Are you stuck in corporate stock photo hell? Emelia Clarke to the rescue..
Why This Matters
Let’s set the scene. You’ve spent hours crafting the perfect website. The fonts are sharp, the layout is seamless, the copy sings. Then comes the dreaded moment: tracking down images for ‘About Us’. You take a deep breath, open up your trusted stock photo site and, within seconds, it’s déjà vu. There they are—the same awkward group huddle by a watercooler, the overly enthusiastic handshake, and a businesswoman laughing at a salad (as one does).
Is there a secret rule in corporate design that dictates every project must feature a handshake between strangers in ill-fitting suits? Or is the alternative a suspiciously gleaming team circling a laptop, clearly thrilled by their quarterly sales dashboard?
For designers, marketers, and in-house content creators, bad stock imagery doesn’t just hurt your soul, it puts your brand at risk. Bland, lifeless photos make your project blend into a faceless corporate soup. Worse, it’s money down the drain if your audience clocks the fakery and clicks away uninspired. You might even lose a client if they feel their story has been reduced to a cheesy pose straight out of “The Office” (and not the David Brent kind of self-aware, either).
Now Emilia Clarke shows up in this monochrome sea of cliched business imagery. Yes, that Emilia Clarke: Mother of Dragons, breaker of chains, breaker of stock photo boredom. In a Vanity Fair twist, she’s swapped dragons for dull desk jobs and recreated a selection of the most eye-watering stock photo scenarios known to design kind. If nothing else, she’s handed designers every excuse to laugh at ourselves and the sorry state of business photography. More importantly, she prompts us to think about getting out for good.
If you’ve ever groaned at a gallery of “diverse professionals shaking hands at sunrise,” or snuck a photo resembling a robot-powered sales team into a client draft, you know this is a real problem. Stock photo hell isn’t just an aesthetic crime. It costs brands credibility, reduces conversion, bloats timelines, and increases the likelihood your site will be paired with a ‘corporate cringe’ meme in some distant Slack channel.
Common Pitfalls
Most of us know better, but let’s confess: shoddy stock photo choices happen to the best of us. Here’s where things tend to go wrong (and yes, I ticked most of these boxes early in my career):
1. Settling for Cheesy Clichés
When you’re up against a deadline, it’s all too tempting to grab the first “business team smiling at laptop” you see. But those generic, awkwardly staged images tell your audience absolutely nothing about who you are or what you offer.
2. Chasing “Professionalism” Over Personality
People equate “professional” with “serious”, then end up choosing dull shots of models posing with unfamiliar tech. Ironically, these images are about as professional as David Brent’s motivational posters.
3. Missing the Brand Fit
Slapping generic business photos into a creative brand site is like stuffing a wedding cake with tuna. Stock imagery must fit the flavour of your brand; otherwise, it’s as out of place as Daenerys Targaryen at a corporate retreat.
4. Ignoring Diversity (or Faking It)
Many stock sites pretend to tick the diversity box with a few awkward group shots. Audiences notice. Your site loses both authenticity and reach if your photos look “diverse” but feel staged and tokenistic.
5. Believing All Stock Libraries Are the Same
The difference between Adobe Stock’s meticulously curated collections and a free-for-all image dump is night and day. Yet most people live (and die) by that first Google Images page.
Step-by-Step Fix
You can claw your way out of stock photo purgatory. The following steps break the cycle:
1. Audit Your Existing Imagery
Before cramming yet another staged handshake into your layout, take a look at what’s actually showing up on your pages.
- Flip through your current site, presentations, or marketing collateral.
- Make a note of every image that triggers an internal eye roll.
- Ask a brutally honest friend or colleague to scan your site. If they spot a “businessman in superhero cape” outside of April Fool’s, mark it for deletion.
Your clients and visitors see these images fresh. If you can predict the next photo in your carousel, it’s time for a rethink.
2. Map Images to Message
Every image you pick should reinforce a specific idea or emotion. Are you looking to show collaboration? Innovation? Approachability? Write this next to each needed slot before you browse.
For example:
- “About Us” page – warm, real team shot, informal.
- Services – practical, showing the product in use.
- Testimonials – your actual clients’ faces, if possible.
This method slashes the temptation to insert a generic stock model in a suit pretending to be your team.
Match your image selection to your copy. If your page talks warmth and approachability, don’t feature an emotionless group staring into the abyss (unless you’re launching an existential philosophy podcast).
3. Get Out Of The Default Stock Pool
Not all stock is created equal. The free library built into your CMS is a graveyard of tired clichés. Time to broaden your sources:
- Try Unsplash and Pexels for natural, candid shots, free.
- Dive into paid libraries like Adobe Stock or Death to Stock for more variety and quality control.
- Use platforms like Nappy, TONL, or CreateHER Stock for real diversity and authenticity.
If you’re after something ultra-specific (or a mood not already done to death), consider paid niche collections. It’s a bit like switching from supermarket wine to a bottle with a label you can’t read. It’s riskier, but usually more rewarding.
Set aside a folder for “Not Terrible” photos as you browse. You might only find one gem per thirty pages, but your future self will thank you when a client asks for an “aspirational but not smug” team photo.
4. Commission or Create Custom Images
If your brand has a unique story or team, nothing beats original photography. You don’t need a Hollywood budget. Local freelancers, smartphone cameras, and a bit of light editing can leapfrog 99% of stock snaps.
- Plan a simple photo day in your workspace (real mess and all).
- Encourage actual team members. Authenticity stands out more than model-level symmetry.
- Feature work in context: your products, customers, office dog, or the mug collection nobody admits to owning.
If you’re a solo designer, try flat lays, meaningful objects, or behind-the-scenes shots from your workflow. Instagram isn’t just for latte art.
Many local colleges have students eager for portfolio work. Offer lunch and credit, and let a real photographer work magic with daylight and personality.
5. Embrace User-Generated Content
Your users are a goldmine, especially if your business touches everyday life. Encouraging clients or customers to share their own photos not only fills your image bank, it brings genuine, relatable moments your audience trusts.
- Add calls-to-action: “Share your workspace photo using our product with #MyPixelMoment”
- Reward top picks with features or small perks.
- Gently edit UGC for consistency, but keep the authenticity.
If you’re new to this, test on a single landing page or seasonal campaign and measure the lift in engagement.
Always get permission before featuring someone’s face or workspace. A quick email works, and people are often delighted to see themselves featured (unless you catch them mid-biscuit).
6. Fearlessly Edit Out the Old
That “man with megaphone next to pie chart” might be your old favourite, but be ruthless. Replace anything that makes you cringe. Your website is not a museum of 2012’s greatest faux pas.
- Update images at least quarterly.
- Ask for fresh feedback from non-designers. If grandma laughs at your “innovation” shot, you’ve just saved face (and possibly a few leads).
Back up your site before you go on a cull. Nothing says “learning experience” like deleting a homepage and realising the only copy of your new hero image is 120 pixels wide.
What Most People Miss
Here’s what separates design that “looks nice” from the kind that makes people care: images must do real work.
Anyone can swap out a staged standoff for some random, slightly less staged standoff. Winning choices actively tell your story, not just fill an awkward gap. Show processes, celebrate real faces, or even poke gentle fun at your own industry’s tropes (a la Emilia Clarke). That’s how you move from forgettable to memorable.
There’s a sneaky part to this: a slightly imperfect, genuine photo will often outperform the most polished stock image. Human brains are wired for stories and not just symmetry.
The Bigger Picture
Ditching bland stock photography goes beyond a personal victory for your creative pride. The long-term benefits stack up:
- Time-saving: Once you have a go-to folder of bespoke or better-curated images, you avoid the endless scroll.
- Credibility boost: Your site and content stop looking like a clone army. Clients see something recognisable, not another cut-and-paste.
- Stronger conversions: Audiences connect with real emotion and personality, leading to higher engagement and action.
- Future-proofing: As your brand grows, you won’t be saddled with a patchwork of mismatched library shots. Consistency is finally within reach.
And to be blunt, your competitors are probably still using that handshake shot from 2005. You can do better.
Wrap-Up
If you’ve ever snorted at Emilia Clarke dressed as “Woman Pointing at Pie Chart” or sheepishly dropped the same handshake photo into three different sites, you’re in good company. We’ve all spent time in corporate stock photo hell. No one needs to act like they’re above it, but the smart move is to climb out, one honest, well-chosen image at a time.
So whether you’re swapping out cringe-worthy clichés or snapping your own slice of workspace life, the path to better design is clear: pick (or create) imagery that actually means something to your audience and your brand.
Want more helpful systems like this? Join Pixelhaze Academy for free at https://www.pixelhaze.academy/membership.
Jargon Buster
Stock Photography: Pre-made images available for licensing by designers and businesses, often used to fill visual gaps or speed up projects.
Adobe Stock / Unsplash / Pexels: Online libraries of stock images for designers, ranging from free (Unsplash/Pexels) to paid (Adobe Stock).
User-Generated Content (UGC): Photos, videos, or other media made and shared by customers or social media followers.
Bespoke Photography: Custom photos created specifically for your business or project—think real shots of your team or product.
Brand Fit: The alignment of visual materials with the tone, personality, and goals of your business.
FAQ
Can I use parody or celebrity stock photos like Emilia Clarke’s for my site?
Probably not. While they’re a hoot for inspiration (and for sending to colleagues on rainy Wednesdays), licensing, copyright, and context issues make them a no-go for most commercial projects.
How do I find natural, diverse stock images?
Specialty sites like Nappy, TONL, and CreateHER Stock prioritise real, diverse representation. Take the time to search them and you’ll soon have better options than just “business team, racially ambiguous, smiling”.
Do custom photos really make a difference?
Yes. Even moderately well-taken real photos pack more punch than stock every time. People want to see the faces, spaces, and processes behind the brand.
Can I mix stock and original photos?
Of course. Just keep the mood, colour, and quality consistent. Sudden shifts are noticeable.
Isn’t hiring a photographer expensive?
It can be, but look for local freelancers, students, or someone in your own team with a decent phone cam. The payoff in engagement could be huge.
Want more honest advice (plus a few laughs at our collective design trauma)? Get involved in our community at https://www.pixelhaze.academy/membership. There’s help out of stock photo hell, and much better memes.