Images play an important role in visual branding because it’s easier for people to retain 65% more of the information you put out when it’s paired with an image. So it goes without saying that you need an image or two on your website to secure the retaining power of the messages you send.
Culturally, it’s “understood” whether you’re freelancing or working with a company, that the nature of your job as a designer in Trinidad, surrounds surfing the internet for images to be illegally repurposed. In my 14 + years working in both capacities, especially early on, I did this all the time not knowing better. In those 14 years, only one of my employers ever paid for images. Until then, I was ignorant this practice of “purchasing images” even existed. Yes, I was so ashamed.
Some employers are just not interested in spending “unnecessary” money on this stuff. And some of the local small business community aren’t exactly jumping at the idea either of photographing their own products, or even purchasing images to reflect the service they provide, regardless of the credibility and the authenticity it brings to their work and creates for their brand.
I had a client once literally complain about doing this work. He even tried rationalizing why using other people’s images was ok, until he was on the receiving end of his own BS, and called me thankful for helping him see the value of having his own images early on.
And that’s another thing clients nor designers consider when conspiring to steal images off the internet and social media. The fact that they’re ripping off someone else’s work; stealing a piece of another person's identity; committing fraud.
The Misconception
Local clients believe no one will ever know or care about the images they illegally use. Some may even believe they can place the blame on the designer if crap hits the fan, and this is under the assumption they are pre-informed of the copyright dangers beforehand. This misconception completely misses the point. This is your website after all, so in the eyes of the law, that makes YOU liable for the images you use without permission. But I'm also curious to know, why (if not because of ignorance) would a designer (the one who supposedly knows best) risk their credibility like this?
Designers fail their clients when professional integrity isn’t their main focus. When their jobs become more about what the client wants, and how much money they can make than it is about doing things in a way that’s successful for all involved.
Being a well rounded professional is about setting the tone for what the customer should be focused on from the inception of the project. I had to re-evaluate myself: am I truly doing what's necessary to ensure the success for those who work with me? If not, how can I pre-inform someone of my standards so we're both on the same page from the beginning? These were some of the questions that set me on the path to restructuring the way I was accustomed to doing things. The things I was saying, just wasn't measuring up in my actions, and I didn’t want to make promises I wasn’t prepared to keep. Think about it. Someone says, “I help my clients niche” yet, they’re doing everything else but that. Are you truly helping anyone niche?
The same logic applies to stolen (used without permission) images: you can’t sell your credibility nor the client's credibility on it. Therefore, late last year I dug a bit deeper and decided to do some house cleaning for the benefit of myself and my clients. This means if someone doesn't have high moral standards for visually representing their brand, be it online or on social media, I wouldn't be able to work with them. Google takes this matter of image infringement seriously as well. And according to this article by LifeLearn, site owners are liable for images taken from the internet even if they:
Attribute the photo to the original photographer/illustrator in the caption
Link the photo back to the original source
Make changes to the copyrighted image
Only using the image on social media
Place a disclaimer on your website stating that you don’t own any of the photos and that all rights belong to the original creator
Embed the photo into your website using the original source URL instead of hosting it on your server
Upload a smaller-version/thumbnail of the image
Use an image that doesn’t have a copyright symbol or watermark on it. (The lack of copyright notice does not indicate that the image is free to use.)
Take the image down immediately following a DMCA notice. (Taking the image down is necessary but does not remove your liability.)
So, you need to inform your clients that hopping over to another designer will get them nowhere literally.
I don't want to come off as though I'm ignoring the corner these restrictions puts you in, but you only feel that way because neither you nor the client are aware of your options.
Get Your Thinking Straight
The cost of using an image illegally is around $8000 USD, the cost of purchasing your own image can start as low as $1 USD according to the stock image provider. My personal favorite is Stocksy.com, the high quality of the images and creativity incorporated in each picture does a great job of omitting that stock photo vibe that royalty-free images are known for. Still, Stocksy can get a bit pricey according to the size of the image. So, a lower-cost option for me is sketching my images, but only do this if it makes sense for your brand, you can draw and you also enjoy doing it.
On the pricer end of your options, investing in your own branded photography is another way to go if you got a good photographer and $3000 TTDs to spend. Work it out, so you can get the most of out your sessions as far as repurposing is concerned. Anything is better than thinking Trinidad is too small or insignificant to pop up on sites like Lenstag.
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