Web Site Cookbook

5.4. Choosing Clip Art and Stock Photos

Problem

You need to liven up your web site design with professional looking photos or illustrations.

Solution

The right photo or illustration can support your web site's design and convey its message with visual impact. Consider this checklist when browsing through the myriad sources of artwork that you can add to your design.

Copyright and usage restrictions

Your first consideration should be what rights you have to use an image on your site. As you'll see in more detail in Recipe 5.5, there's little to be done to prevent web surfers from taking an image from one site and using it on another. Images you find on someone else's site typically belong to someone, so take the time to find the owner and ask for permission to use the image on your web site. Even public domain images from government sites, though copyright free, usually require some acknowledgement of the source.

Images from subscription-based sites such as ClipArt.com and EyeWire may come with usage restrictions. For example, you may need to pay a higher price for an image that you can use online and in a printed newsletter, or for a version of the image that you can manipulate significantly from the original. Spend some time thinking about your graphics needs before downloading the first great image you find.

Stylistic consistency

Combining graphics or photos of two or more artistic styles is one of the most common mistakes novice designers make. When you use icons or standalone images ...