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Once you figure out what style you think you want to go with when branding your business, it is time to find clip art to add to your logo or social media graphics.
Once you know where to look, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the amount of options out there! Whatever brand style you choose, you should be able to find something that meets your design needs. And, if you are still having trouble finding clip art after looking at the sources below, it might be time to contact a designer to help you get exactly the look you desire.
Where to Find Clip Art to Use in Your Graphics and Branding
There are two places that I always start with when looking for clip art for my clients.
Simply search “blue unicorn clip art” or “pink book clip art” or one of your brand colors and whatever object you are looking for. OR, search “watercolor book” or “abstract animal” to look for a specific artistic style. (Pssst…Find examples of various artistic styles demonstrated in this blog post!)
Here is a video I created for my direct sales team a couple years ago to show them how to search in Etsy for branding elements. You can use the same search tactics in Creative Market as well.
Should You Use FREE Clip Art in Your Branding?
Some of you may use websites like Canva, PicMonkey, Pixabay, and or a multitude of others. While free is nice, keep in mind that the clip art you purchase are often higher quality graphics, more unique (ie: not available to every Jo Schmo who also has access to Canva), and well, you’re helping a graphic artist somewhere make their business a success!
Often the prices you pay for clip art on Etsy and Creative Market are a few dollars. And most likely these purchases can be used as a business expense come tax time (though, fair warning, I am not a tax professional, nor do I play one on TV. Contact your person to find out for sure).
What About Licensing on Clip Art You Find Online?
I just wanted to touch on the topic of licensing for a minute because as an artist myself, I want to advocate for fair usage of other people’s clip art designs. 🙂 It is very tempting to go to the google search bar and type in “blue fluffy unicorn image” and simply grab whatever image you like best and toss it in your design or on your graphic.
Please do not do this. For a multitude of reasons. 1) it’s copyright infringement. And if the owner of the image discovers it, they can actually go after you legally. 2) There really is no 2, please refer back to #1.
When you are on sites like Etsy and Creative Market, please read the product description all the way through. The artist will put their licensing information in that section. Creative Market has simplified it all by offering three different types of licenses. Personal, Commercial, and Extended Commercial. Most likely, you will want to purchase the middle license for your use. This allows you to use the clip art for your social media accounts as well as any products you may create and sell with their art work up to 5,000 units.
Sites like Canva, Pixabay, and PicMonkey deal with the licensing for you so you don’t have to worry about it.
Last word on this, just read through all the fine print on any sites you use or purchase from when it comes to clip art. Then, you have nothing to worry about!
