Growing up, I was always into the visual arts. Inspired by surrealists, cartoonists, and graffiti artists, I doodled my way through high school, taking extracurricular art classes whenever I had the chance.
This was before smartphone filters and Photoshop had turned every other office worker into a shake n' bake-style creative. The area of the arts was reserved for the Cure-loving goths down the back of the schoolyard. And the hazy-eyed hippies with their handpainted schoolbags and tie-dye Hendrix shirts. The closest I ever came to digital art was when I was handed a school bulletin covered in ClipArt.
And it made me cringe.
Some people like to pretend it didn't look that bad back then. You know, like Michael Bolton's haircut, or the kriss kross pants. Pretend it only looks bad because now we're so used to newer, better aesthetics. My 17-year old Dali-loving self would undoubtedly disagree.
Because let's be honest. It was always a little cheesy now, wasn't it?
That said, it wasn't completely devoid of brilliance. Because it was never meant to be about art, despite the somewhat misleading nature of the name. That's why it was exhibited in Word and PowerPoint, not The Met or Le Louvre.
The original ClipArt was about making information a little more interesting. And about getting a message across with the support of some visual stimulants.
And it was about simplicity. Putting the visuals where the people are. Enabling fast access to cleared content inside the programs they're already using.
But it still sucked. Sorry, Microsoft.
Like this post?
And now?
Well, Microsoft went and shut it down in 2013, and the world let out a sigh of relief. But it was a short-lived sigh, because people started realizing how practical it was, and that there wasn't a replacement.
So they started stealing presentation images and photos for their docs from search engines instead.
Then came the GIF. And the emoji.
And we're incredibly grateful for both. But sometimes giphy doesn't quite convey the right message in your monthly report to your boss, now, does it? And GIFs like this might put you at risk of being confused for your teenage daughter.
Want access to royalty-free clipart now?
Enter Pickit.
Imagine the same speed as those stolen snaps from the internet. And the same easy access you had with ClipArt.
But up-to-date. And tasteful. With content curated specifically for the channels you're working in. With handpicked collections for Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and even Excel (in the pipeline). That's right, spreadsheets will never be the same again.
Best of all, it's always legally cleared, and it's always free. Some might say it's a no-brainer. Thanks to Pickit, now I can clipart with confidence using stuff like this.
Pickit's free clipart images, icons and illustrations make it easy to spice up your slides and make your work stand out. It's easy to create docs that make an impression. And you can access visuals aids to make excellent spreadsheets in seconds.
It's everything you liked about ClipArt (fast & free), minus everything you didn't (cheesy).
Still don't have the app? Click the buttony thing below and follow your nose.