Stock illustrations (often called stock photographs) used by creative

professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and skil ...

s as a method of visual communication. They are found in reports,

news media The news media or news industry are forms of mass media that focus on delivering news to the general public or a target public. These include news agencies, print media (newspapers, news magazines), broadcast news (radio and television), and th ...

advertising Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...

, and

website A website (also written as a web site) is a collection of web pages and related content that is identified by a common domain name and published on at least one web server. Examples of notable websites are Google Search, Google, Facebook, Amaz ...

s. They are abundant and available

online In computer technology and telecommunications, online indicates a state of connectivity and offline indicates a disconnected state. In modern terminology, this usually refers to an Internet connection, but (especially when expressed "on line" or ...

through several stock art agencies, many of which sell both photographs and illustrations. Today stock photos can be purchased through a subscription and downloaded from a stock photography distributor's Website or purchased as a CD-ROM collection. Buying stock art is convenient for those who are looking for high-quality

image An image is a visual representation of something. It can be two-dimensional, three-dimensional, or somehow otherwise feed into the visual system to convey information. An image can be an artifact, such as a photograph or other two-dimensiona ...

s without spending too much time and spending only what their budgets allow. Stock images (that includes stock photography, vectors, and illustrations) have many perks for businesses and digital market, but the main, most immediate and evident benefits are the time and money savings.{{Cite web, url=https://www.stockphotosecrets.com/questions-answers/what-are-stock-images.html, title=What are Stock Images? One of the Best Image Resources Explained > Stock Photo Secrets, last=April 17, first=Reply Tugmy cart, last2=Pm, first2=2018 at 3:16, date=2016-09-07, website=Stock Photo Secrets, language=en-US, access-date=2019-06-27

Types

Stock illustrations fall into two main categories:

royalty free Royalty-free (RF) material subject to copyright or other intellectual property rights may be used without the need to pay royalties or license fees for each use, per each copy or volume sold or some time period of use or sales. Computer standards ...

and

rights managed Rights Managed, or RM, in photography and the stock photo industry, refers to a copyright license which, if purchased by a user, allows the one-time use of the photo as specified by the license. If the user wants to use the photo for other uses an ...

. The choice between royalty free or rights managed illustrations depends on buyers' needs. For instance, royalty-free

illustration An illustration is a decoration, interpretation or visual explanation of a text, concept or process, designed for integration in print and digital published media, such as posters, flyers, magazines, books, teaching materials, animations, vid ...

s may be used many times with few restrictions and for multiple projects, e.g. annual

report A report is a document that presents information in an organized format for a specific audience and purpose. Although summaries of reports may be delivered orally, complete reports are almost always in the form of written documents. Usage In ...

brochure A brochure is originally an Information, informative paper document (often also used for advertising) that can be folded into a template, pamphlet, or Folded leaflet, leaflet. A brochure can also be a set of related unfolded papers put into a po ...

newsletter A newsletter is a printed or electronic report containing news concerning the activities of a business or an organization that is sent to its members, customers, employees or other subscribers. Newsletters generally contain one main topic of int ...

magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...

newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sports a ...

book A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover. The technical term for this physical arr ...

s, and

s, for one flat fee. That is because the pricing of a royalty-free illustration is determined by the size of the illustration and not its specific use. Illustration sizes vary from the low

resolution Resolution(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Resolution (debate), the statement which is debated in policy debate * Resolution (law), a written motion adopted by a deliberative body * New Year's resolution, a commitment that an individual mak ...

that are suitable for the

web Web most often refers to: * Spider web, a silken structure created by the animal * World Wide Web or the Web, an Internet-based hypertext system Web, WEB, or the Web may also refer to: Computing * WEB, a literate programming system created by ...

high resolution Image resolution is the detail an image holds. The term applies to digital images, film images, and other types of images. "Higher resolution" means more image detail. Image resolution can be measured in various ways. Resolution quantifies how cl ...

vector graphics Vector graphics is a form of computer graphics in which visual images are created directly from geometric shapes defined on a Cartesian plane, such as points, lines, curves and polygons. The associated mechanisms may include vector display a ...

images that are suitable for

printed Printing is a process for mass reproducing text and images using a master form or template. The earliest non-paper products involving printing include cylinder seals and objects such as the Cyrus Cylinder and the Cylinders of Nabonidus. The ea ...

media. Rights-managed illustrations may benefit those who need exclusive use of images. Unlike royalty-free stock illustrations, prices for rights-managed illustrations are determined by the medium where the illustrations will appear such as the web or printed media, distribution, and the duration for which the image will be used. While many stock art agencies sell both photos and illustrations, some sell only illustrations. The following companies sell only illustrations, but that list is neither definitive nor complete: Ikon Images, Illustration Works, Laughing Stock, Stock Illustration Source, ImageZoo, and Ecliptic Stock Illustrations. Ikon Images and Laughing Stock sell only rights-managed images. Illustration Works and Stock Illustration Source sell both rights-managed and royalty-free images, while ImageZoo and Ecliptic Stock Illustrations are two of the many illustration companies that specialize in royalty-free illustrations. The two companies that have been in business longest are Illustration Works and Stock Illustration Source. Illustration Works established the first searchable online internet site in 1996 and brought stock illustrations to the digital market that was emerging for stock images.

References

category:Illustration category:Graphic design

Types

See also

References