As a creative person, graphics and illustration may not be sufficient enough to display our artworks up front. Some of the time, we need an actual image as a form presentation, especially when it comes to website design and development. Designers are either in the constant of creating wireframes after wireframes, and the best way to produce a high fidelity wireframe is to incorporate stock images into their work.
This is where designers hope to find free stock images that can either be used for personal purposes or commercial.
This article will share the best 3 platforms where you can get free commercial stock images as part of your website design and wireframing process – Or simply can be used as part of your marketing collaterals!
3 Free Platforms For Commercial Stocks
1. Pixabay
An international, copyleft and free-to-use website for sharing photos, illustrations, vector graphics, film footage and music (Wikipedia), it aims to provide users with quality images and footage films. We find Pixabay a great platform for users to share images and assets and download assets for personal or commercial purposes.
A couple of reviews we have found mentioning Pixabay are captivating and well-edited photos, to high quality photos from a wide range of artists. Pixabay also has loads of stock photos that can be used for marketing projects and presentations.
With this in mind, designers and marketers should acknowledge that Pixabay is a tool that should be kept in view, in a case whereby they need to find a specific image for visualization.
2. Pexels
Aims to provide high quality and completely free stock photos licensed under the Pexels license, Pexels has hundreds of thousands of free stock high resolution images being uploaded everyday for the community.
Pexel’s mission is to help designers, writers, artists, programmers and creators to receive access to extravagant stock images in order for them to develop extraordinary products, designs stories, websites, apps, art and other work – Checkout https://www.pexels.com/about/
Most of the reviews we have deciphered mentioned Pexel’s platform provide satisfaction and free stock images with good quality. These reviews also advise to look for the best stock images in Pexels from other platforms.
Overall, we find the website layout is good for discovery. But, it would be nice to take into the user experience of the site such as categorising search functionality.
3. Unsplash
Out of all 3, We find Unsplash.com seems to be the best option to find a variety of commercial stock images. The selection is amazing and the amount of photos with high resolution are tremendous. Similarly to other platforms listed in this list, Unsplash has the easiest navigation which adds value to the overall user experience of the site.
In Unsplash.com itself, you are able to find a great mix of abstract images, events, parties, concerts, emotions and people. One of the reasons why Unsplash could be the best platform is that it has a community within the platform itself that is branched into your own category of work. We are not mentioning that other platforms are not good, they are great. However, if you are looking for a community where you can feel bonded, Unsplash could be the right place for you.
A great thing about Unsplash is that it allows you to integrate well with Canvas LMS. which is a great benefit for social media designers!
Honestly, we find Unsplash.com a very simple website but with a great quality where you are able to search and quickly download thousands of assets for your website design projects or simply showcasing your clients on the wireframing you are working on.
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If you are looking to improve on your business with digital solutions such as website design, digital marketing or reviewing your online platform, feel free to email us at enquiry@apexmedia.com.sg
We are more than happy to provide a complimentary consultation with regards to your business!
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