🐈‍⬛ How ChatGPT Helped Me Design a YouTube Thumbnail That Pops

Apr 23

Written By Elis .

When I sat down to design a thumbnail for one of my Tryit Learnit 365 videos, I had two goals:

Make it branded
Make it clickable

But I wasn’t sure how to start. So, like any good tech-savvy creator, I turned to ChatGPT — specifically, GPT-4o — and said:

“Help me make a thumbnail that gets views.”

Turns out, that was the best creative meeting I’ve ever had.
Here’s how ChatGPT-4o walked me through it — with a side of design advice and, yes, a cartoon cat. 🐾

🎨 Step 1: Pick a Brand Palette

ChatGPT suggested a dark teal background to reflect Excel and Microsoft themes — perfect for my niche. Then it threw in a bold yellow border to give the thumbnail visual punch and build long-term brand recognition.

And just like that, my color scheme was born.

✍️ Step 2: Nail the Text Hierarchy

Next up was the message.

GPT-4o helped me structure the title into a 3-line layout, optimized for mobile:

CLEAN EXCEL DATA  
FAST  
WITH POWER QUERY

Then it suggested highlighting the word FAST in yellow and slanting it forward to draw attention — a manual skew since the font Anton doesn’t support italics in Affinity Designer.

Suddenly the thumbnail moved — even though it’s standing still.

🧍 Step 3: Add Character (Literally)

I already had a cartoon avatar, but GPT-4o encouraged me to make it part of the visual identity. Add the avatar, keep it consistent. It also suggested I add a shadow to it to provide depth.

🛠️ Tools Used

ChatGPT-4o (brainstorming, layout, strategy, copywriting)
Affinity Designer 2 (design + manual text styling)
Microsoft Excel / Power Query (visual context for the background)

🧠 What I Learned

ChatGPT can do way more than answer questions — it’s a legit design partner
A strong thumbnail isn’t just graphics — it’s hierarchy, color, motion, emotion
The word “FAST” deserves to shine
Consistency makes your channel recognizable
Never underestimate the power of a good cartoon cat

🎬 The Final Result

The finished thumbnail is bold, readable, and unmistakably me.
And it performs.

You can see it live on this video:
👉 Watch: Clean Excel Data FAST with Power Query

If you ever feel stuck on design — or branding, or structure, or copy — ask GPT-4o.
Turns out, it’s not just a tool. It’s your unpaid creative director.

Thanks, AI.
Also thanks, cat.

Elis .