I would also mention that custom photography is another alternative, that also sets you apart from the stock photography class.

The problem, I see, comes down to an understanding of the importance and value of good design. What I mean is, it’s all about dollars.

Buying stock is cheaper, right? I would argue that it is not. The value of good branding can’t rightly be compared to the hundred odd dollars spent on stock photography, or the (a bit more) for custom illustration.

Being something specific, as Mark Bixby put it, can be a powerful brand generator. I would argue that the “specific” that can be achieved from custom illustration or photography is simply incomparable to the pennies saved by choosing stock photography (or illustration, for that matter).

I wonder if the people that are in stock photography ever get stopped on the street by people who think they know them from somewhere?

I wouldn’t doubt it. You look at these people every day in so many websites and ads, it’s like you know them. It’s a level of fame that probably is only matched by the likes of Britney Spears or J-Lo…

I wonder if the people that are in stock photography ever get stopped on the street by people who think they know them from somewhere?