Stills is a new design-oriented image licensing platform built by creatives, for creatives

Finding the right imagery for your design project can be a laborious task. Hours spent trawling through dull stock image databases can often prove fruitless and the images you do find tend to be widely used by other designers. Solving this problem would mean having a resource that not only provides better quality photos, but also guarantees that the ones you settle on can’t be used in a thousand other design projects.

FM’s new photo licensing platform, Stills, makes these exact promises. Built by designers, for designers, this new name in the market is shaking things up by offering access to elevated imagery, ensuring each photo feels fit for purpose and unique.

Not only does the platform provide high-quality imagery, but it’s also expertly curated by Still’s sharp-eyed team, who accept less than one percent of the images submitted to them – so users can be sure the images they choose are the cream of the crop.

Crucially, Stills was made with a wide range of creatives in mind, from designers and art directors to creative directors and art buyers. Designers, in particular, have been prioritised during its creation, with the team understanding from personal experience their needs and wants, as well as the wasted time that results from endlessly scouring traditional stock image websites.

Needless to say, the photographs on Stills are a far cry from stock imagery. Shot by in-demand photographers (all of whom are given artist-friendly fee splits, well above the industry average) the roster currently includes big names such as Jake Wangner, Charly Savely and Nirav Patel, among others.

These photographers are well-known in the commercial industry and regularly work with major brands such as Samsung, The North Face, Apple, Leica, and many more. They also have established and successful personal practices, meaning that Stills members are getting access to image-makers with a finely tuned sense for powerful, evocative photography, and a keen understanding of the medium’s crucial role in storytelling.

Importantly, Stills ensures that its most in-demand photos have a limited number of uses, so they aren’t replicated across lots of different campaigns. For added exclusivity, there is also the option for users to put a market freeze on specific images that they want to reserve only for their projects.

Finally, the team understands the frustration that comes with scrolling through huge databases looking for the photos you want. As such, Stills allows its users to search for specific colours, moods, photographers and bodies of work, and then offers them an intuitive board to organise their findings into. The team will even search for images themselves, free of charge, to make sure users find the perfect photos for their project.

Stills is due to launch later this summer and, upon signing up to the email waitlist through its website, It’s Nice That readers will be guaranteed access to the platform. (Update: since the launch, Stills has opened its platform as free for anyone to access – sign up here).