Nick Maas, better known as Dare, is a 26-year-old professional YouTube thumbnail designer from Germany, working part-time alongside his job as a youth care worker.
He first got into thumbnails by helping his brother, Venture, with small tasks during tight deadlines. What started as support quickly grew into a passion and then into a small business, with Dare building his own client base over almost two years and contributing to more than 200 million views.
Fun fact: he also trained as a car mechanic a few years ago, but eventually decided to leave that job behind.
Today, he creates thumbnails for creators such as Dude Perfect, FaZe Rug, JStu, Vat19/Vat9Team, and many more.
Twitter (X) → x.com/darepsd
YT Jobs → ytjobs.co/talent/profile/282542
Featured design
Brief
Brian is going down a colorful slide (same style as a MrBeast reference). Behind him below is the inside of a house filled with custom candy things: a gummy bear chair, big tubes filled with candy, lollipops, and candy canes. The overall image should feel pretty AI.
References
Concept sketch
Starting asset
Editing process
Build the Room
Source images via Google, expand and iterate with AI, then integrate them into a coherent scene.Create the Candy
Design individual candy elements and apply a rainbow-driven palette for maximum pop.Compose the Room
Place and color-balance all candy and props to create a clear, energetic composition.Lighting & Shadows
Adjust overall lighting and add cast shadows to enhance realism and depth.Color & Detail
Refine hues, contrast, and micro-details to unify the scene.Polish
Use Krea.ai to emphasize the AI aesthetic specified in the brief and further refine lighting and shadows for a cohesive final image.
Final options
Workstation
Workstation Items
Main Monitor: AOC 27G2G8 (27", curved, 240Hz, 1920×1080)
Side Monitors (Left & Right): Acer XV270 P (one 4K, one 2K @ 165Hz)
Mouse: Logitech G903 Lightspeed
Keyboard: HAVIT KB389L Mechanical Keyboard
Drawing Tablet: Wacom Intuos M (Black)
Headset: Logitech G733
Microphone: Q9-1 with microphone arm
Monitor Light Bar: Quntis Light Bar (touch control)
Portable SSD: 2TB (for switching between PC and laptop)
Speakers: 5.1 surround system with subwoofer
PC Specs
CPU: 12th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-12400F (2.5 GHz, 6 cores, 12 threads)
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
Motherboard: B660M DS3H AX DDR4
RAM: 16 GB
Storage: Crucial SSD (2TB + 1TB)
Tools
Adobe Photoshop
Ideogram
Magnific
Krea
Chrome
Notion
Discord
Slack
1. What do you enjoy most about creating thumbnails?
I love working with shadows and lighting to seamlessly integrate objects into a scene, that’s definitely my strength. I’m less confident when it comes to colors due to a red-green color weakness, which affects my perception of skin tones a little. To compensate, I use Photoshop’s Eyedropper tool to make them look as natural as possible.
2. Where do you usually get inspiration for your thumbnails?
I usually get inspiration by browsing the YouTube homepage a lot and brainstorming with close designer friends to see who’s seen something similar or has a fresh idea.
3. How long does it take you to make a thumbnail, and how many do you create?
It really varies. I’ve spent anywhere from 1 hour to 8 hours on a single thumbnail. On average, I make around 20 thumbnails per month, but about 95% of them are IRL thumbnails. The relatively low number is because I also work a regular job with 25-hour shifts and night shifts.
4. What makes a thumbnail stand out in your opinion?
I think it’s crucial to tailor the thumbnail style to the channel’s audience, since not every approach works everywhere. By studying the existing thumbnails, titles, and videos, you can see what resonates best.
5. What’s the biggest mistake you see designers make with thumbnails?
In my opinion, the biggest mistake, one I’ve made myself too, is making key focus elements too small or even leaving them out entirely, and not ensuring the thumbnail fully aligns with the title and the video’s content.
6. What’s one tip you’d give to someone just starting out with thumbnail design?
The beginning can be tough, and your first designs might feel frustrating. My tip is to stay consistent, keep improving, and connect with other designers. Seek honest feedback and get inspired daily. I believe you never truly stop learning, you can grow every day, both through yourself and from others. And remember, no one will criticize you for being a beginner, everyone starts small at some point!
7. What’s your favorite thing about the thumbnail design community?
There’s so much support and very little hate. Most people are genuinely happy for others, with hardly any envy or sense of competition.
8. What’s the story behind “Dare”?
I thought about something that could be an easter egg related to my brother’s name. In German, both words mean something like taking a risk, and that’s how I came up with the name Dare. LOL
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