unsplash vector

In May 2024, the world-famous Unsplash free image bank launches its vector illustration bank. Following the launch of its paid Unsplash+ offer in January 2023, Unsplash continues its evolution with illustrations that are now only available for a fee.

Vector illustrations on Unsplash

The announcement appeared on the Unsplash website on May 1, 2024. The bank of free and paid images thus launched its vector image offer. These are illustrations offered in packages of several graphic images.

However, this offer is not free, as many of the resources on the site still are. Vector images are part of the Unsplash+ offer. So, if you like a vector illustration, you’ll need to subscribe for one or more Unsplash+ offers (or for the year) to have access to this illustration.

Link to unsplash+ vector image offer : https://unsplash.com/fr/plus

Source of official information : Unsplash blog: https://unsplash.com/blog/unsplash-now-has-illustrations/

Disadvantages of free unsplash images

More than just a source of free photos from which to choose, Unsplash is now world-renowned and very popular. So much so, in fact, that many of the photos available on Unsplash can be found by the thousands on other websites. A simple reverse image search via Google, for example, will reveal just how many of the beautiful photos on Unsplash are used by website owners. Undoubtedly too much, in fact.

Here’s a good example: a photo of a succulent plant, seen from above, taken from Unsplash and found on at least 28 websites :

Massive use of unsplash photos :

The paid offers on unsplash+ are therefore good news in the sense that free use over several years has led to too many uses of certain shots. In terms of branding, the recommendation from experts is to no longer rely exclusively on free image banks like Unsplash. Or not to take the most popular (and often also the most beautiful, telling and qualitative) photos.

Seeing the same photos all over the place can get tiresome. This is especially true for those with a background in graphic design or the web world, who recognize “unsplash photos” at first glance… For my part, I’ve decided to opt for Unsplash in free mode only when I need it urgently and/or temporarily (for my own needs). Working regularly on many different websites (maintenance or creative), I’ve discovered that it’s really the same shots that are displayed from one site to another.

In fact, the main image in this article comes from Unsplash, something that has become rare on Yes We Blog.

So should you use Unsplash+ for this new vector image offering ? In my opinion, the fact that this offer is subject to a monthly or annual subscription fee should curb mass usage. So yes, the offer is good news. What’s more, the price remains relatively reasonable compared with the direct and indirect competition!