A fresh approach to iStock

Wdd Logo.
November 29, 2013
A fresh approach to iStock.

thumbnailIt's pretty easy to get confused as to who owns what right now. Pick any web start-up and there's a good chance that it's either owned by a major player, or in the process of considering offers. Small companies innovate, but it takes big investment to fulfill the potential of those innovations.

iStock is one of the biggest names in stock photography on the web. And for good reason: iStock provides an innovative approach to stock imagery, providing photographers with a way to earn a living, and giving designers access to a huge pool of assets.

It's been seven years since iStock became part of the Getty Images family, and in that time, competition for designers' asset budgets has grown ten-fold. iStock continued to deliver great images, still provided an accurate search function, still provided value for money; but the brand had begun to feel dated — not ideal for a company marketing itself to designers.

logos

The old iStockphoto logo (left), and the new iStock logo (right).

Seeking to change that, Getty Images decided to rebrand iStockPhoto properly, and now we have the all-new iStock.

This isn't a monumental change in the iStock business, because Getty Images has been there, working away behind the scenes for seven years. It's just that now, it's harder to miss them.

So why have they chosen to rebrand iStock now? Well, according to Getty Images, they feel that the recent changes they've made to the iStock business, provide the perfect time to make the change. The new, simplified search experience, the reduction in pricing and the addition of all new imagery exclusive to iStock is a watershed moment that's worth celebrating.

The most obvious change is the dropping of the 'Photo' from the name, making 'iStockPhoto', simply 'iStock'. The reason for this change is obvious: iStock don't sell just photos, they offer video, vectors, illustrations, even sound files.

istock

When Getty Images chose to rebrand iStock, they intended to "[marry] the freshness, innovation, and strength of the iStock brand to the quality, heritage, and credibility of Getty Images". So, did they succeed? Well actually, yes. Getty Images is a huge name in stock, and they do have some of the most credible, high-quality photography available anywhere. What's important is that the change has retained the original spirit of the iStockPhoto branding.

Text remains white on black. The type employed is still sans-serif, although now considerably more geometric. The terminals of the stems are now sharp and precise instead of rounded; creating a more professional, less fun, feeling logo.

The cleverest part of the new design is the period that follows the 'iStock' word. It can be read in several ways: as a half-smiling nod to the missing 'Photo'; as a reference to the dot in '.com'; and also as a statement of intent, iStock is the last word in stock photography, period.

In addition to these changes, the logo is underpinned by the tagline 'by Getty Images', a reminder that the parent company's strength is behind iStock. Simultaneously it seeks to tie iStock to Getty Images' other brands; Thinkstock, also owned by the company, was similarly successfully rebranded some months ago.

The rebranding of iStock is a major undertaking for Getty Images, but one that they've carried out well. The result is a modern brand that delivers on quality & price, and breathes new life into one of web design's favourite resources.

What do you think of the new iStock brand? Do you use iStock, will the brand change encourage you to do so? Let us know in the comments.

WDD Staff

WDD staff are proud to be able to bring you this daily blog about web design and development. If there's something you think we should be talking about let us know @DesignerDepot.

Read Next

15 Best New Fonts, October 2024

Welcome to our roundup of the best new fonts we’ve found online in the last four weeks. In this month’s selection we…

3 Essential Design Trends, November 2024

Touchable texture, distinct grids, and two-column designs are some of the most trending website design elements of…

20 Best New Websites, October 2024

Something we’re seeing more and more of is the ‘customizable’ site. Most often, this means a button to swap between…

Exciting New Tools for Designers, October 2024

We’ve got goodies for designers, developers, SEO-ers, content managers, and those of you who wear multiple hats. And,…

15 Best New Fonts, September 2024

Welcome to our roundup of the best new fonts we’ve found on the web in the previous four weeks. In this month’s edition…

3 Essential Design Trends, October 2024

This article is brought to you by Constantino, a renowned company offering premium and affordable website design You…

A Beginner’s Guide to Using BlueSky for Business Success

In today’s fast-paced digital world, businesses are always on the lookout for new ways to connect with their audience.…

The Importance of Title Tags: Tips and Tricks to Optimize for SEO

When it comes to on-page SEO, there’s one element that plays a pivotal role in both search engine rankings and user…

20 Best New Websites, September 2024

We have a mixed bag for you with both minimalist and maximalist designs, and single pagers alongside much bigger, but…

Exciting New Tools for Designers, September 2024

This time around we are aiming to simplify life, with some light and fast analytics, an all-in-one productivity…

3 Essential Design Trends, September 2024

September's web design trends have a fun, fall feeling ... and we love it. See what's trending in website design this…

Crafting Personalized Experiences with AI

Picture this: You open Netflix, and it’s like the platform just knows what you’re in the mood for. Or maybe you’re…