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Taking a Look at Using Clip Art
by Sharon McDonagh
One of two things — maybe both — is probably true for you, as it is for us.
1) You aren't a professional illustrator. (Okay, maybe you are, but even so, you surely don't always have the time to create a new image for every project.)
2) You don't have the budget to hire a professional illustrator.
So where does that leave you when you just KNOW your print publication or web page needs the kind of image that draws the necessary attention to your brilliant words? Or how about borders, rules, ornaments, and backgrounds — the decorative elements used to break up space and enhance the overall design of the page?
Right, you reach for clip art.
What It Is
Clip art used to be ready-to-use pictures, borders, headlines and
other little pieces of art that were printed out in a variety of sizes
on a page. You could literally clip out and use these images in your ads
and publications. This original type of clip art can still be found at
arts & crafts and office supply stores — the various series by
Dover Publications are the most commonly seen.
With the advent of computer technology, that's changed, although the term has remained. The other major change is the quality and creativity now available on such a wide variety of themes and topic. There is an enormous amount of options available, and at its best clip art can be considered true art (although like in so many other cases, there's a lot of junk out there too, sad to say).
But judging clip art is just like judging any artwork — that is, you either like it or you don't. One person might feel the dredging of a terrible childhood memory, while another is exclaiming "Cool, retro!" The other important thing to keep in mind is that no matter how much you might like a style, you've got to choose the best option for the project — creating an annual report for a bank is probably going to preclude using funky cartoons of rats.
There's a ton of "free" clip art and web art floating around on the Internet. (Just try running a search on "clip art" to see what we mean.) But unless the freebie is from a reputable company or designer who's offering a sample in the hopes of enticing you to buy a collection, it's best to stay away. Most of the free clip art you'll find on the Internet is amateurish in design, and of such poor quality or low resolution that it would not be suitable for print publications.
Combine two or more images
Good clip art is ready to use as is. But you'll probably want to alter
it in some way. For one, this limits the chance that a viewer thinks,
"You know, I've seen that dog before…" For another, it's
fun. Think of clip art as the start of your creative process, not the
end. Break it apart from the background. Change the colors. Add a
drop shadow or dimensionality. Fill it in solid and use it as a silhouette.
One way to make clip art your own is to add two or more images together. Isolate the flowers from one image and a vase from another, recolor it to match your chosen palette or inks, and voila, a "custom" illustration. (Of course, this works best if the original parts are similar in style.)
Typefaces as Design
Elements
Don't
overlook an inexpensive and creative option for adding art to your work:
"picture" fonts. These come in a wide variety of styles, and
can be resized, recolored and coverted into a graphic with any drawing
program or used as is. These faces, characters, decorative elements and
more can really stand on their own as illustrations.
Know What You Can and Can't Do
When you purchase clip art, be sure to completely read the licensing agreements
and see what, if any, restrictions are in place for how the images can
be used. Generally there is great leeway offered, but you might find,
for instance, that you cannot use a clip art illustration to create a
greeting card that you plan to sell.
Go to PubCom's listing of clip art resources by clicking here