The comprehensive Imperial College London Asset Library should always be the first-choice photography resource. It is better to use our own authentic photography than to resort to generic stock imagery.

Sourcing images

Asset Library

The Asset Library is home to over 280,000 high-quality images covering all aspects of Imperial life that can be downloaded for use in print and digital projects. All Imperial staff and students can access the Asset Library with their Imperial username and password.

Access Asset Library and learn tips and tricks to navigate with our support articles and tutorials.

Images on the Asset Library can be freely downloaded and used by members of the Imperial community in print and digital materials that further the university's mission. You cannot use images from the Asset Library for commercial purposes.

If you are looking for something which should be on Asset Library, but you can’t locate it, please contact photography@imperial.ac.uk for assistance.

Stock images

If you are unable to find the type of image you’re looking for on Asset Library, you may consider using stock images and there are many sites that offer this for free. 

Free stock images 

Wikimedia Commons is a great resource for rights free images (currently offering 98 million images to choose from). Free stock image libraries include Unsplash, Pixabay and Pexels. Please ensure you check any licencing and crediting requirements before using any such images.

Paid-for stock images

If you cannot obtain suitable free stock imagery, you can explore paid-for options. Please contact the Design and Editorial team via style.guide@imperial.ac.uk in the first instance to support you with a small number of paid-for images via Shutterstock, or support with negotiating your own subscription.

Commission your own photoshoot

If neither Asset Library nor stock imagery can satisfy your image needs, you can set up your own photoshoot. Find out more. 

Crediting images

If the image is from Imperial, credit the image in your materials using the following format: ‘Photographer Name, Imperial College London’.

External images should be credited ‘Photographer name’, plus any requirements from the supplier, whether that’s from a stock image site or elsewhere.

Images on the Imperial news site and website 

Images on the News site and website should be credited in the format above. This can be included in the caption for the article’s main image or in the caption of the embedded image. 

Best practice for image use

Once you have used an image, ensure you remove it from your local computer – you should download it every time you seek to reuse. This is important for GDPR compliance.