PEOPLE ARE VISUAL BEINGS

In WWF’s mission to create a world where people and nature thrive together, images – still and moving – are fundamental to the way we communicate and reach people.

Strong, arresting images and videos can be a powerful tool to break through indifference and provoke an emotional reaction among audiences, challenging them to think more deeply about the issues affecting our planet and inspiring them to take action.

At the same time, we have a responsibility to respect and protect those who contribute their images and stories for our communications, whether as subjects or image creators.

These image guidelines help you to be effective and responsible in:

the process of filming and photography (image gathering or the image-making process)
the selection and use of images and videos for WWF’s communications.

THE HIVE

WWF’s main repository for visual assets is The HIVE, our internal imagery and video bank designed to support our mission and work.

You may use images from other sources, as long as you have cleared the usage rights with the copyright holders. However, we encourage you to use The HIVE as your first resource as it provides thousands of images from all over the network for use at no extra cost and with a standard set of usage terms, making rights restrictions less ambiguous.

We also encourage WWF teams to upload any imagery you acquire onto The HIVE to ensure that image resources are stored securely and shared with the network.

To submit imagery and videos or for advice on image-related issues, contact The HIVE global administrator at hivegadmin@wwfint.org.

GENERAL PRINCIPLES FOR IMAGERY

BOLD AND OPTIMISTIC

We need striking images to get people’s attention about the issues we are facing.

Often the issues are very serious and so there will be times when it is necessary to use hard-hitting images. These should always be used strategically and sensitively.

Wherever possible, however, we should use optimistic imagery that realistically demonstrates a better and hopeful future. As WWF, we have witnessed many positive stories that give us hope for our planet’s future. In a world of doom and gloom, optimism is a different approach that we can make our own. We want people to feel inspired, not helpless, when they see our content.

FRESH, COMPELLING STORYTELLING

How many times have you seen a photo of a polar bear on melting ice being used to illustrate a story about climate change?

While stereotypical images such as this can be effective shorthand for certain issues embedded in the popular consciousness, they can also risk oversimplifying issues or desensitizing audiences about matters that should be of strong concern to them.

So try looking for unexpected, new ways to catch people’s attention through imagery.

Look for images that tell a story and demonstrate impact. Accompanying images with words – whether through short captions or in full photo stories or video narration – can also have a powerful effect. Stories are a great way to engage people with what we do – and they are most effective when great images and well-chosen words (describing the who, what, where, when and how of the images) work together.

By pulling the viewer into a narrative, we create a deeper emotional connection that makes them more likely to respond.

BE TRUE TO THE WORK WE DO

Today, WWF is talking to a variety of actors around the world – governments, corporations, local communities, the media, individuals – to drive change on issues affecting both people and nature.

Despite this, research shows that we are wrongly perceived as a wildlife welfare organization.

Although we should continue to use wildlife images where relevant, we should avoid defaulting to wildlife as generic illustrations of our work. Our mission is about people and nature thriving together and we want our images and stories to reflect this fully.

LOCALIZED

Images should be appropriate for a local audience, bearing in mind any cultural sensitivities. It may also be useful to use locally specific images rather than generic ones; while conservation issues often cross geographical boundaries, they look different in different places. Images that have no relevance to the local context risk alienating the audience, while those showing local people and places can help audiences understand that nature impacts all of us specifically and not just a vague, remote ‘them’.

AUTHENTIC

To maintain WWF’s credibility, our images should show real situations and events. They should not be doctored or digitally manipulated in any way if at all possible. If it is necessary to use a digitally altered image, this should be clearly explained in the description.

Being authentic also means we should avoid staged images, or images with an overly ‘stock’ feel. Research by Climate Visuals found that discussion groups favoured authentic images showing real people over staged photographs, which they saw as gimmicky or even manipulative.

Photos taken by WWF staff in the field or from camera traps may lack the professional touch – but they can add a sense of authenticity if used with consideration.

The key to making this work is to make sure that these images always have a caption explaining where the photograph was taken and what it is. Images like this might not be suitable for front covers or large photo spreads, but can be useful inside a publication or on a web page.

POWERFUL STORYTELLING THROUGH IMAGES

PEOPLE

People are at the heart of all the work that we do. This includes working with corporations and governments who hold powerful levers of influence and can make significant change happen. Importantly, it also means working with those who are closest to the natural resources vital to humanity – indigenous peoples and local communities who are often the most vulnerable groups in society.

Yet too often, conservation organizations, including WWF, tend to focus on wildlife rather than people when visually depicting issues affecting our planet.

People shots that help us better tell important conservation stories include communities directly affected by environmental issues and/or that are working to create positive change; WWF staff in the field; politicians and business people at high-level conferences and meetings discussing environmental policies; and people living in urban environments.

When depicting people in imagery, be careful about respecting the individual(s) or communities, addressing any cultural sensitivities and avoiding stereotypes (e.g. indigenous communities depicted in traditional costumes that are not their everyday wear, or images of villagers in rural areas used as shorthand for issues linked to poverty such as drinking water shortages).

Make an effort to select images that represent diversity within a local context, rather than focusing only on dominant groups or those that are most visible.

As much as possible, accompany images of people with stories that give background and context, helping audiences to better relate to the individuals concerned.

SPECIES

Our planet’s wildlife is in crisis – on average, wildlife populations have declined by more than half since 1970, and species are going extinct at an alarming rate. Preventing biodiversity loss is a core part of WWF’s mission, so it makes sense that many of our images focus on species whose populations are threatened.

Close-up shots may show the beauty of the species, but we encourage the use of groups of animals whenever possible as this drives home the point that our mission is not to care for individual animals, but rather nature at a larger scale. When showing solitary animals, make sure that care is taken to draw the link between the animal shown and the bigger picture regarding nature loss.

Camera trap images, while lacking the professional touch, often do well because they authentically portray animals in their natural environment. (See section on authentic imagery.)

Be cautious about using images showing captive animals. For authenticity’s sake, images of wildlife in the correct natural setting are always preferable. If a lack of wild images makes their use unavoidable, always honestly caption them to make sure audiences are aware that the animals are in captivity.

LANDSCAPES, SEASCAPES AND CITIES

Images of places – such as rivers, forests or cities – help to contextualise conservation issues.

Drone or aerial shots of places can be especially useful in showing the physical impact of human activities, such as logging or pollution, on natural environments at scale. However, be aware that there may be legal limitations on drone usage in some places.

As far as possible, use images of recognizable places with a clear conservation message, rather than generic images (e.g. trees in a forest that could be anywhere), to maximize the visual impact and engagement.

WWF LOGO AND COPYRIGHT CREDITS

It is not mandatory to embed the WWF logo on individual images in most cases, and in many cases it may be better not to watermark the brand logo onto an image as this could distract from the main subject matter of the image. When the logo is used, it should follow brand guidelines.

On the other hand, it is necessary to accompany each image with a copyright credit. The format of the photo or video credit should be the “© [Copyright owner] / WWF-[Office]” (e.g.: © Greg Armfield / WWF-UK).

All credits should be in Arial font with no special effects (e.g. drop shadow or glow) and should be clearly legible – e.g. for an image that is 1000px on the long side, the font size of the credit should be at least 15pt. To ensure legibility, the credits should be in black if the background it is set against is predominantly light coloured, and in white if the background is predominantly dark coloured.

For photos, the credit should be embedded on the image itself or alternatively underneath or beside the image. For videos, the credit must appear either while the video material is being screened or in the end-credits of the programme.

More guidelines are coming on The HIVE: these include packaging imagery, legal considerations, sensitive imagery, social media, etc.