And others would be forced to pay.Īn example of these apps are Figma and Sketch: both have plugins to import images directly from Unsplash. With more than 11,000 apps depending on the Unsplash API, many would cease to exist without it. There’s even a middle ground: on the end-user side, it remains free, but there’s a cost for API consumption. Let’s remember the Ethical UX maxim: “If the product is free, then you are the product.”Īfter all, Getty isn’t exactly a non-profit, and sooner rather than later its shareholders will be pushing for money from this acquisition. And that, in reality, what has always happened will happen: that things will change, and not exactly for the benefit of users. Of course, there is the most tangible and concrete possibility that this announcement is nothing more than an expression of goodwill on the part of Mikael Cho, CEO of Unsplash. The concrete thing is that there is a real possibility that, for the first time in history, a takeover will not change anything, at least in the perception of users: the model works well as it is, and there is no need to touch it. Or rather, they are planned for the first months of 2021. However, if you access Unsplash Hire FAQ you can see that both Unspalsh Hire and Unsplash for Brands are connected in some way. Something like Upwork or Toptal, but Unsplash doesn’t get commissions for the service. In the second case (Unsplash Hire) Unsplash works as a platform to connect clients with freelancers. The first is a dedicated service to provide visual content to brands and which “curiously”, although created last year, has not been launched publicly, you can only sign up on a waiting list. Moreover, Unsplash has launched two new services during 2020: Unsplash for Brandsand Unsplash Hire. With 550 billion views, Unsplash is a large service that focuses on a relatively localized audience in terms of interest and age.Īdd to that 242,000 content contributors, more than 11,000 apps using the API, and more than 3 million photos used by said API, and the acquisition takes on a different color. Unsplash has no relevant assets other than the brand and some technology many others have.Īnd what Getty Images buys is the Unsplash brand, not the free images.īut there is a much more important intangible asset: the users of the images and the creators. In Unsplash’s case, the business model is based on advertising and free content. Is it possible that the Unsplash case is the first known exception?Ĭould be. As far as we know, there are no exceptions to this rule either. Now anyone who has observed the world of corporate takeovers or buyouts over time knows that none of the initial “nothing will change” announcements have ever come true. Unsplash Acquisition FAQs The land of speculation Please feel free to reach out via or in our Slack community. We’re here should you have any questions. No, the Unsplash License remains unchanged. Unsplash images will continue to be free. Unsplash will continue operating as we have been with the same team, the same site, the same community. Will anything change because of the acquisition? When did Getty Images officially acquire Unsplash? In short, it’s business as usual, nothing to worry about. Keep in mind that photographers do not receive compensation from Unsplash, but rely on donations that users make freely. This gratuity applies to end users of images as well as photographers and content creators. This means that free images will continue to be free. What does this takeover entail? Basically, the email warns that nothing will change and everything will continue as usual.Įxcellent news, isn’t it? Will free images remain free?Īs we have said and can read in the email, there will be no changes of any kind. The text of the email can be read in the image below: The announcement by Unpslash states that free images will remain free. It said that Getty Images, one of the most important providers of copyrighted images, had acquired Unsplash, perhaps the most important provider of copyright-free images. On March 30, 2021, Unsplash users received an email with a completely unexpected announcement. Getty acquires Unsplash: the announcement How does this affect web and UX designers? In what we can call a completely unexpected move, Getty Images acquired Unsplash, one of the best-known copyright-free images providers. Will we still have free images without copyright in the future?.Getty acquires Unsplash: the announcement.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |