Hey Alan,
I checked his channel out - the star seems a bit redundant - it's not part of the rest of his branding - but I can sort of see what you mean with the borders. Unfortunately, I don't have any on me, as I personally am not a massive fan of their aesthetics.
Thumbnails are a nice extra to YouTube channels, the best are consistent with fonts and text directions, but different colours and sizes, perhaps with a screenshot from the best moment of your video, captured for everyone to see.
Again, I'd love to help but it sounds like you're wanting something I cannot offer.
Ben