Greg: Oh f‐‐k me.
MacLaine: Oh s‐‐t.
Krista: I told this guy f‐‐k off.
Frank: Those are some four letter words. For many years I thought hearing the word stock was just as offensive. I was a young idealistic designer who thought everything should be built from scratch.
I won't use somebody else's work.
Not only was that unrealistic, but it was oddly limiting too. Of course if you have the resources and the time, custom work is always preferred. Pushing your designers to create unique and styles and looks is only going to strengthen them as well as your team. My outlook on using purchased materials is almost completely changed. I now look at it as a universal collaboration or on par with using a freelancer to create stuff for us.
There are some guidelines to using stock materials. The first glaring red flag is to avoid the awful, terrible, cliché stock that we all despise. Stock should be limited to the foundation of your piece and not at the forefront. What I mean by this is the great idea has to come first. The most recognizable piece of your work should not belong to somebody else. Purchased work should be used when the goal you've set is outside of your immediate budget or resources. The ultimate goal is to create the best piece for you and your client. But please, be careful. You don't want to end up like these people.
Ben: Aren't you supposed to be filming?
Frank: I've got it covered.
Josh: It doesn't just begin and end with images. Stock comes in all media types. You can purchase royalty free music, sound effects, and video. Animations and After Effects templates too. Website designs and WordPress themes. Truly, anything can be made easier using stock, even hosting a video series.
Frank: It’s a hot one out there.
Episode 5 - Stock Is Not A Four Letter Word
Purchased stock materials -- they’re the terrible, dreaded, 1990 clichés we all despise. But do they have to be? In this week’s episode of Casual Fridays, Frank shows us how to view stock as a universal collaboration, when purchased work should be used to meet our goals and why stock isn’t a four-letter word (and not just because it has five).
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