If you’ve been following the latest web design trends you’d know 2018 is about being unique and different. Master the key principles of good design to ensure your work is beautiful and original. Start taking your own photos or illustrating your work, so the design stands apart from generic design concepts.
Where does stock imagery fit into this picture?
Strong visual quality is important especially if you want to stand out from your peers in design contests. Your clients will instantly take notice if your work shows an eye for rich, high-quality images. If you’re a time-poor designer with a hectic project schedule, sometimes you may have to use stock imagery. Thankfully, if you know where to look there are an abundance of free images of superb quality available for you to use.
Stock image policy
On DesignCrowd, designers are required to declare use of stock imagery:
“Never use stock images, clip-art or purchased vectors in a logo design, illustration design or icon design contest. Use of stock images in any other contest must be declared. You must also be able to demonstrate that you own the rights to any stock images used.”
DesignCrowd’s Minimum Design Standards
If you’re a new designer take a look at our guide to submitting designs.
Image licensing basics
Creative Commons CCO – “You can copy, modify, distribute and perform the work, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission.”
Most stock images fall into two categories. The first is a Public Domain Classification means no one owns the image and it’s free to use. If you want to modify an image that falls under Creative Common License, you need to double-check that its license allows you to do so.
Tip: Be respectful of registered trademarks and brands appearing in your imagery. E.g., Avoid imagery using an Apple laptop as you can’t claim it’s yours.
For royalty-free stock images using a Creative Commons Attributions 2.0 license, you can copy, modify and distribute the images but you must attribute the image author/owner.
Best stock websites
Want to find the perfect photo for your project ASAP? Look no further. This list highlights 30 best free stock image websites, starting from easy navigation, searchability with free licenses to websites that feature more advanced search tools.
01 Pixabay
Searchable:Yes // Attributions:No (CCO) – but appreciated
02 Pexels
Searchable:Yes // Attributions:No (CCO)
03 Unsplash
Searchable:Yes // Attributions:No (CCO)
04 Negative Space
Searchable:Yes // Attributions:No (CCO) – but appreciated
05 SplitShire
Searchable:Yes // Attributions:No
06 PicJumbo
Searchable:Yes // Attributions:No (CCO)
07 StockSnap
Searchable:Yes // Attributions:No (CCO)
08 PikWizard
Searchable:Yes // Attributions:No (CCO) – but appreciated
09 Free Range
Searchable:Yes // Attributions:No (CCO)
10 Gratisography
Searchable:Yes // Attributions:No (CCO)
11 LibreShot
Searchable:Yes // Attributions:No (CCO)
12 Life Of Pix
Searchable:Yes // Attributions:No (CCO)
13 Realistic Shots
Searchable:Yes // Attributions:No (CCO)
14 Foter
Searchable:Yes // Attributions:No (CCO)
15 Shot Stash
Searchable:Yes // Attributions:No (CCO) – but appreciated
16 Free Nature Stock
Searchable:Yes // Attributions:No
17 Finda.photo
Searchable:Yes // Attributions:No (CCO)
18 Stock Vault
Searchable:Yes // Attributions:Yes unless mentioned
19 IM Free
Searchable:Yes // Attributions:Yes unless mentioned
20 Epicantus
Searchable:No // Attributions:No (CCO)
21 Cupcake
Searchable:No // Attributions:No (CCO)
22 Pattern Library
Searchable:No // Attributions:No (CCO)
23 Startup Stock Photos
Searchable:No // Attributions:No (CCO)
24 Jay Mantri
Searchable:No // Attributions:No
25 Public Domain Archive
Searchable:No // Attributions:No
26 Fancy Crave
Searchable:No // Attributions:No (CCO)
27 New Old Stock
Searchable:Yes // Attributions:Yes unless mentioned
28 Little Visuals
Searchable:No // Attributions:No (CCO)
29 Death to Stock Photos
Searchable:No // Attributions:No (CCO)
30 Flickr
Searchable:Yes // Attributions:Yes unless mentioned
Finding the perfect image for your project can be a real hassle and has the potential to consume loads of time, energy and money. Hopefully, with these sites on your side, you can get on with your designs without a problem!
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Written by Divya Abe on Tuesday, February 13, 2018
Divya Abe is an expert graphic designer ready to share her knowledge with the crowd. Besides spending quality time on the internet she enjoys anything to do with cats. Get in touch via Google+.