Design

Where to Find the Best Stock Images and Illustrations for Tech Startups

Discover top sources for high-quality, tech startup-tailored stock images and illustrations to enhance your visual content through must-visit websites.

Alex Stone

/

Aug 5, 2024

A laptops with stock images on screen
A laptops with stock images on screen
Why choosing the right images and illustrations is so crucial for your business.

You're a tech startup, and you need visuals. You've done the hard part--you've come up with your idea, built it, and launched it into the world. Now you need images that will help communicate what your product does to potential customers. But where do you get them?

There are plenty of places online where people can buy stock photos and illustrations for their websites or marketing materials--but not all of them are created equal. Some sites have great prices but poor quality images; others have high-quality images but charge too much money for them (or require monthly subscriptions). This article will help you find the best place to get stock images and illustrations for your tech startup.

Michał Kubalczyk

What are Stock Images and Illustrations?

Stock images and illustrations are royalty-free images, graphics and illustrations that you can use in your website or app. They are often used to illustrate a concept or product in an infographic, but they can also be used as part of a background image on the homepage of your website.

There are two main types of stock images: vector and raster. Vector images are made up of lines rather than pixels so they can be scaled up or down without losing quality (unlike raster). This makes them ideal for logos where you want to make sure that the logo looks good at any size - from small thumbnails on social media platforms through to large banners displayed across skyscrapers.

Shubham Dhage

Colorful tech startup logo samples on a digital tablet

Where to Find Stock Images and Illustrations

To get started, you'll need to find a website that offers stock images and illustrations. There are many websites that offer these types of assets, but they vary greatly in quality and price. The following are some of the most popular options:

  1. Shutterstock

  2. Getty Images

  3. Adobe Stock

  4. iStock

  5. Pixabay

  6. Unsplash

  7. Pexels

  8. Freepik

  9. Depositphotos

  10. Dreamstime

How to Use Stock Images and Illustrations
  • Use stock images and illustrations to create a consistent look. If you're building a website or app, using the same photos of people and places throughout will help your users feel like they're interacting with one cohesive brand.

  • Use licensed images only if you have permission from the photographer or artist who took them. If you don't have permission, find another image that's similar but doesn't infringe on copyright law--you don't want to get sued.

Brands&People

Tips for Choosing the Right Stock Images and Illustrations

When you're choosing the right stock images and illustrations, there are a few factors to consider:

  • What is the purpose of your project? If it's for a blog post or website, then look for something that fits with your brand. If it's an ad campaign, try to find something that matches the tone of your message.

  • Does this image represent what I want to say? This is especially important if you're using an image as part of a larger piece (like an infographic). You want people who see it understand immediately what they need from the information in front of them--and this can be difficult if there aren't enough clues in how things are laid out visually onscreen.

Microsoft Edge

Paid vs Free Stock Images and Illustrations

The best place to get stock images and illustrations for your tech startup is by paying for them. There are many advantages to using paid options, but there are also some disadvantages that you should be aware of.

The main advantage of paying for stock images and illustrations is that they're more professional than free ones. When you pay for something, it's because you want the best quality possible--and this applies to everything from food products like bread or cheese to technology-related services like web hosting or cloud storage solutions. If someone is willing to pay money for something (even if it's just $1), then chances are they'll be more likely to use those products over less expensive alternatives because they know those products will work well and won't let them down at any point during their usage process.

Unsplash+

Final thoughts

You should use stock images and illustrations to make your tech startup stand out. The best place to get them is from the website I mentioned above. It's cheap, fast, and easy.

FAQs
What are stock images and illustrations?

Stock images and illustrations are digital assets that you can use to create your website, blog posts, social media posts and more. They're great for adding visual interest to your content without having to hire a designer or photographer. Stock photos are usually licensed for one-time use only; however, some sites allow you to buy an extended license so that you can use them multiple times across multiple projects (like creating multiple ebooks).‍

What's the difference between them?‍

Stock photos tend to be more generic and less personal than illustrations because they're meant for general use by anyone in any industry--think "businessman" or "woman sitting at her desk." Illustrations are more specific: They might show people wearing clothing from a particular brand or holding objects like iPhones or laptops that relate directly back to your business model.

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