Photography is a prominent staple in a designer's toolkit and while most designers will use their own imagery to avoid copyright restrictions, some projects don't allow for the time or resources for original artwork. Enter the world of stock photography, a vast community of searchable images to best fit any project, even the most obscure. Websites like Shutterstock, Adobe Images, and Deposit Photos may offer more refined search results, but come with various licensing options and payment plans. We've found a few sites you'll want to bookmark for stock photos that are unique, professional, and completely free. 

Pexels
With more than 30,000 images and at least 3,000 newly uploaded per month, Pexels offers a variety of photo subjects and integrated search capabilities, such as searching by keyword, popular images, and even photos by color. 

Unsplash
A beautiful collection of free, high-resolution, "do whatever you want" photos from contributing photographers around the world. Submit your own photos or check back every 10 days to download 10 brand new images. 

Stocksnap.io
Made by the team at Snappa, Stocksnap.io is "not your typical crappy stock photo site" with high quality, high-resolution pictures added to their database daily, building "...a bad ass repository of beautiful stock photography." 

Burst 
Powered by Shopify, Burst offers a wide selection of photography aimed for entrepreneurs, bloggers, developers, and designers. Entirely under the Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license, all photos are open to use for any purpose. 
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Pixabay
Reaching outside of plain old stock photography, Pixabay also offers more than 800,000 free-to-use photos, illustrations, vector graphics, videos, and even developer tools, jQuery and vanilla JavaScript plugins, as well.  

Every designer can have an affection for various aspects of art, whether it be color, letterforms, textures, or any other favorite deemed worthy. At Sevenelle, we've always carried a soft spot for typography and characters, especially ampersands. We're sharing a few of our favorites found across the web in identities to swoon over. What are your favorite parts to a design? Let us know in the comments! 

Lou & Grey
Best known for dressing the working free spirit, this clothing label doesn't stray from its true identity with a logotype that carries the same aesthetic of their creations: simple, classic, and comfortable. See more at louandgrey.com.

Olive & June
With locations in Beverly Hills, Pasadena, and Santa Monica, California, it's no wonder why this nail salon is quickly becoming a neighborhood favorite. The attention to detail and treatment of their guests is top-knotch, alongside their minimalistic logo, complete with even a touch of the signature Olive & June pink. See their locations and schedule an appointment here. 

Sagmeister & Walsh
This minimalistic identity of the badass, advertising duo, Stefan Sagmeister and Jessica Walsh is bold, simple, and right to the point. The mark perfectly captures the essence of the dynamic genius behind the industry-leading New York-based office. 

Pawn & Pint
From what began as a Kickstarter campaign, Pawn & Pint brings food, boardgames, and brews to the Crossroads district. The ampersand hugs the "N" and "P" as an visual invitation to bring friends and family to enjoy some cold ones and indulge in some classic games such as chess, Scrabble, Dungeons and Dragons, and more. Check out their Facebook page for more information. 

The Swan & Mallard
As part of the Behance portfolio for London-based designer John Randall, this identity is a playful take on the use of positive and negative space to illustrate both fowl. Shown across collateral, the logo is placed onto menus, signage, promotional business cards, and more. See the full project here. 

​Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and happiest of holidays to you and your family! 
​With love, Jess 

Every creator has a go-to playlist while working in the studio, in an office, or alone with headphones. From instrumental and subtle beats to intense, heavy rock, and anything in-between, everyone has a unique soundtrack to their art. We're sharing a few songs we've saved to our playlists to keep the creative juices flowing. What do you listen to while you work? Share in the comments below! 

Past Present Future by Oliver Tank
Beginning with long held guitar strums surrounded by a hallowing echo, and layered with vocals, Oliver Tank brings on a journey through space and time, like being inside a dream. 

In the Forest by Dustin O'Halloran
As part of the original film score for Now is Good, Dustin O'Halloran offers just enough balance of calming melodies and exciting rhythms to bring a bit of fun with a concentrated focus. 

We've Just Begun by Maximum Love
With a backbeat similar to Shiny Toy Guns' Waiting, Maximum Love brings a more upbeat instrumental to the mix, with a chorus full of playful notes and soft, echoed vocals. 

Under Construction by Jerry Martin
Recognized as part of the original soundtrack for The Sims by EA Games and Maxis, this piano tune still remains impressive and memorable from its year 2000 origin. Remnants of the initial soundings of the Build Mode, Jerry Martin and the other inaugural composers of the Sims franchise will forever have a space in our plumbob hearts. 

Verwunschen by Nils Hoffmann
​German artist Nils Hoffmann offers a signature of sharp, quick notes to a minimalistic beat (see also Balloons). With almost 7 minutes of pure listening bliss, Verwunschen is a definite add to any playlist. Listen more at soundcloud.com.

Deep In My Soul by 16 Bit Lolitas
The 16 Bit Lolitas are slowly filling more and more slots on our playlists with their club-like sounds and catchy details. With each minute of the song, new elements are added to create more dimension, making Deep In My Soul a must-add. 

Slow and Steady by Of Monsters and Men
The overall laid-back vibe of Of Monsters and Men is uniquely prevalent, with lead vocals harmonizing between reverberating bells, rolling drums, and haunting tones. Slow and Steady is a track of careful balance of relaxation and intensity, and one of our favorites from their album, My Head Is an Animal.

Dancer by Fairchild
What begins as a repetition of synthesizing sounds, Fairchild builds Dancer to a beautiful and devastating story of love lost and the healing that follows. With other songs to show their vibrant range (see Relevance), Fairchild is quickly becoming a newly found favorite. 

LITTLE SOMETHING CARDS
We're working on rolling out a new line of cards that can be used for greetings, holidays, invitations, and more! Their insides are blank so you can fill them with whatever makes your heart sing, so you can share with friends and family just a little something. 

NEW PHOTOGRAPHY PRINTS
Ask and you shall receive! We've had several requests for specific areas around Kansas City, so we're making a point to capture the Plaza, West Bottoms, Union Station, City Market, and more! We've also got some exciting upcoming trips planned, so be on the lookout for new destinations. Want to see another place? Send us a shoutout! 

SEVENELLE + VIDA
We've talked before about how we've partnered with VIDA, but we're designing a few new pieces so you can have your very own piece of Sevenelle to add just a splash of color to any ensemble! Perfect for traveling or running errands, each scarf is uniquely designed and custom-printed, made of 100% modal, botanic silk fabric made from European beechwood.

PRINTED DESIGNS
Our designs can be printed at 5' x 7", 8" x 10" or any custom size needed. Individual prints of our lettering are impending. 

We're always available for a new project. Got something? Send us a shoutout! 

With Pinterest, Etsy, and Shutterfly (just to name a few), there are tools and services readily available to use for personal projects for weddings, graduations, parties, and more. The best part? You don't need to be a creative to use them. But, despite the growth in these accessible design resources, there are still some positives to hiring a designer to work exclusively on your projects. Here are our thoughts on how to get that easy convenience of a ready-made design, but with the benefits of a design professional. 

You’ll get exactly what you want 
In hiring a professional designer, you're partnering with your very own personal stylist to make your visions come to life. You'll work with someone who will listen to your ideas, collaborate with those ideas, and offer the necessary talent, grit, and just enough magic to make them a reality. Have something off-the-wall? Do your research to find the perfect designer for your projects. 

Tastefully done, stylized designs
Every designer will have their own sense of design with a keen eye for detail and variance that will speak to their own individuality and abilities. Finding a professional designer who is passionate about their work is easy; finding a designer whose ideologies and executions match those of your expectations is part of the journey. 

Someone you can trust
Professional designers, whether full-time, freelancing, or running their own gig, will have an honest work ethic laced with qualified chops to back their words. They'll hold true to their promises and keep close to the timelines of their projects in order to not only keep their clients satisfied, but the cogs of their business effortlessly moving forward. A lying designer is untrustworthy, vile, and not worth your consideration to offer any part of your hard-earned income to support theirs. Read around to see the reviews people have said and listen to past clients. The truth is in the experience. 

Organized, skillful, and knowledgable 
Any professional in their field will have the tact, patience, and expertise to take on difficult tasks and execute them in the most efficient way possible. Designers are problem solvers and when faced with a challenge, will do what it takes to find the most fitting solution. Most freelancers are educated in their field, with a wide knowledge base of their tools and the industry. 

You're helping to support a dream
In trusting us to help to make your dreams come true, you're helping ours. Most designers are happiest eyes-deep in creating projects for themselves and others, and any opportunity to express that passion is greatly appreciated. You're responsible for the growth of a business, a brand, and an artist. By hiring a professional designer, you're keeping a dream alive, and for that, we thank you. 

Your studio should be a safe haven, a place to inspire ideas, an extension of your personality and creative aesthetic, and a home to your business. We've found some swoon-worthy desks to spark a few ideas on making your space uniquely yours. What does your studio look like? Let us know! Send us a shoutout or leave a comment below. 

​It's official! We've partnered with shopvida.com to launch our own line of scarves and other goodies (more coming soon!) Check out our first creation: a modal scarf made with a pattern manipulation of our very own, Chicago Abstract! Stay tuned as we add more to our page. 

Happy Mother's Day to all the mamas — the best friends, therapists, personal chefs, chauffeurs, and multi-tasking pros of our lives who keep everything working as a well-oiled machine. None of us would be without you and your love and support. Here's to you and everything you're so greatly appreciated for, even if it's not said enough.

It's official! #The100DayProject has begun! Every day until mid-July, I'll be posting the insides of my sketchbook and my work with the focus of lettering! Inspired by the Daily Drop Cap project of Jessica Hische, I'm going to try a hopefully successful attempt of furthering my hand-lettering skills for the next 100 days, using the hashtag #100daysofsevenellemakes. Of course, there might be a few random projects thrown in here and there for the sake of making and trying my best to avoid creative block, but here we go! 

Follow @sevenellecreative or my personal page, @jessthatsme on Instagram for more of my creative ramblings and explorations. 

Learn more about the people behind the project: The Great Discontent, and Elle Luna, her amazing artwork, and her book, The Crossroads of Should and Must. (Highly recommended!)  

Interested in joining #The100DayProject? Check it out here! ​

​Much love!
​Jess