Selecting photos for your site
When selecting photos for your website, consider the following:
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Necessity. Images aren’t necessary on all pages. Always consider whether or not an image adds value to a page or increases context. If not, reconsider using an image. A simple, well-written page of content can be more impactful and useful on its own.
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Content. We want to use genuine images of DePaul students, faculty, and staff on our websites rather than stock photos. Using the same photo in multiple places is repetitive and unnecessary—please use each photo only once in your site or across sites.
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Orientation. Landscape-oriented (horizontal) or square photos work better than portrait-oriented (vertical) photos on responsive websites. The exception is for faculty and staff
headshots.
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Quality and size. You’ll want to use high-quality images that are large enough to not look pixelated on larger screens, but also not so large that they take too long to load. As a general rule, use landscape-oriented images that are between 800 to 2000 pixels wide, are 72dpi, are under 400k in file size and optimized for the web. See our sizing guide and image optimization instructions for more information.
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Accessibility. Please consider the experience of users with visual impairments or users using visual assistance:
- Always add alt titles and alt text to an image for accessibility. Users using screen readers need to be given context for the photo in the form of alt text.
- Images that are graphics or include typography often do not render well on mobile devices and are not optimal for reaching visually impaired individuals.