When to use images

Use images if they are useful and relevant. Don’t use purely decorative images.

That goes for graphs, charts and infographics as well as for photographs and illustrations.

Do not use images with embedded text

Do not use images with text embedded in the image. On mobile devices, text embedded in images is usually not big enough to read. The text also can't be read by search engines or people using screen readers.

Choosing images

Images of people

Choose images that are inclusive.

  1. Avoid idealised, ‘photo-shoot’-style images of people. We want people to be able to identify with the images that they see. Choose normal pictures of normal people.

  2. You should make sure images don't reinforce negative or stereotypical attitudes especially for ethnicity, age or gender. Studies have shown this can happen without us being aware of it. Keep this in mind when you're choosing images or reviewing content.

Captions

People tend to spend time reading captions, particularly if the image is good and relevant. Write captions in full sentences. They can be 2 or 3 short sentences. Keep in mind how they will look on smaller screen sizes such as a mobile phone.

For images that are bad but necessary

Images should be high-quality and easy to read on mobile if they have text on them.

Where the image is not ideal but we have no other option, ask yourself if including the image is more useful than not having it at all.

In these rare cases, a line explaining how to view it better may be helpful in the caption.

For example:

“Food pyramid - to enlarge this image on desktop, right-click and select 'open image in a new tab.’ On mobile, pinch to zoom in on the image.”

Formatting images

Image sizes