Design Jargon of the Day: Stock
Stock represents two design jargon words – in relation to printed material and generic imagery.
1. Stock (printed material): In any printed work, often times it is the printed content that is most considered and the material on which it is printed that is most neglected. Whilst this is quite normal (especially considering non-designer clients generally don’t know the scope of options), spending more time considering printed materials can lead to a dramatically different final result – and much happier clients. Stock is basically the umbrella term for the scope of thicknesses (measured in GSM), finishes (to be discussed in a later DJOTD), natural textures and colours.
Ask your printer about their stock options, or speak to a dedicated stock supplier – think about the obvious benefits of researching & selecting a shmick stock that presents your client’s content in an interesting, niche or high-end manner.
2. Stock (generic imagery): Often times in commercial work (especially corporate), clients request very specific types of images to be used in a design. For example: two middle-aged businessmen shaking hands in a boardroom. Whilst original photography is a possible solution in order to obtain such imagery, often times the quickest – and cheapest – option is to buy stock imagery. Often designers consider the use of stock imagery as lazy and unoriginal. While this is understandable in the sense that stock images are by definition generic, often timesthey are used as just one piece of the pie, contributing to a much more complex design – and as such, their use should definitely be considered for any given task where time and costs are of primary concern. Websites selling stock images are prevalent and offer images of all sorts of specific objects, people, places and situations. Most are easily searchable by keywords and file requirements. Whilst there are a few free stock websites (http://sxc.hu and http://freestockphotography.com.au come to mind), often it’s the paid options which will offer the better quality images. Try http://istockphoto.com or http://gettyimages.com.
Any further questions or comments on stock? Let me know in the comments below!