Stock Content

What a day it was, when i found out about stock content…

Stock Content doesn’t appear to be on wikipedia…  In simple-terms, it is the name given to pre-produced content (image, motion image, sound, etc.) and owned by production library and licensed to customers for use in their own productions, on a range of licensing terms; rather than, the production of content for exclusive use within a specifically produced product, services or greater work.

The purpose of Stock Content – is to acquire content, more cheaply than producing it yourself.

Wikipedia has a few entries on the subject, providing listings of providers of stock content – such as “Stock Footage“, “production music” and “stock photography“.

In some instances; a user can download the images with existing watermarks, and use them to figure out what their going to do with the item their trying to produce – prior to making purchases.

There is a world of content out there.  Sometimes, it’s just wiser to acknowledge someone else’s good-work, rather than trying to do too much yourself.

That said – i think we’ve all seen some of those images that are completely over-used.  I guess, try to find something a little unique and contextual…  just a suggestion…

Logo’s, Style Guides and Artwork

What’s a Logo – well that’s an easy question, which is somewhat pointless answering.

What’s a Style-Guide?  Well, that’s more complicated.

A Style Guide is a document or set of specifications outlining how to set-up the “look and feel” of documents, publications, websites and other materials produced by your organisation.  A Style Guide can either be set-up by a graphic design professional – or developed overtime.

There are many templates to figure out what types of things are necessary for a style guide. a quick google-search for the topic will come-up with some options.

One of the more annoying facets of producing a style guide; is the standardised formats in which the logos and related artwork needs to be produced.

There are a range of different shapes, sizes, and on digital – pixel density measures which are appropriated to logos – when applied to publishing environments.

This is much like advertorial guidelines, for submitting advertising artworks into 3rd party publications.

logo’s need to be simple.  If their not simple, that is a style in itself, but equally – there is still a need to help a user – simplify the logo, so that it can be used in a versatile and transportable manner.

Many hours can be spent in developing a logo; and related basic corporate identity artwork.  in a start-up, if you do not have the skills to do this yourself, or perhaps – not the time – there are a range of 3rd parties who provide basic services, which can easily get you off the ground.

logospire creates logos for people, cheaply.   A quick search on google – will find a bunch of similar sites…  Sometimes, the quickest path – may not be the best, but the easiest.