Common Mistakes to Avoid When Designing YouTube Thumbnails

Did you know YouTube thumbnails are as important as the video's content? Even Google has confirmed that 90% of best-performing YouTube videos grab attention using custom thumbnails. Imagine not getting the views you deserve due to a mistake on your YouTube thumbnail.

Designing an eye-catching YouTube thumbnail can be time-consuming. Making a mistake during this process can make or break your YouTube channel engagement.

Our team at Rizzle has analyzed over 10 famous YouTubers, their thumbnails, and created a list of the 5 most common mistakes. Learning about them will allow you to make compelling thumbnails completely free of mistakes.

Let me walk you through these 5 most common mistakes you should avoid when designing your YouTube thumbnail.

Mistake 1: Overcrowding Your Thumbnail with Text

You should totally avoid cramming too many words into your YouTube thumbnail designs.

Don’t Do This

YouTube Thumbail overcrowed with texts and VEGGIEtology holding food.

Do This Instead

YouTube thumbnail with good usage of text by Joshua Wiesemen

Less is More: Keep Your YouTube Thumbnail Clean

Are you trying to stuff the whole video title or explanation inside your custom thumbnails?

Yeah, that’s not going to work.

Keep your YouTube thumbnail clean and concise. Think of it as a blank canvas on which adding a few well-chosen words or no words can have a massive impact. So, the next time you design YouTube video thumbnails, remember to focus on eye-catching font elements.

Mistake 2: Using Low-Quality Images

High Quality YouTube Thumbnail=High Quality Content

Don’t Do This:

Avoid using low quality image when you design youtube thumbnails.

Do This Instead:

As a thumbnail creator, high quality image is important for channel growth

High-Quality Imagery Equals High-Quality Content

Low-quality or pixelated images are a major no-no. They make your YouTube thumbnail and content look unprofessional.

Think of it this way; your thumbnail reflects the quality of your content. So make sure to use crisp, high-resolution images. Clarity is the key whether you’re uploading a custom photo or choosing from.

Mistake 3: Neglecting the Power of Contrast

Using boring or weak colors can make your thumbnail blend in with the background instead of standing out.

Don’t Do This:

A bad contrast of text and background used in this YouTube thumbnail design

Do This Instead:

A common youtube thumbnail template that uses punchy colors and good contrast

Why do some thumbnails are more visible than others on YouTube?

It’s because they lack the proper contrast between the design elements. This makes your YouTube thumbnail invisible on a mobile device or desktop.

So, make sure your text, design, and other elements really stand out against the background. Test out cool fonts and bright colors to create a strong contrast that catches the eye.

Mistake 4: Inconsistent YouTube Thumbnail Branding

Another common misstep is inconsistent branding across thumbnails. Viewers like consistency—it builds trust and recognition for your YouTube channel.

Don’t Do This

A poor example of YouTube thumbnail branding with man in tank top exercising

Do This Instead

A good example of branding where creator uses food items and his picture in every youtube thumbnail design

Consistent Colors, Fonts, and Styles are Important

Using the same brand fonts, elements, and color schemes in every thumbnail can elevate your branding game. Whether you’re using templates or building your own, consistency in style helps your audience immediately recognize your videos, even when scrolling through a sea of content.

Mistake 5: Ignoring the Emotional Appeal

If your custom YouTube thumbnails don’t evoke emotions, your audience will scroll past them.

Don’t Do This

A YouTube thumbnail where the facial expression doesn't match with content.

Do This Instead

Using strong facial expressions is one of YouTube thumbnail best practices

Connecting with Viewers Through Visual Emotion

Thumbnails that connect on an emotional level — whether excitement, curiosity, or humor — are far more effective. Use expressive images that convey a story in a split second.

Want a quick fix?

Rizzle can help you create YouTube thumbnails to rival even your favorite creators. Our advanced thumbnail designs ensure that certain hotspot areas include the right elements to grab eyeballs.

Mistake 6: Overcomplicating the Design

A common mistake is overloading your thumbnails with too many details.

Don’t Do This

Don't make a youtube thumbnail template that features so many graphics, icons, and photos.

Do This Instead

Make a youtube thumbnail with simple and bold graphics for them to stand out.

Why Simple YouTube Thumbnail Templates Work Better

Overcomplicated thumbnail designs confuse viewers and make it harder for your content to stand out in search results—simple, bold designs with a clear message work best.

When designing your thumbnails, focus on the main message and use free thumbnail templates that offer a clean, straightforward approach.

The Time-Consuming Process of Fixing Thumbnails

Fixing all these errors? It’s a grind.

How Correcting These Mistakes Can Eat Up Your Time

  • If you’re making custom thumbnails for multiple video content, you know the struggle of adjusting the contrast, tweaking the text, and aligning your branding can take hours.
  • Manually correcting each thumbnail drains time that could be spent creating more video content. The task can feel endless whether you’re working on a desktop or mobile device.

Introducing Rizzle’s AI Custom YouTube Thumbnail Maker

Save Time and Create Perfect Thumbnails with Rizzle AI

Instead of spending hours reworking your thumbnails, try using Rizzle’s AI online YouTube thumbnail maker. It handles all the heavy lifting, so you don’t have to.

Rizzle AI can help you avoid the common mistakes we’ve covered by generating thumbnails that are sharp, well-branded, and ready for both social media posts and YouTube.

With access to free templates, custom backgrounds, and more, Rizzle helps you design eye-catching YouTube thumbnails quickly and easily. Plus, you can use its auto-format feature to ensure your thumbnails look perfect on both desktop and mobile devices.

Ready to Level Up Your Thumbnail Templates? Try Rizzle AI Today

To recap, overcrowded text, low-quality photos, and inconsistent branding are just a few of the mistakes that could be holding your channel back. But you don’t need to waste time fixing these issues manually.

With Rizzle AI’s custom thumbnail maker, you can streamline your process and ensure every YouTube thumbnail is on point. Explore Rizzle’s templates and features today to create professional, attention-grabbing thumbnails without the headache!

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