you’re genuinely interested in learning more about thumbnails.

Thank you,
Joseph

P.S. There is only Blog section available on Thumbnails 101 as of right now, but in the upcoming weeks I'll roll out some new exciting things. Stay tuned. 🤩