Guide: Images in design

Images play a crucial role in design. They can communicate ideas, emotions, and messages quickly and effectively, and can make a design more visually appealing and engaging.

1. Communicating ideas: Help convey complex ideas and concepts in a simple and understandable way. For example, infographics often use images to help communicate data and statistics.
2. Setting the tone: Create a mood or tone for a design. For example, a playful image can make a design feel more light-hearted, while a serious image can make it feel more somber.
3. Grabbing attention: Used to grab a viewer’s attention and make them more likely to engage with a design. For example, a striking or eye-catching image can make a design stand out.
4. Providing context: Provide context for a design, helping viewers to understand the subject matter more clearly. For example, a photograph of a product can help viewers understand what the product looks like and how it might be used.
5. Enhancing aesthetics: Enhance the aesthetic appeal of a design. For example, a beautiful landscape photograph can make a website more visually appealing and engaging.

The best websites for images:

1. Unsplash – Offers a large collection of high-resolution images, free for personal or commercial use.
2. Pexels – Free stock photos and videos that can be used for personal or commercial projects.
3. Pixabay – Free stock images, videos, and illustrations. The website has a large collection of high-quality images, and all content is released under the Creative Commons CC0 license.
4. Adobe Stock – Paid service that provides access to millions of high-quality images, videos, and illustrations. The website offers a range of pricing options, including monthly subscriptions and pay-per-image options.
5. Getty Images – Well-known stock photography website that provides access to millions of high-quality images, videos, and illustrations. The website offers a range of pricing options, including subscription plans and pay-per-image options.