Since I'm on the topic of graphic design, I'm posting Meljen's Designs' link on the left. She does great work, her site is still in the works but will be fabulous!


Someone today asked, in a group setting, the best place to get graphics that don't require credits. I offered up my suggestion - iStockPhoto - that's where I get a lot of my royalty-free images that don't require credits.


The response of this person was that iStockPhoto was too expensive. I understand people are on a budget, I really do. We have ALL been there. And of course I left it at that, I'm not going to argue with someone over how much they want to spend somewhere else. No point.


I have dabbled in graphic design - I'm okay at it, but it's not my strong point. Because of my dabbling I know that graphic design isn't a talent that is just put into play at the mere suggestion. There is planning involved, there are layers that must be matched & placed accordingly - what may seem like a very simple graphic can take the artist hours to complete. That doesn't even take into account the artist creating the CONCEPT for the design. If you're so lucky to find quality graphics for FREE, excellent, but why would you want to deny the artist the credit, when you paid nothing for their skill and talent?


Because I utilize royalty art on a regular basis, I try to be very careful about reading the terms of use. It's important! If you misuse someone's idea, you could find yourself in a pickle. :) So before you buy, read the TOU and purchase the proper license. It may cost you upwards of $20 for a commercial license for a high quality vector (resizeble/recolor-able) image. But take into account that these graphics are the artists INCOME.


iStockPhoto, StockXpert, MyGrafico and Dreamstime are just a few sites that offer excellent graphics with commercial or standard licensing options. Standard licensing generally requires that you give credit to the artist, but it's not always the case. You just have to read the terms.


So...that's my rant for the day. Not the most interesting topic, but one I feel strongly about.