Communicating your brand’s emotion, mission, and vision through stock photography can be challenging. We’ve found ways that you can deliver a rich brand experience. Here are our tips and resources for curating a diverse collection of authentic, inclusive images that represent a variety of voices.

1. Keep it authentic — it matters

Imagery that reflects human-centered elements of diversity, candidness, and aspiration helps celebrate the brand’s progress and articulate its future.

Our Experience with Blue Shield of California Foundation (BSCF)

BSCF supports lasting and equitable solutions to make California the healthiest state and end domestic violence, bringing the voices and experiences of those at the margins to the forefront of their work. Germinate worked with BSCF to update their brand guide with a visual identity that would serve as a living reflection of this mission—using photography that captured people not as subjects of a system, but as the architects of their own progress.

2. Avoid Stereotypes

Carefully choose stock photos that avoid false narratives or are sensational.

Our Experience with United Way Worldwide Center to Combat Human Trafficking

In an anti-trafficking world, stereotypical photos often create a false narrative or reignite trauma for survivors. Knowing these types of photos carry a lot of weight and meaning, Germinate collaborated with the Center to curate appropriate images that are neither sensational nor disturbing. 

3. Find the right places for good photos

Use key words that prioritize diversity in order to locate stock photos representing folks from different backgrounds.

• Be specific. The more specific the key words (“Asian woman in a wheelchair”), the better the images you will find. Try using different physical or mental abilities as key words, as well as a variety of races, ethnicities, and genders. Our differences are to be celebrated!
• Evaluate who is/who is not represented. Pay attention to who the main and supporting people are in your images, and make an effort to be intentionally inclusive with the photos you select. Ask yourself, “Is anyone missing?”
• Take your time, and ask someone else for theirs. It can be more time-consuming to find inclusive stock photos, but the effort makes your design more interesting and engaging. Once you narrow down the choices, ask someone who is different from you to provide feedback. 
• Select visuals that break away from stereotypes. Be mindful of common stereotypes in stock photography, and actively choose images that challenge them. Opt for unconventional choices to add intrigue and depth to your design.
• Credit sources for diverse stock images: While some of the bigger stock imagery sites like Pexels and Unsplash don’t require you to credit them when using their photos, many other sites (like the ones you’ll find in our curated list below) legally require you to provide image attribution. Plus, labeling your image sources is a nice thing to do.
• Skip the AI (artificial imagery): We know, we know…it’s tempting, but AI photography is the opposite of authentic. When you use AI tools to generate images, what you get lacks natural human imperfections and fine details. Photos without soul? No, thank you.

If you’re ready to find great imagery for your brand, we have a bevy of inclusive stock photo sites to share:

TONL

Came across TONL when working as lead designer on the Reclaiming Native Truth project with Metropolitan Group. Their database is beyond amazing. There is a rich diversity and a lot of content to choose from. Their pricing models are also pretty good. You will have to register to get access and purchase.

Jopwell

Jopwell is a POC recruiting website and has recently updated their free stock photo repository with an intern edition. We used them for our work with Mac’s List, since they had a lot of great photos of people working together in an office setting.

CreateHER Stock

Founder Neosha Gardner says it perfectly on the CreateHER Stock about page: “We are a grassroots resource and digital ‘pantry’ for stock imagery that can be used for lifestyle, business, and everyday content creation for bloggers, creatives, and growing influencers. If you’re looking to search through thousands upon thousands of images, this may not be for you – but if you appreciate having a resource that keeps it direct and straight to the point – we got you covered. Who has time to search through a bazillion pages of photos anyway, right?” Right!

Disabled And Here Collection

I’ve been using the Disabled And Here Collection for a while now. It’s a true celebration of disabled BIPOC in the Pacific Northwest (and they’re real, we saw them at a nearby park!)—although you can use these photos anywhere. This collection is a disability-led effort to provide free and inclusive stock photos featuring disabled BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color). I’m going to use every single photo here whenever I can. And! I love the interviews with the models. Real people, y’all. Talk about authenticity.

black illustrations

So jazzed to find black illustrations, a stock illustration site focused on Black people. They’ve expanded to 30 categories for you to browse, and they also sell illustration packs — including super cool 3D and icon packs for a different look and feel. Be sure to check this one out if you’re looking for something beyond photos. 

AllGo

Free size-inclusive stock photos are the name of the game at AllGo. This was another recommendation from a colleague, and I’ve been exploring this site for clients who are looking for stock images of people with diverse body types. They also happen to be based locally here in Portland!

Pexels

Pexels is an amazing resource. While it has the traditional look and feel of your big stock photo sites (and is easy to navigate, too), what sets it apart is the volume of diverse and inclusive photos it offers. As a bonus, Pexels also includes videos — and all assets are completely free to use.

WOCINTECH 

Women of Color in Tech (WOCINTECH) is part of an initiative to shed light on the women of color who are working in technology. As such, these photos are ultra authentic representations of these individuals in their real work environments. If you’re looking for stock photos for your tech or STEM projects, be sure to browse this site for diverse images.

Picnoi

Picnoi is a little gem I discovered while searching for diverse stock images. This is a free collection of photos featuring Black people in various settings, and they do not require accreditation—but I say let’s give it to them, anyway, for putting this great repository together.

The Disability Collection from Getty Images 

The Disability Collection was recommended to me by a colleague, and I couldn’t be more excited to share this fantastic resource of diverse disability stock images. The photos are truly authentic, and I can easily see including these in my future projects. 

POCStock

POCStock is a stock media platform providing high-quality photos, videos, and illustrations featuring people of color. It serves various clients, including corporate brands, ad agencies, press and media outlets, and businesses, offering custom subscription plans, team access, and content creation services. POCStock also facilitates custom photo and video shoots through its global network of creators, ensuring diverse representation both in front of and behind the camera.

Macro

Macro was created with a mission to empower and ensure more marginalized artists are afforded the same opportunities as others. It is a licensed collection of inclusive stock images and videos made exclusively by BIPOC creators.

EDUimages

For education-related projects, EDUimages is a no-brainer. You get free access to photos of real teachers, real students, and real classrooms from seven different schools across the U.S.

Disability:IN

Disability:IN offers disability-inclusive stock photography to the public. Through this collection, they help corporations and content creators depict people with disabilities in the workplace in an authentic and affirming manner. 

Stocksy

Stocksy is an artist-owned creative media agency specializing in relevant and progressive visuals. They are a cooperative of creatives leveling up industry standards through an intentionally curated collection, platform, and community.

Queer in Tech

Queer in Tech is a free collection of stock photos from Mapbox that promotes the visibility of queer and gender-nonconforming (GNC) people in technology. It’s a great resource if you’re looking for images of collaboration, teamwork, leadership, design, engineering, or mobile development.

Unsplash

Unsplash is one of my go-to sites! While they don’t have as big of a collection as Getty or iStock, they always have something useful for my projects. And their illustrations are killer, too.

Being able to find the right imagery with your message in mind can be tricky, but I’m here to help.