Please remember what you’re asking for. Creativity takes time. I used to be in advertising and it’s amazing how people want to use you for little or no pay. I’m not suggesting that you are…just asking you to be mindful of the other side.

Some people even think that they’re giving you a chance for more experience. What a load of…

Yes, @MissA is right. In the creative design industry, what you pay for is what you get.

Ok, maybe I should say relatively cheap, or reasonable-priced. I’m not asking for a whole web template for 100$.
I’m aiming at little pictures, or should I say illustrations.
Still, thanks for answering.

Yeah, good and cheap don’t usually go together in web design. But my suggestion is to go to cssmania.com and browse there. They have a ton of web design portfolios. Start shoppin’! :)

You could check out Deviantart.com you have to set up an account, and then weed through a lot of crap, but you could find an artist there who would work with you.

If you’re looking for something custom, I’ve always liked the work of Sofa (http://www.madebysofa.com/) because their designs, while having a distinctly Mac feel, are really quite good. They’ve done icon and web design for a whole lot of people and companies and it always looks really really nice. Give ‘em a try!

@camertron Thanks for this. They do have some great icon designs!

The “good” fits with Made By Sofa, but definitely not “cheap”.

@Vortico yes that’s true but as other users have so astutely pointed out already, what you pay for is what you get. The guys at Sofa are really talented, so of course it’s gonna be more expensive. I like to think of professional design as an investment – it’ll pay for itself over and over if it’s something customers respond well to. Professional design is as much about looks as it is about connecting with the emotions of the target audience.

@camertron Yes, definitely! GOOD graphic design is completely an investment; it’s almost exponential for what you pay.

Just so Sofa doesn’t get all the mention, here’s a list of good designers I have bookmarked. Some may not be available for work at this time, but some may do. Note that this is in no order whatsoever.

Fi
Analog
Contrast
Michael Dick
Lift
Jilion
Simple Bits
Envato
Cristian Ordóñez
Zurb
R/GA
Creative Spark
MetaLab
Rob Young
Hyperakt

@Atheros was looking for spot illustrations. I’m a designer and may be able to help, depending on style (I’ve done plenty of spot art for web sites). Either way, I’m happy to brainstorm with you; feel free to contact me whether or not we end up working together.

@Atheros I’m a web designer and can tell you from experience that we don’t set prices to be like walmart. If a web designer does then it’s usually some crappy do it yourself tool, they’re just starting out or they’re wannabe designers just trying to scrap a few dollars because they know how to use Microsoft Paint.

Good designers take pride in their work and know what they’re worth. It’s easy to spot and you should never skimp on your designs because first impressions are everything :)