Never, ever
- create a composite design; or
- create a vector illustration
from
- images found on search engines; or
- comp images downloaded from stock image sites
What you may consider “custom” doesn’t make for original or derivative work. What you have is, in fact, a huge copyright violation.
What’s the harm? you ask. Simple.
Download any photo comp from a stock image site and create a vector illustration from the image. Or download a series of JPEGs from search engines and create a composite image. Sell either one to a client as royalty-free imagery. Then wait for your client to receive a cease-and-desist letter from a company’s attorney because the supposedly original image you created is recognized as a derivative work of an image that was not rightfully purchased. Next, expect a letter from your client’s lawyer(s) demanding the money you were originally paid, plus any additional amount the company may have suffered due to loss of brand value. If you are working through an agency, you may lose your job because you put them at risk for being sued.
If you are a freelance designer, purchase a quality digital camera and take your own custom stock images. Create your own library of vector images that you can mix and match depending on your clients’ needs. Purchase Adobe Creative Suite 3 and use Bridge to embed metadata such as creator and copyright information. Or simply talk with your client about creative solutions that are affordable (for them) and efficient (for you).
Know your copyright, and remember: Edie before Lindsay. Or Paris. Or that small, starving child, the one that looks like a chihuahua. Whatshername.