The leading online stock photography company Shutterstock launched a new search tool called Spectrum in January, which allowed users to search through the site’s 22 million images with keywords and specific colors. Today Shutterstock officially announced Offset, its new brand for its collection of top notch images that have been specifically curated for creative distinction and quality.
“These are images you’ll want to spend time with,” says Matthew Smith, director of New Products at Shutterstock.
Offset is currently running as a private beta, and its users are able to browse through 15,000 images that Shutterstock promises were hand-picked for authenticity and artistic direction. What this means, simply put, is that Offset won’t feature your run of the mill stock photography. Shutterstock promises that Offset will be a consistent source of quality.
Agencies, magazines, and photo buyers will visit Offset precisely because they’ll be able to find good images there. According to Shutterstock representatives, they’ve assembled quite a few notable clients in their private beta, but they wouldn’t disclose who they were. However, their launch party at the Leila Heller Gallery tonight did feature some of the images in their collection, as well as some of Offset’s curators. These curators for Offset, Shutterstock’s reps explained, were selected for being “disruptive in their respective categories”.
The event had seven kiosks which projected each curator’s selected gallery of images unto the wall. Amongst the seven featured curators was Cliff Huang, design editor at Fast Company, Liz McDaniel, writer and comedian, and Annie Werner of Tumblr. And as I visited kiosk to kiosk, I’ll be perfectly honest, none of the images I browsed through were boring. If Offset’s aim is to reliably provide a collection of engaging artwork and photography, then it seems they know what they’re doing.
Offset will also offer royalty free licenses with unlimited print and web usage once purchased. They’re also boasting simplified pricing terms. Small files of pictures will go for $250, whereas large files will go for $500. Shutterstock’s reps said that they would open up Offset to the public in the coming months, although they didn’t give any indications as to exactly when that would be. For now, you can request an invitation at their website here.
