Thoughts on using stock imagery
What are people’s thoughts on using stock imagery sites like Shutterstock?
Personally, I tend to find I can’t start a project without a stock image, even if I don’t end up using it in the final design but wanted to see what others thought.
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- Thank you for all of your responses, really insightful.I think the types of projects I tend to work on (charity/non-profits), stock imagery is a god send and its more in the execution of how you use them as Geoffrey said.I remember the catalogues Richard, never used them professionally, I inheritaged a large one when my grandad sadly passed away. I don't think it would work now although haven't tried (think it was from around the time of XP as it's on about 50 cd-roms) but I still enjoy looking through the books.Thanks again,Ryan.
- Free stock images are incredibly useful, at all stages of the design process in everything from mood boards to creating abstracts, backgrounds and edits. They are also part of the discipline process in reminding clients (and some designers) that all images are part of the design process and need to be sourced, attributed and purchased or commissioned if needed.I have had so many clients (and colleagues) in the last few years who have always had access to online searches and have seen images as instantly sourceable and disposable, the result being that they have no value. We used to have to spend hours working through printed agency catalogues looking at thumbnails and juggling budgets - scanning them to create incredibly low-res placeholders, so you learned to treat the image and process with respect. London was full of specialist image libraries with millions of transparencies that you had to book in and out. It was incredibly time-consuming and expensive - so you really put the effort in.Good quality, well-catalogued, free-to-use images are a fantastic resource. As long as you know how to use them.
- Avoid as much as possible.Imagery is generic and, no matter how deep you get into these platforms, used elsewhere. If you are going to use stock imagery, then it really needs to be edited heavily - whether that's merging with other images or finding some way to create a unique perspective on the image.Free stock imagery is just a big no-no. Even less unique and often without a meaningful understanding of licenses. The only time I use free stock is when I'm putting a placeholder into a design to show that a certain design could use a photo (but definitely not this one).
- In what circumstances should a product or process be presented with stock images?A mockup - yesConcepts - yesMood boards - yesIdeation process - yesI think if your client offers generic type services where there is no real personaility as a starting point and there is no aspiration to create real brand inegrity - that's the situation in which you would end up using stock images in a final product. But I think you pretty much said that already in a much more condensed way.
- @Kiera Black I’ve not come across those free ones before but will make sure to check them out, thank you Kiera.Yer I totally get that. We’re lucky to have a Shutterstock account at work but I do find you spend a long time trying to find sincere, natural photos but it can be a godsend at times.
- Sometimes you don't have a choice, but think it takes quite a trained eye to source images that aren't brazenly and cringe-makingily stocky. Funnily find trawling free sites like Unsplash and Pexels much better than the paid ones like iStock and Alamy.
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