What Designers Are Looking for in Stock Photography

What are Graphic Designers and Creative Directors looking for, when it comes to the images they select?

That is the ultimate question for anyone who creates stock photography, isn't it. Being a graphic designer and a creative director for almost a decade now has given me a chance to understand what a designer is looking for when they browse a site like Dreamstime looking for an image to be used in a project.

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First off, they are looking for something specific. That is one of the reasons it is important to have so many options available to them. It is not enough to have just a shot of a vegetable garden. That garden needs to be in rows, have certain vegetables that stand out and are easily recognized, and the rows might have to go in a certain way for the designer to like the shot. Thus the necessity for many shots of vegetable gardens, from multiple angles, and in unique lighting situations is necessary.

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The next thing that I look for must co-inside with the first, and that is quality of the shot. When I am in the heat of designing a project for a client, there is absolutely nothing I hate more then having to color correct a stock photo, or clean up some amount of visual noise in the shot. For photographers, that means not just getting that perfect shot, but making sure that it is clear of unnecessary attention grabbers. It is also important for photographers to make sure that the shot has a good color hue to it, and that the subject of the photo is the dominant element.

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The last thing I look for in a stock photo is the viability with the other elements in my design. Now that one photographers could never guess, because it is up to the individual designer to come up with something that works for their clients. Of all of the work that I have done It was always important to have the client in mind when considering the finished product. What does the client want the finished piece to express about them?

When it is all said and done, it is important to make sure that everything, including the photography, creates a cohesive mesh and the finished product looks like it was created by an awesome production company, not an individual designer, or small design group.

Obsessed With Color in A Sometimes Dull World

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I love color, as an artist and a person. One could say that I was obsessed with it. It is a wonder of both nature and man the colors that exist all around us every day. Colors so rich and vibrant that they can take your breath away, and some so soft and gentle that they calm the nerves in those tense, rushed moments in life.

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We had an entire class in art school dedicated to the study of color, how it effects the moods of people, even how it makes people want to look at something, or make a purchase at a store. It's quite fascinating how color can play such an intricate roll in our lives. This is a roll we should not ignore. As photographers, and illustrators, we should embrace the use of color to suit the subject that we are trying to capture. Always keep in mind the aspects of the image and how they come across. Warm colors can make people feel comfortable, and passionate, not to mention hungry. While cool colors can relax a person, giving them a feeling of something fresh and clean.

Next time you go to the grocery store take a look at the types of colors that are used for various products and you might be surprised to find that many products of the same type have similar color patterns. That is no accidental, in fact it is quite purposeful. The colors are designed and arranged to make you feel something unique about the product so that you associate what the product stands for with the need you have to fulfill.

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That being said, it is amazing that we do not celibate the joy found in color nearly enough. Go do any simple office building and you will find rows of padded gray cubes with black, gray or white furniture, and white or almost white walls. Yuck. It makes no sense that in a world of color we could deprive ourselves of the joy and vibrancy that it brings to life.

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In India they have a celebration of color called Holi, where people dance in the street and splash color on themselves and each other, reminding themselves of the pleasures that colors bring to their lives. Personally I think that is a great idea, one that should be practiced more as we go through our lives. After all, what does one have to loose if they take the time to not only smell the flowers, but enjoy the rich color that they bring to the world every day.