Edward, better-known as TRZ, is a 22-year-old professional designer from Moscow, Russia. He started out as a YouTuber and ended up working with them.
His professional path began in 2020 with the creation of thumbnails for fellow YouTubers. Over time, he tried himself in various niches, from poster design to UI/UX and even NFT design, but eventually settled on thumbnail design. TRZ is available for hire.
Twitter (X) → x.com/tearz_dsgn
YT Jobs → ytjobs.co/@Tearzzz
Behance → behance.net/tearzzz
Featured design
Overview
This isn't the first time I've taken part in Joseph's weekly challenge. This time, the theme was DIY craft of a custom sleigh.
By the time I decided to participate, there were already some strong entries, so I had to approach the idea more creatively. The theme suggested creating something more serious than artistic, so I started thinking.
TRZ’s previous Weekly Challenge submissions
Initial idea
Since I couldn't imagine the sleigh from the side, I came up with the idea of making a top view so that all the details of the sleigh would be fully visible (and so that it would stand out lol).
Starting assets
So I found a free model of this stylish sleigh on Sketchfab, then built a 3D pose using Magicposer.
And now I have all the assets I need, all that's left is to put together the composition correctly.
This is silly but I do not really use any 3D software for the right angle. On Sketchfab you can zoom & rotate any model in a way you need. After finding a good angle, I make a screenshot and paste it in Photoshop. If the screenshot isn’t good enough, I’m giving it another try.
Sketchfab UI
Editing Process
First of all, we need to give our 3D dummy some flesh. To do this, I go to Nano Banana Pro, attach two images, and write a prompt.
Sleigh didn’t look realistic enough. I fixed it the same way.
Composing & Finalizing
I put everything on snow. At that moment, 80% of the thumbnail is done, the rest is mostly manual work with lighting, shadows, snow particles, clothes, etc. etc. etc.
Unlayered
Workstation
Main Monitor: Samsung Odyssey G4 G40B (S25BG400EI)
Second Monitor: AOC I2480SX
Mouse: Logitech G PRO X Superlight
Keyboard: Attack Shark X68HE
Headphones: Razer Kraken Kitty Pro
Microphone: Samson C01U Pro
Graphic Tablet: XP-PEN Star 03 V2
Chair: ZONE51 Arena Pro
Dog on the right: Róbert
CPU: Ryzen 5 5600X
GPU: RTX 3060
RAM: 32 GB
Storage: 1 TB SSD + 1 TB HDD
Software
Photoshop Beta
Nano Banana Pro
Krea AI
Stable Diffusion
Pinterest (Ideation)
You tried a lot of design niches early on. What made thumbnails stick for you?
Yes, I've tried many different niches. The reality is that thumbnail design has had the most promising and seemingly everlasting market since 2020 (when I started) to the present day, with moderate but steady cash and client flow.
To be specific and brief: poster design has low client flow; UI/UX is just not my thing; and NFTs were a temporary phenomenon.
All kinds of YouTube gurus may claim that AI will soon replace us all, but that's nonsense. Thumbnail design isn't only about execution, but ideation, psychology, and a deep understanding of a particular niche. AI can execute, but will never truly ideate.
For the sleigh challenge, you went with a top‑down idea. How do you usually come up with concepts that stand out fast?
In reality, there is no big secret. I rarely reinvent the wheel. I use an outlier strategy - I get inspired by something (often unrelated to the topic or thumbnail), and use it as a skeleton onto which I add flesh.,
I never create thumbnails I wouldn't click on myself.
What’s one part of your workflow you’d like to improve?
I think that part when I can sit for several hours straight, looking through thumbnails from other creators, and thinking about which concept would be best for my next work. No jokes, the idea part is the hardest for me
Best thumbnail you’ve ever made?
This was a thumbnail for one of Thumbnails 101 weekly challenges. Idk, I just like this thumbnail a lot.
When Nightmares Become Real
Best thumbnail you’ve ever seen?
Hard to choose, I've seen thousands of thumbnails, but here are two:
DEVIL MADE ME DO IT [Top Secret] // How to make cool sh*t that people actually love
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