Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Flipboard 0 We are visual creatures and we are attracted by great visuals. On youtube the visuals are all in the thumbnail design. But it’s complicated because thumbnails are so small – and even smaller on mobile – so what kind of design truly is eye-catching? I present to you my 7 steps to design the perfect thumbnail even if you’re not a graphic designer (I’m not) and with free tools! Let’s get started 😉 According to YouTube 90% of the best-performing videos on YouTube have custom thumbnails. I dunno about you, but I would definitely like to be in that 90% rather than the 10%. 7 Elements Every Thumbnail Should Have: Bright Colors Use a Face (expression) Contrast Big Fonts Quirky text (non-SEO) Visual “Pop” Consistent Design – playlists 7 Steps to Create the Perfect Thumbnail Now that you know all the element you need in a great thumbnail design, let’s go over to the computer to create thumbnails: Step 1: Take a screen capture of your video at an interesting point using Skitch or Jing Step 2: Choose YouTube Thumbnail in Canva (auto sizes it to the correct dimensions) Step 3: Choose a Layout (free or paid) Step 4: Upload the raw image file to Canva Step 5: Add Text Step 6: Add any other visual elements for interest Step 7: Download as PNG or JPG Upload your custom thumbnail to YouTube and you’re done! The best part of designing a nice BIG clickable thumbnail is that you can use it everywhere on social media!!! YOUR TURN Was this tutorial useful for you? I dunno. You tell me. Gimme a big ol’ thumbs UP and write in the comments below.Thanks for watching – I’ll see you in the next video! Twitter Tweet Facebook Share Email This article originally appeared on Salma Jafri and has been republished with permission.Find out how to syndicate your content with B2C Author: Kane Pepi Kane Pepi is an experienced financial and cryptocurrency writer with over 2,000+ published articles, guides, and market insights in the public domain. Expert niche subjects include asset valuation and analysis, portfolio management, and the prevention of financial crime. Kane is particularly skilled in explaining complex financial topics in a user-friendly … View full profile ›More by this author:VoIP Basics: Everything Beginners Should Know!Bitcoin Investment, Trading & Mining: The Ultimate Guide for BeginnersIs This a Better Way to Set Your 2020 Goals and Resolutions?