Brand visuals include a wide array of elements, including typography, graphics, layouts, icons, photography, illustrations, videos,patterns, and motion graphics. These visuals serve diverse roles: they can be decorative, representational, organizational, relational, transformational, and interpretive. When paired with words, they tell our story. - Brand Essentials Guide

High-quality, accessible, and optimized images are essential for creating engaging and professional web content. All images must conform to our photo and image requirements below.

Images are:

  • Legally compliant and accessible
    • Images do not violate copyright. (Use Cornell photo resources (see below) or free stock images.) 
    • Captions include photographer credit and are short, well-written, descriptive, and written in the present tense.
    • If necessary, photo releases have been signed. No children are present in the photos. 
  • Brand-compliant and properly formatted
    • Images are in focus, high resolution, and align with the Brand Essentials Guide.
    • Use the guidelines below to ensure your images align with institutional standards and enhance the user experience.

Choosing Quality Photos

  • Use the Cornell Photo Library as your primary resource for images.  
  • Select photos that:  
    • Are relevant to the page’s goals and audience.  
    • Are recent (no older than five years unless for historical content).  
    • Authentically represents the college’s diverse community.
  • Avoid images with distractions, like cluttered backgrounds. Crop unnecessary elements if needed.  


How to Access Cornell Photo Library  

  • Log in with your NetID.  
  • Navigate to Categories → All Colleges, Schools, Units → Cornell SC Johnson College of Business (JCB).  
  • Use the Search Within box to locate specific subjects.  
 

Other Types of Images


Charts, Graphs, and Infographics

Avoid embedding charts or graphs as images. Provide text alternatives instead.

Icons

Icons represent another part of our visual identity. These small yet powerful symbols play a role in making our brand distinctive and memorable. Our custom icon library, exclusively tailored to our brand, elevates our recognition. It enables us to communicate specific themes effectively and distinguish topics even when visual cues overlap. Our icon library is split into three types of icons; primary, secondary, and directional icons. Each group serves a different role, working together to create a consistent and adaptable visual style for our messaging. - Brand Essentials Guide  

Contact jcbcomm@cornell.edu for access to icons.  

Emojis  

Do not use emojis in any web content.