Why every designer should know what Unsplash is:
Unsplash.com is one of the greatest websites I have ever been introduced to. (Shoutout to Prof V., you are the greatest.) Without knowing it, you have probably already been aware of the content from this website. As a matter of fact, I know you have been. Most of the images on my site, the site you are on, were downloaded and used from Unsplash. For example, the typewriter behind the title of the blog is from this amazing website.
Unsplash is FREE. No ridiculous fees or contracts.
This is the primary reason why I love this site. Every image on it can be used without having to pay for the licensing rights or the ability to use it in a project. This includes projects that are created for money. Websites, posters, graphics, blogs, all of these things can use the images without the fear of somebody coming down on you for legal or financial purposes. This is much better than using a search engine to find images to use for a project. Most of the time those images are from distributors that require payment to use them in commercial projects, sometimes even in personal projects. The only limit to Unsplash is that you can't sell the images as if they were yours originally. That would be stealing. And lying. And just a bad idea.
Unsplash has its own search function.
Using a search engine is great. Google, Bing, and others will return some great results and can really help designers in the creative process. The biggest problem, as stated above is that those images can't actually be used for anything other than private projects. Once those projects are shared with the public for money or influence, the images are now subject to any legal action the owners would like to take. When a user visits Unsplash, they can search the website and feel comfortable that whatever they find, they will be able to use it for all of their projects. Now, the search engine is not perfect. Unsplash is not a sole search engine. They rely on artists to send them issues and then as stated on the website, they pick 10 images every 10 days to upload to the site. That means that there are about as many images on the site as the amount of days that it has been running. At the moment, Unsplash has more than enough images to offer, but they are still limited. There is not an image for every single search, so it becomes more selective. I do however believe that they do a great job tagging the images in a more abstract way, than just in a physical way. For example, the images on Unsplash are much more personable than the images on a search engine. Here I typed in 'writing', the same phrase I used to find the typewriter, and this is what Unsplash returns:
and this is what Google returns:
For me personally, Google usually returns lots of images that are basically the same thing. I like to use Unsplash, because even though it gives less image results, its gives images that are easier to use in a project, and are different from the other images. The advantage does go to Google though when you need a very specific image. But again, chances are, that image wouldn't be usable in a project.
They have a fantastic community.
Unsplash is very active on social media sharing their images, user submissions, and user projects. They love to see people use their images and share people's projects with everyone who follows them. It's so cool to see a collective of people who really care about the art being created in the world, and helping artists and designers connect. They care about where their images are coming from, and they care about where they are being used. Every image on the site has a link to the photographer or artist, and if applicable a link to their website so that you can search for more images by the same person.
(EDIT 1/26/2016)
Unsplash Instant: Google Chrome Extension
Unsplash instant is the newest feature from Unsplash. If you use Google Chrome, which is one of the world's most used internet browsers, then you need this extension. When you install the plugin,it transformers your new tabs into beautiful images from Unsplash that you can download right from that tab. Instead of having just a plain white tab, you are greeted with a random image from their site! It is such a little thing, but something that I really love and makes my web experience just a little more wonderful.
An example of what you might get opening a new tab with the Unsplash Instant plugin.
The truth is that every designer should know about this website. From creating posters, to creating websites, there are so many uses for really solid images. There are other sites out their that offer free images, but not at the same level of commitment that Unsplash does. I love this tool, and I look forward to seeing what the future holds for it! I am constantly updating my stock photos library to include images from their updates, and I hope you will be too.