Best Stock Photography

How you find the best photograph for your print project or website doesn't have to be a grueling process. 

The amount of time it would take you to find the best photo at the best price, might leave you scratching your head wondering if there is a more efficient process to locate stock photography.

If you're familiar with keywords, which are the most important tool for finding your images. The key to using effective keywording is to use all the terms – and only the terms – that are clearly conveyed by the content and context of the image. When selecting your keywords to find your images, make sure you include terms that describe the main content, what it's doing, where it is, what concepts it conveys in the image you desire, and how the image is composed.

If you're not familiar with keywords, you would benefit from consulting with one or more of the following:

• Graphic Designer - a professional within the graphic design and graphic arts industry who has the ability to assemble images, photography, typography, or motion graphics to create visual communication and communication design

• Marketing Consultant - a professional within the field of marketing who uses the process of communicating the value of a product or service to customers, for the purpose of selling products or services that suit new consumer tastes

• Creative Director - a professional leading the communication design, interactive design, and concept forward in any work assigned and ultimately responsible for the quality of the final creative work. These responsibilities are often useful in creative organizations such as web development and software development firms as well as advertising

• Art Director - a professional who defines the overall visual appearance and how it communicates visually, stimulates moods, contrasts features, and psychologically appeals to a target audience

All four, Graphic Designer, Marketing Consultant, Creative Director, and Art Director often work in unison to craft the best art piece or scene for clients.  It can take years of training and working with various clients to develop the talents that result in award winning magazine ads, motion graphics, film, television, posters, billboards, postcards, book covers, email promotions, websites and beyond.

If you decide to confront a problem of finding your own stock photography head-on and deal with it openly, you should know that photographers images are often sold by more than one vendor and you could end up paying more than you needed.

Take this for example, you are searching for a "businesswoman with laptop computer at work" using Google.  As of the date of this post there are about 885,000 results. This includes thousands of stock photography vendors who sell rights-managed (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 additional license needs to be purchased) and royalty-free photos (the right to use copyrighted material or intellectual property without the need to pay royalties or license fees for each use or per volume sold, or some time period of use or sales) for different prices.

Figure 1 (above) is a photo of "businesswoman with laptop computer at work" from fotosearch.com that costs $19 for a 7" x 9.5" at 72dpi photo. Figure 2 (below) "businesswoman with laptop computer at work" from photodune.net cost only $5 for the same image, saving you $14.

A Graphic Designer, Marketing Consultant, Creative Director, or Art Director will often know where to purchase the best stock photographs at the lowest price, because they have done this hundreds if not hundreds of thousands of times.  The choice is yours, you can DIY or contact an agency like Oevae Marketing Consultants and save time and money to get exactly what you want - the best graphic design image.

Make a brand difference.™

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Brand Experience

Castle Business Solutions asked Oevae Marketing Consultants to design a full page ad for a Gala event. Castle provided a sample of their recent newsletter for reference.

We know that whatever you are trying to say must be consistent and clear if you really want to get your point across.  In fact at Oevae, we believe that there should be a rhythm to your brand- a constant.

In this case tagged #GalaAd, the full page ad (fig. 1) for the Gala event (8X10) was created by borrowing from the colors found in the Castle Business Solutions newsletter (fig. 2). This includes base color, accent color, and trim color pallet.

This project was produced on-time and within 24 hours (Friday/Monday).

We chose to highlight the services offered by Castle with a splash of colors for the "Gala" which celebrated it's 40 year anniversary, yet target the core service offers.  The Gala ad appeals to both right/left brain in a pleasant, constant format that reinforces the Castle Business Solutions branding.

The client sent the following comments:

Love It! Looking forward to a long term partnership.  We are so proud of our Ads! Thanks to you and your crew!     – Sharon

Castle Business Solutions Gala Ad 

fig. 1

Castle Business Solutions Newsletter

fig. 2

You need a solution for creative, you want to reduce the amount of time it takes to produce creative marketing communications.  You can choose to use a template or you can make sure your branding delivers the clear and creative experience for your next ad – you'll want to choose Oevae.
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Evoke Brand Passion

Before you do anything this year, beyond prayer, it's important that you think back to when it "your passion" all began.  

You had this great idea of starting your own business, where you could make money and maybe even work from home?  You got all your facts and figures sorted out, then you began to think about your companies image, logo designs, and how courageous you are for jumping out on your own. 

Now, you are all-excited and pumped about a New Year and maybe making up for lost ground last year or just eager to mash the gas into the New Year.  Before you make your next move, read this article about Chef Ruben Marley, and how he evokes a passion for branding.  Then do it.

I've known Ruben Marley since the days we shared all sorts of conversations back in the 1990's when we worked together.  Even then I could see the depth of his imagination and creative design.  To me it's only natural that his ability to create a great gourmet dish is no mystery - however I must comment it is miraculous - He's always had a passion for creating stellar designs - I even have one of his first business cards - I thought to myself back then, this guy is better than good!

1990's Business Card | Ruben Marley

Chef Ruben | Shanghai 2012 Blulnc Event

Jump forward 20+ years and my'man Ruben Marley is dishing out delectable designs to everyone at the Shanghai 2012 Blulnc event - oh dear now look at him cook, Chef Ruben is dishing out gourmet food that looks like tiny collectibles.

"Your passion should ultimately lead to your purpose. Without knowing your purpose there is no strength. And without strength there is no passion.  And with no passion there is no performance," - Jordan Pugh, 32 Washington Redskins"

This is what branding is all about - passion.  You can see in the video that chef Ruben has passion, purpose, and performance.

Turn the business card sideways - looks like gourmet food on a platter.

I digress. Think back when you started your business.  Your vision was like lasers.  Your energy forgot about about the clock.  And, whenever you opened your mouth it always led to your passion about what you believed.

Good fortune to you and always remember to Make a brand difference.™