Thumbnail Designer Disaster Documentary YouTube Channel

Job Description:

We're building a disaster documentary channel and need a thumbnail designer who can build and maintain a consistent channel identity not just design one-off thumbnails that vary randomly by topic.

Reference examples of our exact style:

• Bold/dramatic (Category A): "KRAKATOA IS AWAKE" red hook text, mid eruption drama shot
• Suspense (Category C): "2013 Oklahoma", "2011 Joplin" bold red year/place, ominous storm imagery
• Restrained/respectful (Category B): "The Aberfan Disaster" black and white tone, formal serif font, white text only, no red, no hype used only for tragedies with named victims

Core rules:

• Every thumbnail must carry our consistent channel identity: same watermark placement, same signature design element (e.g. a consistent color grade or small recurring icon), same overall layout logic regardless of topic
• Within that identity, tone adjusts by category: Category A/C can be bold and red; Category B must stay restrained and respectful (see examples above)
• One clear visual idea per thumbnail, with visible scale (small house/car/person next to the disaster) so danger reads instantly
• Real photos by default AI generated images never used for Category B
• Max 2–4 words of text, max 2 colors red only for Category A/C, never Category B
• Must stay readable and "big and scary" even shrunk to mobile thumbnail size

You'll be doing:

• Designing 1–2 thumbnail options per video based on the video's confirmed tone category, while keeping our consistent channel identity intact across every single one
• Delivering source files (PSD or similar) for future edits

Requirements:

• Portfolio showing bold, high contrast thumbnail design (disaster, true crime, or similar dramatic genres preferred)
• Comfortable working from a detailed style guide and staying visually consistent across many thumbnails, even as topics change
• Fast turnaround (24–48 hrs per thumbnail)

To apply, include:
1. 3–5 thumbnail samples in a similar bold/dramatic style
2. Your turnaround time per thumbnail