Attention Shoppers: 3D in Aisle 5
One way to broaden your design portfolio is to make a point of constantly trying out new imaging techniques. And while 3D imagery is nothing new (in fact, anaglyphs go back to 1853), its use is rare enough in print advertising and promotional work that when the right image is employed it can catch the reader's attention, which is half the battle. Providing the right image is where royalty-free and rights-managed stock agency StockFood comes in.
As you might guess, StockFood specializes in photos and footage related to food, with a library of more than 400,000 items contributed by 900 international photographers and film makers. In fact, the collection is a little broaden than it may at first sound, since it also includes such categories as Food & People, Well-being & Beauty, Flowers & Decorations, and Lifestyle (Interior Decoration). That's all fine, but why it's worthy of note here is that any image in the collection is now available as an analglyphic stereogram. You simply need to specify this when purchasing the photo and it will be delivered within two working days for an additional cost of $99 above the regular license fee.
Not every photo lends itself to providing an effective stereogram effect, with the best candidates having significant depth and multiple layers. The site apparently provides advice to help buyers find the best image, to ensure that the radish, or whatever, will jump off the page. The only potential glitch is that traditional red-cyan glasses are required for viewers to experience the 3D effect. While this might seem like a show-stopper, StockFood takes an upbeat approach: "Either the glasses have to be provided at the site of any 3D campaign, or they have to be sent to customers or readers on request. Either way, the need for special glasses offers an ideal opportunity for direct communication with target clients. Despite the financial cost, it allows the customer to become more involved in the communication tool. And personal commitment of this sort enhances advertising impact." Customer involvement has a price, so make sure your potential client for 3D has deep pockets.
StockFood provides a short video showing off a few sample images and even has a contest running until the end of this month in which it's giving away 1,000 sets of glasses. Nice, but what I would have really liked to have seen was a gallery of examples of real-world printed work showing this imagery in use — hopefully that will show up as clients begin to take advantage of the creative possibilities of 3D food photos.
What do you think, is this something you can see using for your own work?
Chris Dickman
Founding Editor, Graphics.com
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