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Images on the web

The images on a web page should be relevant and explain or amplify the text. Well-chosen images help visitors to orient themselves on the website.

Images that people and search engines like

  • Images related to the text.
  • Images without text but supplemented in the body of the text.
  • Lightweight images, i.e. not heavy to download.
  • Descriptive file names.
  • Descriptive alt texts.

Choose the right image

When choosing an image or film for the web, you should first ask the following questions:

  • Who is the content aimed at?
  • What should the image or film communicate? Is it to reinforce a message or express an emotion, or do you need the image or film to simplify and clarify something challenging to explain?
  • What result do you want to achieve?

Images should be relevant to visitors and content. Out-of-context images can reduce the search engine ranking of your site.

Use complementary text

Do not use images as the only way to convey important information. Users who depend on screen readers and point display, for example, need descriptions of all non-text content. This includes, for example:

  • Pictures (except those used only for decoration)
  • Diagrams
  • Animations

Describe the content in sufficient detail for those who only receive the text description. Work from the user's needs and the purpose of the content.

The law requires: describe all non-text content with text (Webbriktlinjer, in Swedish)

Avoid text in images

Text should be written as text, not put into images. Text in images causes problems for, for example, screen readers, those who need a bigger text in good quality, and those who use smaller screens.

Colours

Feel free to use colours, but do not allow colour differences to be the only way to distinguish information but supplement this with, for example, text, pattern or any other visual indication.

The law requires: do not use colour alone to convey information (Webbriktlinjer, in Swedish)

What images can I use?

It is important that KTH is entitled to use the images. It is forbidden to take other people's images from the web and for your own use. Neither can you take someone else's image and edit it.

You must also ensure to meet the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation.

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

KTH's image bank contains images that can be used for KTH's own activities.

KTH images and image bank