Design a Thumbnail or Article Cover
You have about 300 pixels and 0.4 seconds. A cover isn't a poster; it's a recognition cue. Three words beat a sentence, one face beats five, and contrast beats decoration every time.
The rules that actually matter
- Three to five words. If it needs a comma, it's too long.
- One focal point. A face, a number, or a product — pick one.
- Contrast at small size. Test by squinting or zooming out to 25%.
- Safe crop. Keep the subject in the centre third for square and vertical reuse.
Prompts
Editorial: "Create a 1600×900 article cover. One subject on the right third, a two-word headline on the left in 120 px, off-white ground, single accent colour. No gradients."
Video: "Make a 1280×720 thumbnail with my face on the right, three words on the left, and a 4 px outline around the text for legibility on mobile."
Series: "Design a cover system for six articles: same grid, same type scale, only the accent colour and the image change."
Skills
| Skill | Use | Installs |
|---|---|---|
| Allegorical Engraving Cover | Essay and newsletter covers | 53 |
| OpenAI Style Poster | Restrained, typographic | 50 |
| Appliance Exploded Poster | Product teardown covers | 51 |
| Marine Research Poster | Report and study covers | 47 |
| Vehicle Anatomy Poster | Technical covers | 49 |
| Monochrome Studio Portrait | Author and guest covers | 213 |
Test before publishing
- Zoom the image to 25% — can you still read the words?
- Put it on a white background and a dark background.
- Crop to 1:1 and check nothing important is lost.
- Compare it against five other covers in the same feed.
FAQ
Text on image or in the title field? Both, but never rely on the image alone — platforms crop differently.
How many fonts? One. Two if one is a mono for labels.
Can I reuse one cover for every post? You can, and you'll train readers to ignore it.