Freepik is an image bank website. Content produced and distributed by the online platform includes photographs, illustrations and vector images. The platform distributes its content under a freemium model, which means that users can access much of the content for free. However, it is also possible to purchase a subscription with advantages such as access to more exclusive resources as well as the option of not attributing the content used or a higher number of daily downloads.[1]

Freepik Company S.L.
Freepik
Company typePublic
IndustryStock photography, stock footage, stock music
Founded2010; 14 years ago (2010)
FounderAlejandro Sánchez, Pablo Blanes y Joaquín Cuenca
HeadquartersMálaga,
Spain
Area served
Worldwide
ProductsFreepik images
ServicesLicensing of stock media and production services
OwnerEQT
Websitewww.freepik.com

Freepik was founded in 2010 in Malaga[2] with the idea of providing free graphic resources to designers around the world. The Spanish stock image platform is used by several million users, including multinationals such as Microsoft, FedEx, Amazon or Spotify.[1]

Freepik is a flagship entity within the Freepik Company, an organization that has earned recognition from the Financial Times as one of Europe's thirty fastest-growing companies. The Freepik Company serves as the parent brand for an array of creative platforms: Flaticon, Slidesgo, Storyset[3][4] and Wepik.[5]

The content of Freepik Company products is created by the company's designers[6][7] and its more than 21,000 collaborators of more than 100 countries, and downloads of its content reach an average of more than 80 million per month.

In 2020, the Swedish investment firm EQT[8] acquired a majority stake in Freepik Company.[9]

In 2022, Freepik was named in G2's Best Software 2022 Awards, ranking 17th on the list of best-selling software in Europe, the Middle East and Africa and 43rd in the list of best design products.[10]

History edit

Freepik was founded in 2010 by brothers Alejandro Sánchez and Pablo Blanes, together with their friend Joaquín Cuenca, founder of Panoramio (acquired by Google). Initially it was a search engine that indexed content from the top 10 free content websites for designers.[11]

In 2014, Freepik stopped being just a metasearch engine and became a large-scale producer of free graphic resources.[3]

In 2015 the subscription model was launched. Users who pay for a Premium account have access to more resources and exclusive content on the platform, without the need to attribute. In addition, the Contributors model has also started: designers and photographers can upload their assets to the platform and earn income from them.[12]

In 2018 Freepik changed its visual identity introduced a new logo. This redesign included a new font, a modified isotype, as well as the color palette. The objective of this change was to redefine the brand image and bring it closer to graphic design trends.[13]

In 2020 during the Coronavirus outbreak, as part of a Freepik Company CSR initiative, Freepik offered its resources free of charge to healthcare workers, educators, journalists, and workers in public institutions.[14]

Subsidiaries edit

Freepik Company is the parent brand of 5 other creative platforms:[3][4]

  • Flaticon
  • Slidesgo
  • Storyset
  • Wepik
  • Videvo
  • EyeEm

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Málaga hace historia en el negocio digital: El fondo sueco EQT compra la mayor parte de la malagueña Freepik". Diario Sur (in Spanish). 2020-05-28. Retrieved 2022-01-15.
  2. ^ Velasco, Juan Jesús (2017-10-11). "Freepik, la web "made in Málaga" de contenidos para diseñadores que factura 1,2 millones de euros al mes". Xataka (in Spanish). Retrieved 2022-01-15.
  3. ^ a b c "Freepik crece a ritmo de gacela: encadena otro año duplicando ingresos, beneficio y plantilla". Diario Sur (in Spanish). 2019-12-01. Retrieved 2022-01-15.
  4. ^ a b González, Gabriela (2020-04-16). "Freepik lanza una nueva herramienta gratis para crear ilustraciones animadas y personalizables". Genbeta (in Spanish). Retrieved 2022-01-15.
  5. ^ "Freepik lanza Wepik, una herramienta de diseño para pequeñas y medianas empresas". Reason Why (in Spanish). Retrieved 2022-06-09.
  6. ^ García, Yaiza García (2020-09-19). "Freepik, el Google español de las imágenes digitales, apuesta por la producción propia y la consolidación de herramientas ya existentes tras la entrada de EQT". Business Insider España (in Spanish). Retrieved 2022-01-15.
  7. ^ "EQT adquiere Freepik Company, el líder internacional en contenidos visuales digitales freemium". eqtgroup.com. 28 May 2020. Retrieved 2022-01-15.
  8. ^ "EQT acquires freemium graphics and stock photo marketplace, Freepik". TechCrunch. 28 May 2020. Retrieved 2022-01-15.
  9. ^ elEconomista.es. "El fondo EQT compra Freepik, el 'google' español de las imágenes – elEconomista.es". www.eleconomista.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 2022-01-15.
  10. ^ "Freepik Earns Spots On G2's 2022 Best Software Awards | Freepik Company". www.freepikcompany.com. 2022-02-23. Retrieved 2022-06-09.
  11. ^ "El desconocido 'Google' español de imágenes que se coló entre los que más crecen de Europa". El Español (in Spanish). 2017-04-20. Retrieved 2022-01-15.
  12. ^ "Sell Photos, Vectors and PSD and make money | Freepik Contributor". contributor.freepik.com. Retrieved 2022-06-09.
  13. ^ "Freepik Company, un nuevo diseño consistente y con personalidad". Marketing Directo (in Spanish). 2018-11-27. Retrieved 2022-01-15.
  14. ^ "Firma malagueña Freepik regala acceso a su material gráfico a docentes y sanitarios para campañas frente al coronavirus". Europa Press. 2020-03-20. Retrieved 2022-01-15.

External links edit