At present, the University does not have a central image library, however, there are resources below that will help.
Even with a central library, finding a good image takes time and effort. An editor needs to select imagery that provides the most impact for their content.
Stock images
These are usually topic or subject-focussed images and can be used for news, events, courses and sometimes research content.
Eg Course page, News article or Research feature
Stock images often require image attributions or credits as part of the copyright agreement. The University's policy is to add a credit as a courtesy, where possible – even when it is not legally required.
Find out how to add image attributions and credits.
Paid-for stock
If you are using a service, such as istock or gettyimages.com, check that you are working within their copyright/licensing agreements.
Free stock images
There are many free stock image resources with mixed quality.
Bear in mind that you must adhere to their guidelines for attributions and credits in order to avoid any legal problems.
Using free stock imagery also means that you are likely to see it used elsewhere by other companies and institutions. For generic, topical images this may be okay.
- Unsplash recommended
- Pixabay
- Creative Commons search such as Flickr offers all kinds of images – you’ll need a good eye for imagery
- More free stock resources
Kent images
These are images showing University life, the study environment and reportage of real Kent people, for example, architecture, landscape, facilities, student events, people portraits and teaching.
Images that are commissioned by the University are owned by us. This means we have the right to use them on the website and they don’t require image attributions/credits.
- Brand image library on Flickr has approved imagery for use by all departments
- Design and Print Centre (design_studio@kent.ac.uk) are able to advise and provide imagery
- Image requests can be sent to kentbrand@kent.ac.uk.
Commissioning images
We recommend that you contact the content editors within MORA for advice on which photographers to use.
In general, when commissioning a photographer, they need to know how images work on the website (aspect ratios and how they adapt on mobile) and the type of images we want. Photographers will need to work within those specifications.
You also need to ensure the:
- usage rights from the photographer
- consent from people you take photos of - Consent Form (129KB)
Sharing images
In order to move towards a central image bank, content editors across the University should share all newly commissioned imagery with the Design and Print Centre (design_studio@kent.ac.uk).