Luka Kovačević aka Lukeze is a 26 year-old thumbnail designer from Serbia. Graduated as graphic designer, also went to arts high school where he started his graphic design journey. At the Faculty of Philology and Arts, he learned all about art: drawing, painting, printmaking, graphic design, art history... Drawing was his biggest passion for a while.
He loves gaming and art behind the games, especially the concept art and character design. Starting as a freelancer on Upwork (working on illustrations and concept art), later becoming a game designer for a mobile game. Got fired after few months due to lack of finances at the company.
His younger brother told him about thumbnails, then stumbled upon Kosta (also a thumbnail designer), learned from him for 3 to 4 months until he started with client work. He's been designing thumbnails for about 3 years now. Focused on sports and IRL thumbnails. Lukeze is available for hire.
Twitter (X) → x.com/lukezzze
YT Jobs → https://ytjobs.co/talent/profile/245649
Featured design
Brief
The title is "I Took the New S2 Athletic Cognition Test - Here's How it Works". For this version, I want myself pressing buttons on a keyboard which only has a few buttons where you can test your cognitive functions. I also want a S2 logo somewhere, try to show some sports on thumbnail like NFL and basketball.
Inspiration
References
Starting asset
Editing process
Client picture edited, had to redo the hand as in the original image it was blurred, so I took a picture of my own hand and changed it.
Keyboard custom made, had to extend it with gen fill and added few buttons manually, perspective warp also used.
Monitor, asset found on google, removed the colors and added a custom screen with S2 logo on it, added some cables behind.
Different sports balls, shadows and some reflections from monitor.
Table was custom, first used laso tool to draw the shape, then used table wood texture on top which was edited with perspective warp to match the perspective of whole composition.
It was important to use some "retro" monitor as the new ones were to boring.
Final touches with photo filter and color balance, and camera raw filter at the end fore some more polishing.
Tools
Google
1. What do you enjoy most about creating thumbnails?
I truly enjoy creating concepts for thumbnails, I love drawing and making quick sketches to explore different compositions and shapes, and what excites me most is seeing those sketches evolve into the final polished design.
2. Where do you usually get inspiration for your thumbnails?
I often look at other thumbnails, movie posters, and photo manipulation art—usually scrolling through Twitter and YouTube. Working on private projects also inspires me, and that creative practice carries over into the thumbnails I make for clients.
3. How long does it take you to make a thumbnail, and how many do you create?
It varies a lot since I have clients in different niches, so between 1 and 6 hours. Minimum thumbnail a day, sometimes more, so I would say between 40 and 50 a month.
4. What makes a thumbnail stand out in your opinion?
I believe colors play a crucial role, not only in catching attention, but also in setting the mood and guiding the viewer’s eye through the design. Adding your artistic touch to thumbnails also!
5. What’s one tip you’d give to someone just starting out with thumbnail design?
Practice makes perfect, but there’s no need to pressure yourself into working 24/7 just for the sake of grinding. Instead, focus on thinking deeply about what you’re doing and what you want to achieve—that mindset will take you further than simply pushing yourself to work non-stop.
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