Procuring Graphics For White Papers

By Doug Caverly
Staff Writer
Article Date: 2010-12-23

Pictures don't get a lot of respect in the business world; stick too many in an official document and people may complain you're either skimping on facts or treating them like children. But a picture here and there can help illustrate a point and make a white paper look nice, so we're coming to you this week with tips on obtaining graphics.

It's of course not a good idea to just reuse images that other marketers have already put to work, since complaints about ownership can crop up. Also, it's a simple fact that not every company can stage an expensive photo shoot or pay a team of designers to spend a day fiddling with Photoshop.

Gordon Graham (AKA "that white paper guy") instead recommends checking out SmartDraw. He explained in an article on graphics that it features "a fast and easy workflow PLUS crisp, professional results good enough for any white paper." The trick is just to start with one of the more than 100 templates that come with the program.

Graham later added, "The best place to find inexpensive photography with next-to-no royalty restrictions is www.istockphoto.com. . . . The comprehensive indexing makes finding the right photo a relatively pleasant experience. The site has tons of shots of people, places, things and abstracts. You can get different sizes of an image for different prices."

Then here are two more ideas: run a Google Advanced Image Search after tweaking the settings to look for images "labeled for commercial reuse." Or browse a site like Flickr, and if you find something you like, just contact the photographer and ask if you can reuse the image. The person may be flattered.

Anyway, have fun sprucing up your white papers.

About the Author:
Doug is a staff writer for WebProNews. Visit WebProNews for the latest eBusiness news.