The trouble with stock imagesIn today's video, I'm going to share a really simple way to use illustrations in your eLearning. One of the things that I've found most challenging about designing eLearning is finding the right to use in the course. Now, obviously, we have lots of available these days, like Shutterstock, and kind of those websites where you can search for a particular and find, you know, hundreds of images that relate to the part of the course that you're talking about. But one of the problems with this is . So if you use too many different images, the course can feel a bit kind of all over the place. And it sometimes feels like the images that you're using have kind of just been, like, shoehorned in there because it loosely relates to what you're talking about, and that can actually the learner and then take them away from what they're trying to focus on.
And one of the problems that I've had with regards to this is finding that if I'm doing a course, like, a good example is, recently I did a course on project management where the topics, pretty much the topics throughout the whole course were related to having meetings, doing handovers, giving to colleagues, basically lots of people talking to each other. And so within kind of ten, fifteen , I felt like I'd kind of that type of image, and I was just doing the same thing over and over again.
The idea: custom illustrationsSo a technique that I came across a few years ago, and I can't… I have no idea if this was something that I came up with myself or whether I'd seen it elsewhere, was to use custom illustrations to kind of make the course feel very kind of , essentially. But one of the byproducts of doing this was that I could create a for exactly what I wanted the image to be. And I actually created a number of briefs for all of the images throughout the course, and it was only a short . So it probably sounds a bit intimidating if you've got, you know, a two-hour-long course, but if we're just talking about a short module, using custom illustrations is very .
So in today's video, I'm going to show you some of the examples of the illustrations we used. I'll show you some of the final course and how we use them in the actual course itself. But before I go into that, I just wanted to talk about the process, because using custom illustrations in a course probably sounds quite , and like something that you could only if you have a huge . But that definitely wasn't the case. We had a really small budget for this project, but I wanted it to look really unique, and really kind of… I wanted it to look really well designed and .
So I went on to Upwork, I'm sure you're familiar with that website, and I found some . So there's hundreds of people on there that do this type of work. I looked around and I sort of got a good taste of the type of that was out there, and I wrote a pretty simple brief of the type of image I was looking for. I wrote, like, a series of , the type of different images that I wanted throughout the course. And I that on Upwork. I kind of gave a budget of what I was looking to pay, and I think, I can't remember exactly, but I'm sure the amount I paid was under five hundred US dollars. So that gives you an idea of how much you might be spending for this type of thing.
Watch the video from 0:00 to 3:27, and drag the missing words into the script.Regarde la vidéo de 0:00 à 3:27, et fais glisser les mots manquants dans le script.
Watch the video from 3:27 to 6:30, and drag the missing words into the script.Regarde la vidéo de 3:27 à 6:30, et fais glisser les mots manquants dans le script.
Colour, black and whiteSo it was quite a lot of work for me, because I had to kind of write a explanation of what I wanted in each image. But the was great, and I'm going to show you why. So let me jump into the illustrations and talk you through them. Now, the reason that this was such an interesting exercise is that… I'll show you one of the scenes to begin with. This is one of the illustrations that we had done. As you can see, it's just a construction site. There's a guy with a , and we've got a skip there at the bottom as well. Now, the illustrator created this from my brief. I asked them to do it in , but one of the benefits of getting an illustrator to do this is, before they do it in color, they have to do it in as well.
So we not only got the color of that image, but we also got the black and white version as well, which meant that I could use both of those images within the course that I was building. And this meant, and I'll show you later, I'll show you some examples of how we did this, but we were able to color and black and white in the same image. And if I show you an example of how that might look, we can see here we've got the black and white . I actually mocked this up in Photoshop. So I took the black and white image, I applied a gentle kind of to it. You can see that this looks a bit more grayed out than this very black color here. And then I the JCB and this workman on top of that black image, knowing full well it was going to sit right in the exact place, because it was the exact same .
And so what this meant was that within the design of the course, I was able to the same images several times, to really kind of get the most for my money, essentially, because seeing this image in the course, the black and white one, looks quite different to seeing this image.
One drawing, four versionsAnd then if we look at a couple more examples, here's the same image with the guy on the right , or in color. And let's get the skip: this is the same version with the skip highlighted. And what we actually did with this, you can probably sort of hear the punchline coming, is that we created states in Storyline. So we were able to turn this into an where people could click on things and it would more information.
But regardless of whether you, you know, build it into an activity or not, we can see here that from one drawing, one illustration, which was this one, we've actually got four versions of the same illustration, which means that actually you're getting a lot of for your money. And, you know, let's imagine that we paid, I don't know, fifty dollars for this illustration. You've now got four different versions of that same image that you can use within the course. And not only that, in fact, you could then quite easily different parts of the image to use within the course as well. So I could quite easily cut this chap out here on the right with his hard hat and his checklist, and I could use that in the of an image that might have sort of text on screen or something else on the left-hand side. So the advantage of doing this is you've got a lot of in what you then do with the that you've created, or the illustrations that you've had drawn for you.
So we not only got the color of that image, but we also got the black and white version as well, which meant that I could use both of those images within the course that I was building. And this meant, and I'll show you later, I'll show you some examples of how we did this, but we were able to color and black and white in the same image. And if I show you an example of how that might look, we can see here we've got the black and white . I actually mocked this up in Photoshop. So I took the black and white image, I applied a gentle kind of to it. You can see that this looks a bit more grayed out than this very black color here. And then I the JCB and this workman on top of that black image, knowing full well it was going to sit right in the exact place, because it was the exact same .
And so what this meant was that within the design of the course, I was able to the same images several times, to really kind of get the most for my money, essentially, because seeing this image in the course, the black and white one, looks quite different to seeing this image.
One drawing, four versionsAnd then if we look at a couple more examples, here's the same image with the guy on the right , or in color. And let's get the skip: this is the same version with the skip highlighted. And what we actually did with this, you can probably sort of hear the punchline coming, is that we created states in Storyline. So we were able to turn this into an where people could click on things and it would more information.
But regardless of whether you, you know, build it into an activity or not, we can see here that from one drawing, one illustration, which was this one, we've actually got four versions of the same illustration, which means that actually you're getting a lot of for your money. And, you know, let's imagine that we paid, I don't know, fifty dollars for this illustration. You've now got four different versions of that same image that you can use within the course. And not only that, in fact, you could then quite easily different parts of the image to use within the course as well. So I could quite easily cut this chap out here on the right with his hard hat and his checklist, and I could use that in the of an image that might have sort of text on screen or something else on the left-hand side. So the advantage of doing this is you've got a lot of in what you then do with the that you've created, or the illustrations that you've had drawn for you.
Watch the video from 6:30 to 10:22, and drag the missing words into the script.Regarde la vidéo de 6:30 à 10:22, et fais glisser les mots manquants dans le script.
A consistent styleSo, well, I'll just show you a couple more of the images. We can see here, I got some sort of individual images created. So these were just sort of , and I had exactly the same thing done here: just had the black and white created and the color. I'll give you a few more . We can see here there's a group of people. And so it was very simple, you know, very simple stuff. But you can imagine how visually having this type of illustration is within your course, compared to… You can imagine if you went on to Shutterstock and typed in, you know, « group of people » or « a group of volunteers », it would be very unlikely that you'd find something as as this.
And also, the other thing to consider is what I mentioned before: is that photo that you find of your group of volunteers, is it going to sit nicely along, you know, your businesswoman with her light ? So you can see this image here. You know, is it feasible you can find two images that are very in nature, that kind of and feel ? So by getting the illustrator to do this in the same , and I made sure I specified that when I wrote the brief, I wanted this to be in the same style, it was very easy to make sure that all these images are together nicely. And the end result was a course that really looked the .
Inside the courseSo if I just get rid of these, I'll show you some images of the course. It's difficult to show you the actual course itself, because the images are kind of throughout the whole course. But you can see here, this was the hover activity that I was talking about before. So this is where you've got a series of you've got to click on to reveal more information. So first, the first idea would be that you , and then eventually, once you've hovered, you can on an item and it gives you some more information. I'll show you a couple more. So it's pretty straightforward. And then we had a checklist on the to show which ones had been .
Now, not only did I… I was able to incorporate those illustrations into the slides themselves, I was able to use elements of the images to incorporate into other aspects of the module as well. And if I show you this slide here, we can see that this is a that took the learner into a different of the course. And so what I did is I just took of each of the different images that we created, and I kind of that into the menu at the start.
Was it worth it?So it was a really successful project for me, because I was able to use these illustrations to really kind of make this course look very and individual. And I don't know how… I don't know what the price is of a to Shutterstock, but I would imagine that, you know, paying for Shutterstock would not be too dissimilarly priced to paying a custom illustrator design your illustrations for your eLearning, or your for your eLearning. So for me, it was a really exercise, a really good thing to do, and I would definitely recommend doing it.
Obviously, you don't want all your courses to feel exactly the same, so you want to find an illustrator that's got different styles. And this style wouldn't necessarily be appropriate for every course you're going to build. But it's just another idea, it's just another kind of tool for your , and something else you might want to try in a course you have in the future. So I hope that was useful. If you've got any comments, as per usual, just drop them in the comment section below the video. If you enjoyed the video, please hit the like button and remember to . And if you want to keep up to date with everything that I've got going on, head over to my website and subscribe to my email list, and I'll make sure to keep you in the on everything else. But thanks very much for watching, and I'll see you in the next video.
And also, the other thing to consider is what I mentioned before: is that photo that you find of your group of volunteers, is it going to sit nicely along, you know, your businesswoman with her light ? So you can see this image here. You know, is it feasible you can find two images that are very in nature, that kind of and feel ? So by getting the illustrator to do this in the same , and I made sure I specified that when I wrote the brief, I wanted this to be in the same style, it was very easy to make sure that all these images are together nicely. And the end result was a course that really looked the .
Inside the courseSo if I just get rid of these, I'll show you some images of the course. It's difficult to show you the actual course itself, because the images are kind of throughout the whole course. But you can see here, this was the hover activity that I was talking about before. So this is where you've got a series of you've got to click on to reveal more information. So first, the first idea would be that you , and then eventually, once you've hovered, you can on an item and it gives you some more information. I'll show you a couple more. So it's pretty straightforward. And then we had a checklist on the to show which ones had been .
Now, not only did I… I was able to incorporate those illustrations into the slides themselves, I was able to use elements of the images to incorporate into other aspects of the module as well. And if I show you this slide here, we can see that this is a that took the learner into a different of the course. And so what I did is I just took of each of the different images that we created, and I kind of that into the menu at the start.
Was it worth it?So it was a really successful project for me, because I was able to use these illustrations to really kind of make this course look very and individual. And I don't know how… I don't know what the price is of a to Shutterstock, but I would imagine that, you know, paying for Shutterstock would not be too dissimilarly priced to paying a custom illustrator design your illustrations for your eLearning, or your for your eLearning. So for me, it was a really exercise, a really good thing to do, and I would definitely recommend doing it.
Obviously, you don't want all your courses to feel exactly the same, so you want to find an illustrator that's got different styles. And this style wouldn't necessarily be appropriate for every course you're going to build. But it's just another idea, it's just another kind of tool for your , and something else you might want to try in a course you have in the future. So I hope that was useful. If you've got any comments, as per usual, just drop them in the comment section below the video. If you enjoyed the video, please hit the like button and remember to . And if you want to keep up to date with everything that I've got going on, head over to my website and subscribe to my email list, and I'll make sure to keep you in the on everything else. But thanks very much for watching, and I'll see you in the next video.
Read the rule, then rewrite each sentence: someone else does the work for you.Lis la règle, puis réécris chaque phrase : quelqu'un d'autre fait le travail pour toi.
Have it done: get someone to do / have something done
Ant didn't draw the pictures himself: he had them drawn. English uses a special structure when someone else does the work for you (faire faire quelque chose):
get + person + to + verb: « one of the benefits of getting an illustrator to do this » · « by getting the illustrator to do this in the same style ».
have + thing + past participle: « the illustrations that we had done » · « I had exactly the same thing done » · « the illustrations that you've had drawn for you ».
Also: have + person + verb (no to): I had the illustrator redraw the menu · get + thing + past participle (more informal): I got the pictures drawn.
Careful: I had my logo designed (someone did it for me) ≠ I designed my logo (I did it myself).
Ant didn't draw the pictures himself: he had them drawn. English uses a special structure when someone else does the work for you (faire faire quelque chose):
get + person + to + verb: « one of the benefits of getting an illustrator to do this » · « by getting the illustrator to do this in the same style ».
have + thing + past participle: « the illustrations that we had done » · « I had exactly the same thing done » · « the illustrations that you've had drawn for you ».
Also: have + person + verb (no to): I had the illustrator redraw the menu · get + thing + past participle (more informal): I got the pictures drawn.
Careful: I had my logo designed (someone did it for me) ≠ I designed my logo (I did it myself).
An illustrator drew the pictures for us. → We .
Someone created a black and white version for me. → I .
A designer is going to redesign our logo. → We are going to .
I asked the illustrator to use the same style. → I got .
We asked a freelancer to translate the module. → We got .
Somebody checked the brief before we posted it. → We before we posted it.
Can you ask the developer to add a hover state? → Can you get ?
A voice actor recorded the narration for us last week. → Last week, we .
Someone created a black and white version for me. → I .
A designer is going to redesign our logo. → We are going to .
I asked the illustrator to use the same style. → I got .
We asked a freelancer to translate the module. → We got .
Somebody checked the brief before we posted it. → We before we posted it.
Can you ask the developer to add a hover state? → Can you get ?
A voice actor recorded the narration for us last week. → Last week, we .
Read the rule, then join the two sentences with « Not only… but also ».Lis la règle, puis relie les deux phrases avec « Not only… but also ».
Not only… but also
Ant uses it to add a second, even better advantage:
« We not only got the color version of that image, but we also got the black and white version as well. »
At the start of a sentence, Not only is followed by a question word order (inversion), like in a formal report or a pitch. Ant hesitates when he speaks (« Now, not only did I… I was able to incorporate those illustrations »); in a written report, you would write: « Not only was I able to incorporate those illustrations into the slides, but I was also able to use elements of the images in the menu. » · Not only did we save money, but we also saved time.
be / can / modal: Not only is it cheap… · Not only can you… · other verbs: add do / does / did: Not only does it look slick… · Not only did he pay less…
Ant uses it to add a second, even better advantage:
« We not only got the color version of that image, but we also got the black and white version as well. »
At the start of a sentence, Not only is followed by a question word order (inversion), like in a formal report or a pitch. Ant hesitates when he speaks (« Now, not only did I… I was able to incorporate those illustrations »); in a written report, you would write: « Not only was I able to incorporate those illustrations into the slides, but I was also able to use elements of the images in the menu. » · Not only did we save money, but we also saved time.
be / can / modal: Not only is it cheap… · Not only can you… · other verbs: add do / does / did: Not only does it look slick… · Not only did he pay less…
We got the colour version. We got the black and white version too. → , but we also got the black and white version.
The course looks unique. It is also cheap. → , but it is also cheap.
Custom illustrations are consistent. They are also flexible. → , but they are also flexible.
You can highlight one character. You can also cut it out. → , but you can also cut it out.
He paid less than five hundred dollars. He also got four versions of each drawing. → , but he also got four versions of each drawing.
Stock images distract learners. They also make the course look all over the place. → , but they also make the course look all over the place.
The course looks unique. It is also cheap. → , but it is also cheap.
Custom illustrations are consistent. They are also flexible. → , but they are also flexible.
You can highlight one character. You can also cut it out. → , but you can also cut it out.
He paid less than five hundred dollars. He also got four versions of each drawing. → , but he also got four versions of each drawing.
Stock images distract learners. They also make the course look all over the place. → , but they also make the course look all over the place.
Your turn: write a brief for an illustrator.À toi : rédige le brief d'un illustrateur.
1. Think about it (discuss with a partner, or in class):
- Stock images, custom illustrations, photos of real colleagues, AI-generated pictures: what are the pros and cons of each for an eLearning course? Think about cost, consistency, rights and time.
- Have you ever seen a course or a website where the pictures were « shoehorned in »? What was wrong?
- Ant got four versions out of one drawing. How else could you repurpose a single illustration in a module?
2. Write a brief (on a sheet of paper, 150 to 200 words). You are designing a short eLearning module (choose the topic: safety at work, customer service, onboarding, a museum visit…). Write the brief that you will post on a freelance website for an illustrator:
- The project in two sentences: who the learners are and what the module is about.
- The style you want (give an example), and the number of scenes, with a short description of each one.
- The deliverables: formats, colour and black and white versions, separate layers for the characters…
- Your rough budget and your deadline.
Useful phrases: I'm looking for an illustrator to… · I'd like to have six scenes drawn in a flat, friendly style. · Each scene should show… · Please make sure all the illustrations are consistent. · I'll need both a colour and a black and white version. · Could you also deliver the characters on separate layers, so that I can cut them out? · My rough budget is… · The deadline is… · Not only will you…, but you'll also…
3. Pitch it (in pairs): one of you is the client who has a tiny budget and only wants stock images, the other is the instructional designer. Convince your client to have custom illustrations made!
General comprehension · The details · The script · Have it done · Not only… but also · Your turn · Final test · The words · Back to the course