A picture speaks 1000 words. Use these guidelines to make sure the images you use on your school website are saying the right thing.
Stick to recommended image sizes
Images smaller than the recommended dimensions may appear blurry or pixelated when they stretch to fill containers such as banners.
Don’t enlarge a smaller image, as this can make it appear pixelated.
File type
Use .jpeg file type only for photos. Please do not use .png.
Stick to recommended file types
Use JPG and PNG files. Don’t use PSD and TIFF files as these aren’t web-compatible.
Image file naming
Only use letters, numbers and hyphens in file names. Other characters – like spaces, question marks, percent signs, commas and ampersands – will cause issues.
Make sure you have permission to publish
Only publish information that identifies a student, a parent or carer, or any other individual with their permission.
Make sure you have a signed permission to publish form for every student.
Where to source your images
- Use images from the department's brand library (staff only).
- Take or commission photos, see our photography guidelines.
Don't use text images
Don't use images that are just text (words) or text added to them, such as:
- infographics
- posters
- screenshots of print
- cards.
While text images may look nice and be useful in print, the information in them can't be read by assistive technologies like screen readers.
Don't use icons
Avoid using icons because they can get confusing when you use the same icon for different things or vice versa.
Icons are usually created as very small files and are not high resolution enough when they expand to fill the image container.
Don’t violate image copyright
Do not use images downloaded from Google or other search engines without permission.
If you have purchased stock images or used Creative Commons images, make sure you include the appropriate credit in your caption.
Make sure your images are accessible
Don’t put text on your images. It will be hidden or cropped in many cases.
Don’t use animated GIFs on your website.
Provide alternative text (alt text) for all images
All images must have alt text that describe the information or function represented by them. This ensures that images can be used by people with various disabilities.
All images must include alternative text (alt text) unless they’re purely decorative, meaning:
they serve no purpose other than to add visual interest to a page
someone reading your content won’t miss out if they can’t see the image.
If an image is purely decorative, mark it as decorative when you upload it. Banner images and thumbnails are automatically marked as decorative.
It’s important to use keywords in your alt text as well. This will help with search engine optimisation.
Include captions where required
Most of the images you include with news items or content pages should include a caption.
Captions should not repeat alt text. Instead, they should give your audience more context for why the image is there.
Difference between alt text and caption
- Alt text describes the image for someone who can’t see it.
Example alt text:
o Photo of a Year 4 girl using an iPad while sitting on a beanbag in a classroom.
- A caption gives context to the image. This should be a full sentence.
Example caption:
o Flexible learning spaces and mobile technology allow students to learn in the ways that suit them.
Use only photos of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander peoples still living
Many Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders are offended by the depiction of deceased members of their communities.
How we do it
Make every effort to ensure that only pictures of living Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders are used in the website.
Display a disclaimer if an image could contain a deceased person – such as a very old filed picture.
Provide a way to report an incident.
Example of a good disclaimer
We are aware that many Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders are offended by the depiction of deceased members of their communities. While we have made every effort to ensure that only pictures of Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders still living are used on this site, visitors to the site are warned that it may contain images of people now deceased. Please let us know if you know of the death of any Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person depicted on this site.