Rule #15

Written By Matt Schroeder

Clipart and stock images are evil.

There is a sentiment among designers that the use of stock imagery is a shortcut to delivering personalized marketing projects. Stock images can be used by your competitors. They can be used in other industries. There’s no telling where they will show up.

Case in point, one time as creative director for an agency, I used a stock image of a woman for our own marketing campaign. This image, though highly manipulated, featured strongly in all our materials. Fast forward a couple of months, it was brought to our attention that the image was used on packaging for adult toys.

We couldn’t change our campaign fast enough.

Matt Schroeder

Chief Creative Monkey Matt Schroeder is a self-described “full-stack marketer, educator, brand builder, strategist, change agent, and teller of dad jokes.” With nearly 30 years of experience, Matt brings warm charm and personal touch to his marketing accounts. Beyond delivering sage marketing guidance and interesting visual graphics, it’s his goal to build genuine relationships with his customers and create an open, honest forum to exchange ideas, explore opportunities, and candidly evaluate the progress of marketing campaigns.

Matt boasts degrees in Graphic Design (A.A.S.), Web Development (B.S.), owns a Master’s degree in Marketing & Public Relations from University of Denver, and a professional certificate in Digital Marketing from the Kellogg School of Business at Northwestern University.

https://bigopposablethumb.com
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Rule #16
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Rule #14