Pexels

What should a CMO post when his brand is launching a re-brand? (And no, I'm not trying to be clever here — this is literally my first rebrand 😅) But if I had to say (which I do), it shouldn't be about making yourself the hero. Because a brand isn't what you say you are — it's what you help others become. This year alone, 300+ million people downloaded content on Pexels more than half a billion times. But we're not the hero of this story. The real magic? It comes from contributors all over the world who share their photos and videos. They are the ones empowering the internet to create — bringing stories, projects, and ideas to life. Every photo on Pexels has a story behind it. A human behind the lens, showing you the world as they see it. From the most iconic places to the most remote areas in the world. This re-brand isn't a pivot. We're not becoming something different. We're doubling down on building the most impactful creative community & library — showing the world through the lens of local photographers. This was a massive effort by the whole team, but it wouldn't have been possible without the magic brought by Nicolas Mariotti (Head of Design), Ciara Brady (Brand & Content Lead), and our partners at Wunder

THIS is community. Yahyaoui Yahyaoui - You've made our day with your wonderful words (and maybe even made some of cry 🥹). Looking forward to seeing what you share with us next year!

Remember when we said Pexels was all about community? You all went ahead and made it a whole movement. This year, you showed up and showed off. And we loved every single second. Roll on 2025 ✨

You all made us say 'wow' with the photos & videos you uploaded on Pexels in 2024. But one country made us say 'wooooooow' (stick around for the reveal) 🤯 P.s. Thank you to our friends at Flourish for the impeccable visual 📈

So, earlier this year, I hit the bodacious milestone of 100 million views on my Pexels photos! 💪 I then set myself a goal of reaching 150 million by the end of the year! 🎯 Fast forward to now, I’ve dropped a fresh Christmas-themed collection, and the numbers are going crazy—thousands of views per photo, with some pulling nearly 2 MILLION each! This festive push has moved me up to 147 MILLION views! Almost there... 😬 If you could do with some royalty-free photos to bring your projects to life and give them the festive feels then check out my collection here: 👇 https://lnkd.in/eKeQkJVD You can expect to find the following vibes: 🧁 Christmas Baking ❄️ Snowy Mooching 🎅 The Gig Man, Santa C 🎄 Christmas Decorations 📫 Letter to Santa 🦌 Reindeers ☕️ Hot Chocolates

Pics or it did't happen? Sometimes it feels like pics AND it didn't happen.

The client asked for 'out of the box thinking.' So naturally, we scheduled a 3-hour mandatory brainstorm. Episode 5 of Pixie's Creative Diaries is live. Enjoy! Just a quick heads up: Pixie's taking December off. Back in January with more agency drama.

Or back to back espresso shots. Yes, espressos work too.

Okay can we talk about how our community is absolutely CRUSHING the high contrast game lately? 🤯 First things first - what even IS contrast? It's the difference between the darkest and lightest parts of your image. But here's where most people go wrong: They crank up the contrast slider and call it a day. Well...that's not exactly how it works. So let's get technical: 🎯 Shooting for contrast: Raw format is non-negotiable (yes, we'll keep saying this. Expose for your highlights - you can recover shadows but blown highlights are gone forever. Look for scenes with natural contrast: morning light streaming through windows, architectural shadows, light beams in dark spaces. Golden hour isn't just for soft shots - those long shadows create perfect natural contrast. 🎯 The editing journey: Start with basic exposure adjustments (brightness, exposure, highlights, shadows). Master curves adjustments - they give you way more control than the contrast slider ever will. Play with RGB curves to fine-tune specific colors (warmer highlights, cooler shadows = instant depth). Use selective adjustments to target specific areas rather than applying changes to the whole image. 🎯 Advanced contrast tricks most tutorials skip: Split toning: Cool shadows + warm highlights create natural-looking contrast. Use clarity sparingly: It's a powerful tool that needs a light touch. Master dodge and burn for precise contrast control in specific areas. Try luminosity masks to target exact tonal ranges (sounds complex, but worth learning). 🎯 The 'please don't do this' list: Maxing out the contrast slider (we've all been there, time to level up). Forgetting about local contrast - different areas need different treatment. Overlooking color contrast - complementary colors can create impact without touching contrast. Crushing your blacks until all detail disappears. Takeaway: High contrast is about creating depth and visual impact that makes people go 'wait, how did they do THAT?'.

Creative briefs fail for one reason nobody talks about: The dreaded stakeholder brain dump. You know the one - 12 people throwing random feedback into a Google doc at 11pm because someone mentioned the word 'rebrand' in a meeting. Now you've got the CEO wanting it to feel 'luxury but approachable,' marketing needs it to 'pop but stay minimal,' and Dave from Legal is all over it. Suddenly your creative team is trying to solve 17 different problems that don't actually exist. The best creative work happens when one clear decision-maker owns the brief. Everything else is just designing by committee. And nobody wants that. Not even Dave.