Photography and illustrations are some of our most widely used and influential brand assets. Whether pulling from the UC Davis Health photo library, commissioning a photo shoot, or finding stock imagery, high-quality photos are critical to creating genuine and authentic communications that reinforce our brand.

Style considerations and selection

Photographs should illustrate positive patient engagement and healthy outcomes. Think of the message a photo or groups of photos communicate. Imagery should be light, bright and healthy in nature.

Avoid staged portrait-style shots. Try to show appropriate, natural, authentic, contextual interactions wherever possible. Avoid posed, looking-at-camera shots whenever possible.

Be sure to always include a human element. Buildings and technology — while impressive — are often cold or stark, and don’t communicate health when used on their own. If using a building or featuring technology in an image, the focus should include a person or people engaged in a meaningful way within the context of the photo.

Do not use photos from websites. All print application imagery should only be used at 300 dpi at 100 percent.

Always choose photos that show authentic expressions, natural light, details and depth of field. These options make photos more compelling.

Select photos based on audience. If the audience is parents, photos of children might be appropriate. For alumni, show current students and faculty, particularly those engaged in academic or public outreach activities.

Choose photos that emphasize people. Close-ups of people that show a sense of place are often a strong choice. Current safety measures and best practices must be depicted where appropriate, such as a person wearing safety goggles in a laboratory.

Medical photography

Do not use images of body wounds, scars, internal organs, etc. for patient facing marketing materials. Medical imagery should be reserved for either patient education materials (i.e., how to care for your wound) or for education purposes within the medical community (conference presentations, CME, etc.).

Using UC Davis Health photos and illustrations

All images in our collection are copyright © Regents of the University of California, Davis. All rights reserved.

UC Davis Health faculty, staff and students may use UC Regents' copyrighted photos for business purposes only (e.g., department and program brochures, fliers, newsletters, websites, etc.). These photos may not be used for personal, commercial or any other purpose without express permission. For more information, contact Public Affairs and Marketing at hs-marketing@ucdavis.edu.

Photography consent

Obtaining proper consent when taking and using photographs is crucial – especially with patients or their families – for legal and privacy reasons. For information on HIPAA consent forms and instructions, please contact Public Affairs and Marketing at hs-marketing@ucdavis.edu or by phone at 916-734-9040.