How do you choose the best images for your editorial design project?
Photos, videos, or illustrations?
These days, content generation for editorial design is a multichannel discipline. Content needs to be appropriate for both print and digital mediums. Moreover, Social Media plays a very prominent role in making your editorial project a success. In this context, imagery gains vital importance, and knowing where to get the best images for your editorial design project becomes essential.
Where can you get the best images for your publication?
1- Specialized Photo-Videographers
Productions with higher budgets can travel to specific locations when needed to create amazing content. Many times, teams of 2, 3, or more people are employed. These teams can many times include a specialized photo-videographer, a journalist, and a producer.
In this type of setting, the role of the photo-videographer is to capture images and videos in different resolutions and lengths so that requirements for print and digital mediums are satisfied. Without a doubt, social media channels are essential to promoting your project, and feeding these platforms is an essential role of the specialized photo-videographers.
In FWC’s experience, working with a specialized photo-videographer as part of a 2 or 3 person team can be a more pricey option, because of the involved travel expenses but it can be worth the investment because of the abundance of materials and its consistency with the editorial approach for the project.
2-Photo-video Journalists:
FWC employs modern journalists who have evolved to capture high-quality photos and videos in addition to the articles they write. The raw images and videos captured go through a post-production process at FWC headquarters to ensure the best quality and timely delivery to all channels.
The combination of a Photo-Video Journalist and post photo and video production at FWC is one great way in which we save our clients money and ensure timely and quality delivery of content for our editorial projects.
3- Illustrators
When are illustrations more appropriate than photos?
When looking to stand out visually, depicting fantastical scenes, using humor, educating, or summarizing, illustrations can be a better alternative than photos.
It is important to note that the skills needed to produce caricatures, infographics, complex engineering diagrams, or biological representations, to mention a few examples, are very unique for each case.
For this reason, and to produce the best results, FWC employs different artists based on the type of illustration required. We have found over the years that working with specialists has a great impact on the quality and turnaround time for the work.
4- Stock Photography:
FWC’s clients usually prefer original photos & video so that the materials produced can accurately follow the project’s editorial approach but in some cases where at inception, costs need to be controlled, stock photography can be used.
On the lower end of stock photography options, non-exclusive image rights can cost $30 to $50 per image on image repositories such as iStock or Dreamstime.
On the higher end of stock photography options, you can obtain exclusive rights to higher quality images for prices ranging from $400 to $2000 per image. Although these prices are substantially higher, it can sometimes make sense to purchase exclusive rights from these higher-end sources to prevent competitors from using images strategically important to the project.