University of New Hampshire, Department of Computer Science

Information Technology 502
, Intermediate Web Design

Spring 2025

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Design Template by Anonymous

What is Imagery in Web Design?


Imagery in web design refers to visual elements that are used to enhance a website’s appearance, communicate messages, and improve the user experience. These visual elements include photographs, illustrations, icons, videos, backgrounds, and any other graphics that contribute to the overall aesthetic and effectiveness of a webpage.

Unlike plain text, images can be used to quickly express emotion, identity, information, and context. Whether it’s a product photo, a hero image on a homepage, or icons that aid user navigation, imagery plays an important role in how people perceive and interact with digital spaces.


Photo of laptop with a coding environment on screen.
An example of a photograph.

Why is imagery important?

Imagery serves both functional and emotional purposes in web design. Thoughtful and well selected visuals can enhance a website making it more attractive, engaging, and user-friendly. Taking the time to thoughtfully create or choose the right images that reflect your brand or website’s purpose can improve the user experience. Humans are visual creatures that are able to process visual information almost instantly. About 90% of all information that we perceive and transmit to our brains is visual. An image can convey more information to the audience than an entire block of text.


Key reasons of why imagery is so important: