According to an International Communications Research survey released in June, over 40% of designers are using more stock photography in 2009 compared to last year in order to lower costs. When considering stock-photo vendors, most buyers, given tighter budgets, looked for the best deal. The survey was sponsored by Shutterstock.
Key Takeaways
Two in five art directors (40%) cited budget decreases compared to a year ago.
22% of art directors and graphic designers are working on more projects for less profit compared to a year ago.
67% of graphic designers/art directors are doing more in-house production to cut costs.
51% reported that they used online royalty-free stock photography agencies and only 18% said they used traditional stock photography agencies.
21% of graphic artists said they plan to use subscription-based agencies as the primary source of their future stock-photo needs. Those more likely to use subscription-based agencies include heavier users of images (27%) and those who work at companies with 10 or more employees (31%).
When asked what most influences their decision to use online subscription-based royalty-free stock photography, most respondents (80%) cited limited budgets. Other top reasons included:
To combine elements into a new design (41%)
Using images for an indefinite period of time (40%)
Using images in a combination of communications mediums (37%)
When asked what they look for most when selecting a stock photo company, 95% rated quality of images as No. 1 and 90% listed a large selection of images high on a seven-point scale.
Survey Methodology
International Communications Research (ICR) surveyed 300 professionals (120 art directors and 180 graphic designers) by using a targeted Web panel of 300 respondents.
In order to qualify for the survey, respondents had to be employed either part- or full-time in the United States and be at least aware of stock photography. Awareness of stock photography was 93% and the survey ran 10 minutes on average.
Because this is a sample and not an actual population, an associated margin of error applies. At the 95% confidence level, the margin of error for the total sample of 300 is +/-5.7 percentage points.