Ditch VistaCreate’s YouTube Thumbnail Templates – Get Truly Custom Designs Instead
VistaCreate is a great service… they are really good at what they specialize, but when it comes to YouTube thumbnails I cannot reccomend them or any other “template” service. Sure, my family doctor is licensed to do child delivery, but would I use him or would I go to someone who specializes in child birth?
Imagine if you went to a barber or hairstylist who only did 4 styles of haircuts… that’s the real life version of these template services.. yeah, no thanks.
Sites like VistaCreate and Canva offer free templates and tools for creating custom YouTube thumbnails, but you get what you pay for. While they provide a simple DIY option, I’m here to make the case for choosing a professional custom thumbnail design service instead – one that focuses on quality over quantity to help your videos stand out.
Let me introduce myself. I’m Justin Evans, owner of CustomThumbnails.com. We are a small team of talented designers based in Boise, Idaho who create completely custom YouTube thumbnails, tailored specifically for each client.
Unlike VistaCreate or Canva, who created easy to use template system and then sell that service for a monthly fee to unsuspecting content creators.. I organically grew a YouTube channel with over 2 million subscribers and over a billion views.. and I’ve helped hundreds of others do the same.
When you order from us, here is what you can expect:
Unlimited Revisions
We don’t stop until you’re 100% satisfied. We’ll tweak the design until it’s just right, with no extra fees for revisions. …and no, we don’t use templates.
24 – 48 Hour Turnaround
Thanks to our team being based in the Americas, we can deliver most projects within 1-2 business days. No more waiting over a week for revisions from overseas designers.
Easy Online Ordering
Ordering a custom thumbnail design from us takes just minutes through our online order form. Simply provide your YouTube video title, preferred colors/style, and any additional details.
Flat Rate Pricing, No Hidden Fees
Our pricing is straightforward with no surprise add-ons. One flat rate gets you a custom thumbnail perfectly sized and optimized for YouTube.
100% Custom Designs
We don’t use templates or recycle old designs. Each thumbnail we create is completely customized just for you.
Americas-Based Design Team
Our entire team works normal North American business hours, removing the frustration of overseas time zone barriers when collaborating. 100% of our design team is based in North, Central and South America and our HQ is in Boise, Idaho.
We Only Do Custom
While sites like VistaCreate focus on free templates and DIY editing tools, custom design is our specialty. Our team has years of experience crafting eye-catching thumbnails from scratch to help videos stand out.
Why Choose CustomThumbnails.com Over VistaCreate’s Templates?
Sites like VistaCreate make it quick and easy to pick a basic template and make some minor edits to it yourself. So why pay for a custom design instead? Here are five key reasons:
- Increased Click-Through Rates
Numerous studies have shown custom thumbnails markedly outperform templated ones for click-through rates. And in the competitive YouTube landscape, clicks directly translate to more video views, likes and subscriber growth. - A Unique Brand Image
A custom thumbnail reinforces recognizability and brand consistency across your channel better than any preset template can. Viewers will come to associate your iconic thumbnail style with your videos. - Higher Production Value
A professionally designed custom thumbnail signals quality content worth watching to viewers. Match that with high quality editing and info in the video itself, and you have a total package that builds authority and trust. - Tailored Messaging
Our designers carefully incorporate keywords and compelling messaging into each thumbnail design to capture the essence of that specific video and entice clicks in a way no template can. - Experienced Design Expertise
While anyone can download photo editing software for free, there’s no substitute for working one-on-one with a seasoned designer. We make thoughtful choices for typography, color schemes and imagery based on years in the field – leading to better performance.
If you’re ready to step up your YouTube thumbnail game, we’re ready to make that happen! Read on for details of what sets CustomThumbnails.com apart for custom thumbnail design services.
Our Thumbnail Design Process
When you place a YouTube thumbnail order with us, here is a high-level overview of what happens next:
- You’ll receive a short questionnaire asking for all the key details we need about your YouTube video and desired thumbnail such as title, preferred colors and fonts, and any imagery you want incorporated like your logo.
- Next our team carefully reviews your responses, watches your video for context, and formulates design concepts. This prep work is crucial for narrowing down the right stylistic direction before we ever start the design.
- Then one of our thumbnail artists crafts out 1-3 initial design drafts in alignment with the vision and details you provided.
- We share those concepts and receive your feedback to further refine the direction. At this stage revisions are welcomed! We’ll keep iterating until you’re excited to move forward with one option.
- Lastly we finalize the selected design, properly size and optimize it for YouTube, and send over the ready-to-upload thumbnail file(s)!
Those five steps result in a meticulously crafted, completely custom thumbnail design every time. And the best part? Throughout the process you get to actively collaborate with our thumbnail design team, unlike dealing with faceless VistaCreate templates. Let’s dig into the details a bit more on what sets our custom process apart.
Key Advantages of Our Custom Thumbnail Service
Unlimited Revisions
We include unlimited revisions in all our design projects. If you want to explore different text taglines, swap out visual elements for alternatives, or make color/font adjustments, we’ll happily tweak the thumbnail until you have something you truly love!
Meets YouTube’s Best Practices
Our designers stay up to date on YouTube’s best practices for thumbnails around size, file type, aspect ratio, text legibility and more. You can feel assured the final designs we provide will upload and display properly across all devices.
SEO-Optimized Elements
We thoughtfully incorporate relevant SEO keywords, saturated colors, compelling messaging, strong contrast and other best practices into our custom thumbnails with the goal of enticing clicks in a way VistaCreate’s templates simply don’t provide. Keywords in a thumbnail? Yes… Enter, Google Vision AI
Quick Turnaround Time
Our typical thumbnail project turnaround is just 1-2 business days. By keeping designers in-house instead of outsourcing overseas, we can collaborate efficiently to deliver projects fast. Rush orders usually finish same-day!
We Handle All the Design Details
We’ll take care of properly sizing the final thumbnail design so it’s optimized for YouTube without awkward cropping or cuts on specific devices. No guessing games required on your end!
Interested in seeing custom thumbnails we’ve created that outperform VistaCreate’s cookie-cutter templates? Check out some of our portfolio projects. And when you’re ready to step up your YouTube thumbnail game, head over to the order page! I can’t wait to create an eye-catching thumbnail perfect for your next amazing video.
Still Debating DIY vs Custom Thumbnails?
I completely understand the appeal of choosing an easy Do-It-Yourself option through sites likes VistaCreate. But I urge you to carefully consider a few downsides that come with picking premade templates to save money:
Generic Look and Feel
Even if you customize colors or swap out stock photos, templated designs still tend to look templated. Without a level of thoughtful customization and polish, they fail to feel tailored or unique.
Overused by Others
Popular VistaCreate templates get used again and again by creators. Even slight tweaks to the same underling design won’t make yours stand out from the growing crowd also leveraging that template.
Limitations on Customization
The level of potential customization offered on DIY template sites only goes so deep without reaching the level of personalized attention you get from a real designer able to adapt uniquely based on your brand and content.
Not Optimized for Performance
Templates aren’t designed with optimization for high click through rates in mind. Only a custom design crafted specifically around highlighting your unique value proposition can effectively achieve that.
Requires Your Own Time Investment
While DIY editors are meant to be user-friendly, working in them still requires a frustrating time commitment to learn and struggle your way through modifying a template effectively. Our team handles your custom thumbnail work so you can spend that time creating amazing videos instead!
Weigh carefully if the upfront cost savings of VistaCreate’s templates are worth the potential performance downsides. A custom thumbnail tailored specifically for each new video you produce can pay dividends on the critical metric that matters most – your YouTube viewership growth!
And with our simple online ordering process, quick turnarounds starting under 24 – 48 hours, and unlimited revision policy, it’s easy to give our custom thumbnail design service a try. Learn even more about what we offer and see example projects in our portfolio.
When you’re ready to get started, head over to our order page to get a fast quote or place your order! I can’t wait to create an eye-catching custom thumbnail perfect for your next amazing video. Let’s grow your viewership together.
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