Photos, Images and Other Files

Which files to use

As with everything we produce and publish, quality matters. Don’t create your own photos, images or files for upload unless doing so is part of your role within the content production process and workflow.

Always look for photos and images within Hope’s digital asset management library (WebDAM) first. You can be confident that these files meet all quality standards and formatting requirements. Before you include an image, check to make sure that the image isn’t already in use.

If you can’t find an image you need, contact Public Affairs & Marketing for assistance.

How to make files easier to understand 

All file types

Write intelligible file names. Instead of “FH03006.jpg,” use something like “phelps-dining-hall-construction-2014-05-08. jpg.” Similar to titles or headlines, file names should use words that clearly and uniquely identify the content the file contains (e.g., subject, topic, department, building, people) and/or notable attributes of the file (e.g., date created or modified). Separate words in file names with dashes, not underscores.

Photos and images

Always include alt text. Alt text is a short sentence or phrase that describes an image. It’s hidden from the average user, but is critically important for search engines and for users with vision impairments. Alt text should meaningfully describe the photo or image as if to a blind person in 100 characters or less.

Only include a caption if one is required. Captions are content. All rules apply.

Audio and video 

Include a text alternative. Provide a text transcript for those who are hearing impaired. Every video on the Hope College website must have captions. See our video guidelines for more information.