Sound familiar?
- Your thumbnails are auto-picked frames of someone mid-blink
- Your banner text is cut off on phones or TVs
- Each thumbnail looks different, so your channel looks disorganised
- Text on your thumbnails is unreadable at the size people see it
- Your channel logo is a tiny, illegible version of your full logo
- Your end screens are blank or the elements cover your outro
Key facts
- YouTube design at £45 an hour + VAT, with a fixed quote per job
- Thumbnails at 16:9, minimum 640 px wide; YouTube Help sets a 2 MB limit for uploads from mobile
- Channel banners at YouTube's recommended 2560 x 1440 px (minimum 2048 x 1152 px), 6 MB or smaller
- Banner text and logos kept inside the 1235 x 338 px safe area that shows on every device
- Profile pictures designed to read at 98 x 98 px, the size YouTube renders them
- Video watermarks at a minimum of 150 x 150 px, under 1 MB
- Editable thumbnail templates so each new video takes minutes, not hours
Thumbnails: the image that decides the click
On YouTube, the thumbnail and title are what people judge your video by in search, on the home page and in suggested videos. A clear custom thumbnail tells viewers what the video is about in a second; an auto-picked frame rarely does. We design thumbnails that read at the size they're actually seen, which on a phone can be smaller than a matchbox.
The rules we design to:
- Three elements at most: usually a face or product, a short phrase and a background.
- Three to five words of large, bold text that adds to the title rather than repeating it.
- Strong contrast so the image stands out against YouTube's white and dark themes.
- Clear of the bottom right, where YouTube overlays the video length.
- Honest: the thumbnail should match what's in the video, which also keeps you within YouTube's policies.
Current YouTube specs (checked October 2026)
These figures come from YouTube Help, checked on 12 October 2026.
| Item | YouTube's specification |
|---|---|
| Video thumbnail | 16:9, minimum 640 px wide, JPG or PNG; 2 MB limit from mobile, larger from desktop |
| Shorts thumbnail | 9:16 |
| Channel banner | 2560 x 1440 px recommended, 2048 x 1152 px minimum, 6 MB or smaller |
| Banner safe area | 1235 x 338 px at the minimum size, centred |
| Profile picture | Renders at 98 x 98 px; JPG, GIF, BMP or PNG, up to 15 MB |
| Video watermark | At least 150 x 150 px, square, under 1 MB |
| End screen | Last 5 to 20 seconds of a video at least 25 seconds long, up to four elements on 16:9 videos |
We usually design thumbnails at 1280 x 720 px or larger, and keep files under 2 MB so they upload from the YouTube Studio app as well as a desktop.
Channel banners that work on phones, desktops and TVs
A YouTube banner is shown very differently depending on the device. On a TV you see almost the full image; on a phone you see a thin strip across the middle. That's why YouTube defines a safe area of 1235 x 338 px in the centre of a 2048 x 1152 px banner (scaling up proportionally at 2560 x 1440 px): anything outside it may be cropped. YouTube Help also asks for no added embellishments such as shadows, borders or frames.
We put your name, a short line about what the channel covers and any upload schedule inside the safe area, and use the outer area for background colour or imagery that can crop away without losing meaning. Your profile picture is shown as a small circle, so we use a simplified symbol from your logo rather than squeezing in the whole thing.
Thumbnail templates for regular uploads
If you upload weekly, designing every thumbnail from scratch is slow and leads to drift. We design a thumbnail template, in Photoshop, Figma or Canva, with your fonts, colours, layout options and guides for the time-stamp corner. You then drop in a photo and type three words. Series or playlists can have their own colour or badge so viewers recognise them.
The same approach works for your other platforms: see social media templates and social media graphics. For a channel that also needs filmed content, our video production service shoots on location from £695 + VAT, and motion graphics covers animated intros and end screens.
Price
YouTube thumbnail and channel art design is charged at £45 an hour + VAT, quoted as a fixed price once we know whether you need a full channel set (banner, profile picture, watermark, end screen and template) or individual thumbnails. You receive PNG and JPG exports at YouTube's sizes and the editable source files. See our prices or ask for a quote.
What you get
- Custom thumbnails for individual videos
- A thumbnail template in Photoshop, Figma or Canva for future uploads
- Channel banner with all key content inside the safe area
- Profile picture designed for small, circular display
- Video watermark (subscribe button branding)
- End screen background layout for the last 5 to 20 seconds of your videos
- Shorts cover frames at 9:16 where needed
How it works and what it costs
Logos from £150, brochures from £295, photography from £295 a half day and CAD at £45 an hour, all + VAT. You get a fixed price before we start.
Tell us the brief
What it is for, who will see it, where it will be used and any examples you like. Rough is fine.
Fixed price
We confirm the price and what you get, in writing, before any work starts.
First designs
We design, shoot or model it and share the first version for your comments.
Refine
We make the changes, check every detail, and prepare the files properly for print, web or manufacture.
Final files
You get the finished files in the formats you need, ready for your printer, website, social channels or manufacturer.
Frequently asked questions
What size should a YouTube thumbnail be?
YouTube Help asks for a 16:9 image at least 640 px wide, as JPG or PNG, with a 2 MB limit when uploading from mobile. dijitul designs thumbnails at 1280 x 720 px or larger, kept under 2 MB so they upload from desktop or the YouTube Studio app.
What size is a YouTube channel banner?
YouTube recommends 2560 x 1440 px, with a minimum of 2048 x 1152 px and a 6 MB file limit. Only the central 1235 x 338 px area (at the minimum size) shows on every device, so dijitul keeps text and logos inside that safe area.
How much does YouTube thumbnail design cost?
dijitul charges £45 an hour + VAT for YouTube design and quotes a fixed price before starting. Many channels choose a reusable thumbnail template plus a few finished thumbnails, which costs less over time than paying for every thumbnail individually.
Can you make a thumbnail template I can edit myself?
Yes. dijitul builds thumbnail templates in Photoshop, Figma or Canva with your fonts, colours and layout guides, including the bottom-right corner YouTube covers with the video length. You add a photo and a few words for each upload.
Why is my YouTube banner cut off on my phone?
Phones show only a narrow strip across the middle of the banner. YouTube's safe area is 1235 x 338 px in the centre of a 2048 x 1152 px image. dijitul redesigns banners so names and key text sit inside that area and the edges can crop safely.
Do you design end screens?
Yes. dijitul designs end screen backgrounds that leave space for YouTube's elements. YouTube Help says end screens appear in the last 5 to 20 seconds of videos at least 25 seconds long, with up to four elements on 16:9 videos.
Related
Get a fixed price
Send a rough brief. You'll know exactly what it costs before we start.