Photography tips for websites and printing

Photography plays a crucial role in building and reinforcing the identity of a brand or product. By choosing the right images, compositions, and colors, the design can evoke the desired emotions and engage the viewer with the story your business wants to convey. However, a poor-quality photo can undermine both the brand experience and the design. That’s why we’d like to share some tips for selecting and providing the right photos.

It's essential to consider the intended use of the photo. Will it be used for digital or printed materials? For print, especially in large formats, a higher resolution is necessary to keep the image sharp. Print materials typically require photos taken with a high-quality digital camera or stock photography. If the photo is intended for online use, such as on a website or social media, a phone camera image is often sufficient.

Pay attention to the aspect ratio and final position of the photo within the design. Is a portrait or landscape image needed? If you try to place a landscape image in a portrait space (or vice versa), a crop will be necessary. This can result in important parts of the photo not being visible. If the design is not yet finalized, it’s best to provide both options so the designer has more flexibility.

Ensure that the photos are of sufficient resolution to appear sharp and detailed. For print, a minimum resolution of 300 dpi (dots per inch) is recommended, while 72 dpi is suitable for digital/web designs. The most commonly used file format is JPEG (.jpg) due to its good balance between file size and image quality. Other formats include PNG (.png) for images with transparent backgrounds and TIFF (.tiff) for high-quality, editable images.

It’s important to only use photos for which you have the necessary permissions or that fall under the appropriate licenses, such as royalty-free or self-created images.

Avoid sending photos via WhatsApp or in a Word document, as these programs compress the images, resulting in significant loss of resolution. Instead, deliver photos via email or WeTransfer to maintain optimal quality.

If you need assistance in selecting or creating the right photos, AllesOnline can always advise or handle the photography for you.

rob@allesonline.nl

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