A good designer knows her limits, and knows best how to use her resources.

I’m a designer, and can work wonders with type and layout. What I’m not is an illustrator. Oh, I could probably spend untold hours creating the graphics I wanted for this website. But it would be an unproductive use of my time, especially when other resources are a click away.

The illustrations you see throughout the pages of this website are stock art from a fabulous illutrator named Brandi Powell. I don’t know her personally. I found and bought her work on istockphoto.com.

In a perfect world, when you’re developing a new site, you would hire a photographer or an illustrator to create exactly what you need. If you’re an Apple or Neiman Marcus, that’s exactly what you do. But if you’re a small business on a tight budget, that’s probably not an option.

That’s why sites like istockphoto are a great resource. Photos and illustrations can start as low as $1.00, and run well over $1000 if you’re interested in buying out rights to a piece of art. But whatever your budget, there’s probably an option for graphics that will fit your needs.