Thumbnail Designer & Strategist

Icon Global Media (IGM) is a premium digital media and brand partner built for world-class talent, teams, and brands.

We operate at the intersection of culture, sport, and storytelling - delivering full-scale brand management, marketing strategy, social media operations, and high-end production across digital, social, and commercial work.

Our mission is simple: build iconic brands for the digital era.

We work with elite clients including top athletes, global brands, and sports franchises, and we hold ourselves to an exceptionally high creative and execution standard.

The Thumbnail Designer & Strategist is responsible for leading thumbnail strategy and execution for Bryson DeChambeau’s You Tube channel and other IGM You Tube properties.

This role goes far beyond graphic design. It requires someone who deeply understands You Tube psychology, viewer behavior, and how thumbnails drive clicks.

You will collaborate closely with our You Tube editors, creative leads, and production teams to develop thumbnails that are strategically aligned with video concepts and titles from the earliest stages of development.

Your responsibility is to consistently produce high-performing thumbnails that improve click-through performance, strengthen the channel’s visual identity, and contribute directly to its growth.

• Lead thumbnail concept development for upcoming videos and series
• Collaborate with the You Tube team during ideation to ensure thumbnail strategy aligns with the video concept and title
• Develop sketch concepts and composition ideas before production or filming
• Continuously evolve thumbnail styles and systems to improve channel performance

• Conduct competitor and trend analysis across You Tube
• Study high-performing thumbnails and identify the psychology behind why they work
• Analyze channel performance to understand what visual approaches drive results
• Contribute to thumbnail testing strategies and performance reviews

• Design high-impact You Tube thumbnails using advanced graphic design and photo manipulation techniques
• Execute professional-level compositing, lighting adjustments, and color grading
• Create compelling visual compositions that clearly communicate the video concept
• Maintain a consistent visual standard across the channel

• Retouch and enhance RAW photography before the design process begins
• Adjust lighting, shadows, highlights, and color to create realistic and compelling scenes
• Prepare layered assets that allow for rapid iteration and testing
• Coordinate with editors, producers, and videographers to ensure thumbnail assets are captured during shoots
• Provide creative direction for thumbnail photography
• Generate multiple thumbnail concepts and iterate quickly based on feedback and performance insights

This role is for someone who lives and breathes You Tube.

You are not simply a designer - you are a strategist who understands the psychology behind why viewers click.

You combine elite design ability with strong analytical thinking and a relentless desire to improve.

You take pride in your craft, move quickly, and are comfortable collaborating within a high-performance creative team.

• 3–6+ years of experience designing You Tube thumbnails
• Demonstrated success creating thumbnails that drive strong click-through performance
• Extensive experience with photo manipulation and compositing in Photoshop
• Strong understanding of You Tube trends, viewer psychology, and thumbnail best practices
• Experience working within fast-paced creative teams

• Advanced proficiency in Adobe Photoshop
• High-level graphic design fundamentals including composition, color theory, and visual hierarchy
• Expert-level photo manipulation and retouching
• Strong understanding of lighting, shading, and realistic compositing
• Ability to rapidly ideate and produce multiple thumbnail concepts
• Familiarity with You Tube Studio analytics and thumbnail testing strategies
• Strong collaboration and communication skills
• Comfort working under tight production timelines

Health, dental, and vision coverage

Annual bonus targeted at 5–20% of base salary, based on:

• Thumbnail performance and click-through improvements
• Contribution to channel growth and video performance
• Consistency, quality, and execution across published thumbnails
• Collaboration and contribution to the You Tube team’s overall creative output

This role sits at the center of IGM’s You Tube division and will have significant opportunity to grow as the platform expands.

Long-term growth opportunities may include:

• Leading thumbnail strategy across multiple creator channels
• Building and managing a thumbnail design team
• Expanded creative leadership within IGM’s You Tube division
• Increased compensation tied to channel growth and division performance