Stock images are professionally designed or photographed images that are sold or licensed for use to the buyer or licensee. Stock images are considered third-party material and are allowed in certain situations and under certain conditions on 99designs.
Designers often incorporate stock images into their designs to provide clients with high-quality photos without the client having to put resources into creating their own images.
To help you envision this, here are some examples of how stock images have been successfully incorporated into designs:
By Proi
By Mike Barnes
By tomdesign.org
By YaseenArt
By ultrastjarna
By Jdodo
By rendydjox
By ☰ ALEX LALOVE ☷
The stock images used on 99designs usually fall into one of two stock categories: photographs or vector images.
Only specific design categories allow for the use of stock images. You can select the option to permit, or deny the use of stock in your design.
You can easily see when a designer has used stock in their design by looking in the panel to the right of the design. There will be a list of the stock image(s) used along with links to learn more about each image.
Stock can be free or may require you to purchase. For stock images that require purchasing, you can expect to pay in the $10-$50 range which will provide you with the license to an image.
Want to know more? Check out this article for more information about stock images.