VISUAL ELEMENTS
Photography
APPROACH
Photography is an important part of the Goodwill Northwest North Carolina brand. Photography should focus on people (employees and those we serve), planet (sustainability) and showcasing the positive impact Goodwill has in building community. All of our photography should reflect that we are a mission-driven organization transforming lives through the power of economic mobility, environmental stewardship and strong community partnership.
PHOTO AND CONTENT
Our photography should put people first, highlighting positive relationships and individual pride. Rather than relying on images of objects, focus on people and their interactions. Photos should represent a diverse range of people to show the spectrum of the Goodwill experience.
PEOPLE
People should be shown in realistic, dynamic environments. Avoid overly staged or studio photography. The tone should be welcoming, uplifting, vibrant, inclusive, and dynamic.
Frame images at a conversational distance. Avoid extreme closeups and faraway framing, which make the individual seem isolated and impersonal.
sustainability
Highlight Goodwill’s role as environmental stewards by connecting it to people—for example, through customer reuse, upcycling initiatives, and career services linked to green jobs. The tone should be responsible, resilient, creative, and vibrant.
BEST PRACTICES
- Resolution Take photos in the highest resolution your device allows. Avoid sending low-quality, pixelated, or blurry images.
- Lighting Natural light works best. If indoors, make sure there is adequate lighting. Avoid harsh shadows or over exposure.
- Stabilization On a phone, use the built-in stabilization. On other cameras, use a tripod, built-in stabilization, and/or a fast shutter speed.
- Background Make sure there’s nothing distracting, messy, or inappropriate in the background. Ensure that clothing and items in the background do not display trademarks not owned by Goodwill.
- Action and Emotion Try to capture natural, candid moments that tell a story.
- Variety Take shots from multiple angles (wide shots, close-ups, and mid-range shots) to give the marketing team more options.
- Unfiltered Avoid filters and heavy editing. Provide original, unedited photos to the marketing team.
- Privacy Make sure anyone featured in the photo has given consent for it to be used publicly. Complete release form(s) before beginning a photo shoot.
- Format Submit photos in jpeg or png format at full size.
- Groups For team and group photos, make sure everyone is visible. Encourage natural smiles and expressions.
- Employees Take pictures of employees doing their jobs, or posing naturally, in their work environments.
- Attire Ask Goodwill employees to wear Goodwill blue or black shirts. Ask others who do not work at Goodwill to wear solid colors and avoid high contrast patterns and apparel with prominent logos and/or brand names.
goodwill IMAGE library
Goodwill maintains a library of images on Brandfolder where you can obtain Goodwill-branded photographs for use in your communications. This library is frequently updated with photos from new locations, reflecting the communities Goodwill serves. All photos are free for use by Goodwill employees for marketing purposes.
CROPPING IMAGES
Crop images using a rounded corner on the lower right. The radius of the circle should be 20% of the length of the shortest side.
