Finding Images for Your Brand: 5 Free for Commercial Use Stock Image Sites
Free for Commercial Use Stock Image Sites
In earlier posts we talked about Creative Commons images and stock photography sites. Now we’re moving on to some additional resources for free photos you can use in commercial (for your business) projects.
Instead of using Creative Commons licensing, each of the sites below have their own licensing and usage rules. Licensing can even vary by photo within these sites, so always check the licenses and usage rights on each images you plan to use. Pay close attention to attribution requirements.
Pros and Cons of Using Free For Commercial Use Images
Pros of Using Free For Commercial Use Images
1) Free.
2) Lots of variety of images.
Cons of Using Free For Commercial Use Images
1) License restrictions can be prohibitive.
2) License sometime require attribution (which can clutter up designs).
3) Licenses sometimes require contacting photographer for permission (takes time).
4) Limited resolution and size.
5 Free for Commercial Use Stock Image Sites to Explore
Stock.xchng
Free Range Stock
Morgue File
Free Pixels
Photogen
Choosing just the right photos and illustrations can play a huge role in how your brand feels to your ideal clients, and how you feel about your brand. In future posts I’ll provide resources for public domain images and free illustration/icon sites.
Then, I’ll circle back and talk about how to select the best types and styles of images for your brand. If you need help figuring out what images would best fit your brand there’s a step-by-step discovery process in the Online Branding Basics course which is included in all subscriptions to Jewels Branch.
Christine, This could not have come at a perfect time. I have been avoiding using images on my site because I was unsure of the rules with commercial use and didn’t want it not to match my brand. Is there a size or quality one should look for blog posts? Thank you so much for your wonderful post!