This is Sofie. Sofie is a stock photography model on the website istockphoto.com. We met her after a client asked us to brighten up their corporate website with a picture of a snazzy young lady in an office environment. We thought Sofie was pretty snazzy and bright, so we bought the photo and we made the client happy.
Then we saw her again. On a recruitment website. And again, at an IT company. And again ... at another IT company.
We're now barely one year further and we've encountered Danish Sofie dozens of times on Dutch company websites, ads and brochures - and to our knowledge none of them employ this snazzy young lady. And to add insult to injury, Sofie has been mentioned on a website with "Worst Stock Photos'.
Last week, said client rang us up. They wanted to generate more leads through their website. Our client was considering adding a newsletter button, but we looked at other priorities. Sofie had to go. We don't want to work with Sofie anymore. That is: not with her pictures.
Robby Cooper from Codo Design in Indianapolis, expressed it quite clearly: "The problem with stock photography is, that the photos usually have been taken in such a way, that it appeals to as many people as possible. This results in lukewarm photographs that barely communicate the personality of an organization. The appearance of an organization should be unique and must resonate with the stakeholders." Engine will research all other options before we buy unlicensed stock photos - and we strongly recommend you to do the same!
Have you spotted Sofie? Let us know.
Sep 24, 2010: Update! Yahoo.com endorses Sofie:
More about clichéd imagery:
Top 7 Most Cliché Stock Images Used in Web Design
Who The Hell ARE These People?
11 Images You Might Want to Avoid in your designs.
Ten Cliché Stock Photos That Make Your Company Look Stupid
Sofie Bombards The German Market
