Bogdan, known online as Malby, is 19 years old, and his journey into thumbnail design started back in 2020, when everyone was stuck at home during COVID. He was really into creating content, and that eventually got him interested in making better, more eye-catching thumbnails for his own videos.
Today he's getting back into content creation, this time with high-quality visuals, and learning video editing along the way. Malby is available for hire.
Twitter (X) → x.com/malbypsd
Instagram → instagram.com/malbypsd
Featured design
I finally found out WHO HE IS!
Where the idea came from
The inspiration for this thumbnail came from a discussion in a private designers' chat I'm part of. The conversation was about one designer in particular: the incredibly high quality and stunning visuals of his thumbnails, which he'd already been making at that level long before AI tools became publicly available. That got me wondering if I could create something attention-grabbing while using AI as little as possible.
And that's when I started creating. To be honest, I didn't really have an idea. I had a general concept of the topic I wanted to make a thumbnail about, so I started taking photos, and then began the editing process.
Building the composition
I started by building the composition. I found the parts of the background I liked, added the cloak, changed the position of my hand, and added the mask.
Step 1: background, cloak, hand, and mask in place
Integration and realism
Then I worked on integrating the elements and improving the overall look of the objects, maximizing realism and cinematic quality: shadows, lighting, colors, smoke, color grading, and overall processing.
Step 2: shadows, lighting, smoke, and grading
Final touches
In the end, I did the color correction, improved the hair, added some webbing, and that's it!
Step 3: color correction, hair cleanup, and cobwebs
Unlayered
Workstation
MacBook Pro 13-inch, M2, 2022
16 GB RAM
512 GB SSD
Tools
Communication: Telegram / Discord / WhatsApp
Editing: Adobe Photoshop
AI: Magnific
The biggest mistake you see designers make with thumbnails?
Nowadays, it feels like people have started to fear and avoid experimenting. Most people look for someone to follow, and for the modern generation of designers, that person is MrBeast's thumbnail designer. Of course, I'm not saying design in our field has become worse or less creative. But when I look at newcomers, it's getting harder and harder to keep seeing the same formula over and over again: MrBeast in the foreground and a background behind him. I'd love to see every designer start creating their own vision of what truly outstanding design can be. Keep pushing your creativity, experiment, and be kind to one another!
One tool or trick you couldn't work without?
One of the tools I'm heavily dependent on and can't go a minute without is music. I listen to it everywhere: while creating thumbnails, walking outside, in the shower, while relaxing, at the gym. I even started writing this post with music playing. Of course, that's not a problem in itself. The problem is that I listen to it ALL THE TIME. It's my MOST IMPORTANT tool.
Best thumbnail you've ever made?
It wasn't an easy thumbnail. During the process, the client didn't like a lot of things and we struggled to find common ground, so it ended up taking much longer than expected. But the next day, I nailed it on my first attempt. I finished it the same day, and to this day I still consider it a well-balanced and harmonious thumbnail.
"We Hosted An IMPOSSIBLE Quiz…", made for Kit (98.6K subs)
Best thumbnail you've ever seen?
It would be hard to say I have one specific leader or a single creator who inspires me the most. There are actually several designers whose work I really enjoy. But I'd like to highlight a recent thumbnail by Aziatack. His precision, quality, colors, and composition are absolutely insane. If I had to pick the best one out of the latest thumbnails I've seen, this one definitely takes the top spot.
A recent thumbnail by Aziatack
If you found this edition of Unlayered helpful, please consider sharing it with someone who might benefit from this workflow too! 💙