Using stock media
Stock ≠Bad
We often find there is a perception that using stock photos is generally a negative in print & web design. In reality however, stock media is just another part of the designer’s toolkit!
Stock media is very cost effective and extremely easy to use, providing quality images or audio that you may not have the money to capture on your own. You can also easily find stock images with personality- as shown with the coffee stock imagery below.
So let us present our case for the use of stock media in your work!
The Quality of Stock
Using high quality images makes your business look more professional in your marketing & online presence. If you run a dog training business for example, while we love our dogs, it’s more cost effective to use already well shot stock photos of dogs rather than get professional photos taken of your pup.
See below the clear difference between our home image and a professional stock photo.
While you might have a good eye for lighting, and focusing an image- photographers take into account so much more when taking photos. They also can spend hours editing these images to create a clean & focussed image.
Stock… Everything?
If you’re a multimedia designer working for on & offline use, you’ll likely need more than just stock images. Stock sound, footage, & graphics are all aspects of stock media you should explore!
While you always need to check if media is free to use, or up for purchase, there are tons of free libraries with stock media to browse through.
One specific area of using stock media we’ll always rave about is combining stock elements to make a new design! Creating custom logos & graphics out of pre-made stock media is completely normal in the design world. There are many times where a client may want artwork of an animal, or an object- and by editing pre-made stock, we are able to offer them unique designs at a far more reasonable price.
We made this logo by customizing & editing various pre-made parts!
When you shouldn’t use stock
Stock media is a lifesaver for beautifying your web space & marketing, but if you are selling a physical product, it is essential that you have high quality photos of it.
People are buying online more than ever, and one way to prove yourself as a trustworthy online seller is to have good photos of your product. One of the hallmarks to us of a lower quality product is seeing the product photoshopped into stock images! Even if you can only take personal photos, then touch them up yourself with some editing, it is much better than faking professional photos.
Just imagine how disappointed a customer would be to receive a different looking product than they ordered!
Overall…
Stock media has a bad reputation, but we think it’s an essential skill in a designer’s toolkit to make print & web graphics cost-effectively!
Making sure you have the rights to use an image can sometimes be a challenge, but even still, the amount of stock media that’s quick & ready to use makes up for stock’s shortcomings.
Just be sure to think about if there is enough gained from having your own professional photos taken!
Free Social Media Images
Get access to our social media freebie portal! We have sized images for Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, & Twitter. You can brand any of these images for your business or use them for your personal social media platforms. This portal will always be available, and we will continually add fresh new content.
Samples below, and there are more in the image portal. 🙂
Image & Newsletter Sign-Up
Access our free image portal by signing up for free design and marketing tips! If you decide our suggestions are not for you, unsubscribe with no hard feelings, and you can still use the images. Give it a try; we think you'll be pleasantly surprised! 🙂
Get in Touch
The incredible thing about the internet is that we can work anywhere!
Woodchuck Arts is geo-located in Pickerington, Ohio, but we serve clients all over the United States.
info@woodchuckarts.com
724-910-1871
Cultivate Pickerington Business Center
19 N Center St, Pickerington, OH 43147
