When considering using stockphotography in your marketing projects, lean into the authenticity that helps shape Michigan Tech’s brand. The UMC Studio Team has put together a guide for when to use (and not use) stock photography.
When choosing to use stock photography for marketing projects (e.g., blogs, emails, print, PDFs, social media, websites), it is the department’s responsibility to take a few additional steps to ensure images are used appropriately and documented properly. These best practices help protect the university, support long-term content management, and make it easier to address questions about image usage in the future.
Use a Legitimate Vendor
Always use a reputable vendor that provides clear licenses for image use. A license serves as documented permission to use an image and helps demonstrate that it was obtained appropriately.
Avoid downloading images from search engines or saving photos from websites, blogs, or social media. Even images that appear decorative—such as illustrations, icons, or clip art—are typically protected by copyright, and their reuse without permission can create uncertainty.
Creative Commons and Free Image Platforms
Not all Creative Commons licenses or free image websites, such as Unsplash, allow for commercial use, and some require attribution. People often assume these sites are ‘free for anything,’ which is incorrect.
Save Your License Information
Some stock photography providers (such as Adobe Stock or iStock) maintain a record of downloads and associated licenses. While this is helpful, regardless of where you get your stock image from, it is a best practice to download and store your own copy of the license and related information at the time the image is downloaded:
- platform name
- image title
- image author’s name
- source URL
- exact license name
- type of license
- license details
- whether the image was modified by you
- where/how you use the image
Also include any other information that would be helpful if a dispute arises. Capture screenshots in addition to logging the information.
Digital content often remains in use for many years. Questions about image usage can arise long after the original project is complete. During that time, vendors may change platforms, merge with other companies, or discontinue services, making it more difficult to retrieve historical license information. Saving license documentation alongside the image files helps ensure you can confirm legitimate use if questions arise later.
Store Licenses in a Shared Location
Do not rely on the website CMS or other marketing tool as a historical storage location for the original image and license. These should be saved in a shared departmental space, such as a shared Google Drive or project folder, to support continuity as staff roles change and ensure future team members can easily understand where images came from and how they were approved for use.
Being detailed, accurate, and diligent in documenting stock image use can save your department time and potentially money in the event of disputes down the road.