Brand guidelines

Imagery

Our images show people thriving at their jobs. We focus on inspiring moments that reflect the working world in all its diversity. Photos and video used in our products and marketing materials should embody our belief that better work leads to better lives.

Approach

Whenever we capture people doing what they do, we want to inspire our users with genuine, relatable moments. Our film and photography style is honest, inclusive, and empathetic, designed to reflect the real world of work.

We call it Cinematic Humanism.

What is Cinematic Humanism?

Delivering on our mission means approaching everything we do with empathy — especially visual storytelling. And that means keeping it real.

We avoid content that feels staged, inauthentic, or common. We tell true stories, as often and as honestly as we can.

Tension or conflict are OK. In fact, they’re essential. They’re part of real life and the real range of job seeker experience. We show that reality. And whenever we show the hard stuff, we make sure to maintain our intrinsic sense of optimism — getting work can be hard work, but there’s always a path forward.

Principles

Create visuals that support our voice whenever possible.

Work is authentic, not staged

Work is real enough. It doesn’t need to be exaggerated by overly staged scenes.

Be aware, not focused

Many narratives about underrepresented groups focus on what “makes them different” as a plot device and not a character trait. Ensure that things such as disability are part of the character and not the story.

Natural lighting, never filtered

Use of natural and minimal lighting helps keep our visuals feeling like they’re part of the real world.

Workplaces are extremely varied and we want to represent as many of them as possible.

Show diversity, not uniformity

Our visuals support the inclusive, diverse range of people reflective of our global markets.

Casting

Inclusive and diverse

The people in our work should be representative of Indeed’s global community of users. People should seem authentic in the way they look, dress, and work. Like someone you expect to see on the elevator. In short, people should feel like real people, not like ad people.

Feature a wide range of:

Professions and fields of work
Skill levels
Genders, ages, races, ethnicities, cultures, socio-economic statuses, body types, and abilities

Avoid tokenism

Inclusivity and diversity only matter if they are represented authentically. For example, one person in a wheelchair does not properly represent the disabled community. Consider range. Be inclusive in your choices.

Tan-skinned woman looks confident while rolling themselves across a city street in a wheelchair

Black person with short hair and a beard in a safety vest pulls a box from a warehouse shelf

Male-presenting person with dark skin and short hair sits at a table in an empty corporate cafeteria and talks to a laptop

Middle-aged Thai woman in a work shirt with rolled sleeve places a food jar on a display shelf

Woman with medium brown skin and medium build cross legged on floor of cozy living room holds pen, pad, mug, talks to laptop

White woman with dyed blonde hair sits at a bistro table with a planner, iced coffee, and sunglasses and looks at camera

Tips for using stock and things to avoid

If you can’t produce a shoot to support your project, ask yourself these questions when assessing the quality of a stock photo:

Do you think that’s a real workplace?
Do you think that person actually works there?
Could illustration solve for your particular need?

If any of your answers are no, keep searching!

Man in an undershirt at a desk balls fists and looks upward in anger as if cursing the skies

Stock imagery pitfalls

Avoid cheesy interactions that feel staged, forced, or silly. We try hard to steer clear of stereotypes and tropes.

Highly stylized photo uses focal length, filters, and lens flare to dramatize two people working at an outdoor table

Inauthentic treatments

We avoid stylistic treatments like photo filters, sepia tones, black and white photography, blurs or flares, extreme contrast, or individuals shot in-studio or on a white background.

Black and white silhouette of a person with a ponytail against the bright background of a high-rise office window

Stylistic guidelines

Avoid images that feel dark, heavy, somber, or negative. Avoid images that feel too perfect or overly retouched.

Documentary storytelling

The stories of our job seekers and clients are the reasons we do what we do. Authenticity is king.

Mentions of Indeed should feel organic to the subject’s story and thoughtfully integrated into the narrative. Every story we tell should easily answer the question: How is this uniquely Indeed?

Campaign tone and range

Our brand video content runs a range of emotional tones, from aspirational, emotional content like “A New Beginning” to lighthearted, product feature-driven stories like “I Need Indeed.” As always, consider your audience and their unique needs. Tailor the tone of your campaign accordingly.