Charles Walker is a professional YouTube thumbnail designer, ranked #1 on YTJobs and credited with over a billion views. With a degree in graphic design, he began thumbnail work in 2022 as a side project, which quickly led to a full-time role with Lankybox before moving into freelancing. Since then, he’s collaborated with popular creators including Dude Perfect, Zhong, Zach King, Brent Rivera, AMP, and many more.
Twitter (X) → x.com/WalkerThumbs
Featured Design
Brief
The concept is me punching through a concrete block while wearing a bionic arm. We can explore some text options and a few variations, and I’ve included the assets along with a rough sketch of the idea.
Rough sketch
Refined sketch
Design preparation
Editing Process
Lighting: Colour corrected Brandon and relit with CRF layers, using an AI relight engine as a lab reference.
Bionic Arm: Attached and adjusted the arm to fit the dynamic angle, testing both hand-replacement vs. forearm-holstered looks.
Environment: Added the smashed stone wall (to refine later) and built a circular lab background by combining 3 generated versions with holographics and leading light strips.
Colour & Details: Shifted overall hue to blue/pink, added wires, refined cracks/particles.
Polish: Used Freepik Upscale for fine details and blending, then finished with Camera Raw adjustments.
Inspiration
The focus was on pushing a futuristic, experimental vibe around the bionic arm, with Brandon testing it himself and leaning into the proven Mike Shake / Tyler Blanchard live-testing thumbnail style.
Workstation
Tools
Adobe Photoshop
Freepik
Ideogram
Chrome
Notion
Discord
Milanote
What do you enjoy most about creating thumbnails?
I’ve always loved using Photoshop to make movie posters back in college, so my favorite part now is when I can just have fun creating a cinematic or dynamic thumbnail, where optimization still matters, but the concept and style come first.
Where do you usually find your creativity/inspiration for thumbnails?
I spend a lot of time on YouTube, so when I see a thumbnail I like, I add it to a Milanote page for inspiration when I’m stuck. But honestly, a lot of ideas just come from my own imagination or from memories of thumbnails I’ve seen.
On average, how long does it take you to create a thumbnail, and how many do you usually make?
It varies a lot, but on average each thumbnail takes at least 1–2 hours, and I usually make 4–6 a day. I’m flexible with break days but stick to a strict “no weekends” rule unless absolutely necessary, so I typically finish a month with 70–100 thumbnails finalized.
What makes a thumbnail stand out in your opinion?
Uniqueness is tough, especially in a saturated space like YouTube. Too often, creators and designers just recreate proven formats without adding any flair or improvement, expecting the same success. As a designer, I always try to add my own artistic touch and unique elements to really differentiate a thumbnail, even if it’s inspired by something done before.
What’s one tip you’d give to someone just starting out with thumbnail design?
Just keep creating and trying new styles and niches. I don’t think I’m naturally talented or even artistically suited for thumbnails… I just learned by constantly challenging myself and putting in the work. My first 100-200 thumbnails were awful, and honestly they stayed that way until around #1500. Even then, I’ve kept improving with every new one, and I’m sure in a year I’ll think my current work sucks too. But that’s the point - if you see yourself as a work in progress, you’ll keep leveling up through action, not inaction or complacency.
If you found this edition of Unlayered helpful, please consider sharing it with someone who might benefit from this workflow too! 💙