It’s the client’s responsibility to buy any third-party elements, including any stock art. This will ensure the client has ownership of the stock art that's being used within the design they choose.
If a designer uses stock art in a design, the designer will:
- Declare any stock images using the licensed content declaration. You can see this on the right-hand panel when viewing a single design.
- Use the watermarked versions of those images in their design entries
Once the client chooses the winning design, they will need to purchase the stock art and provide it to the winning designer so they can complete the design.
If a client does not want any stock art used within their design, they must declare it in their design brief. This ensures that the designers have the right expectations when starting their designs, from the beginning.
Remember to also keep your receipt once you purchase the stock license, as that will be your proof of ownership.
Pro Tip:
If you are okay with using stock art to enhance the designs being shown to you, it's best to set a budget for the designer(s) to use. You can add the budget information in the brief notes.