An editorial image should help someone recognize, understand, or evaluate something in the article. Start the brief with that job. “Make this look more premium” leaves the designer guessing and often produces decoration that could accompany any topic.
Choose whether the article needs a photograph, a product screenshot, a diagram, a chart, or no image at all. These forms make different claims. A screenshot suggests an actual interface. A chart suggests underlying data. An illustration can communicate an idea but should not masquerade as evidence of a real event.
The template below is an original editorial method. It is useful for commissioned work, internal design, or AI-assisted image production. The factual acceptance criteria should stay the same regardless of how the asset is made.
Fill out the brief before production
Write a short paragraph for purpose, then the requirements that could cause a reviewer to reject the asset. Include the exact section where it will appear. A useful brief provides enough context to make the first asset coherent without becoming a second article.
| Brief field | Required answer |
|---|---|
| Reader task | What becomes easier to understand? |
| Asset type | Photograph, screenshot, diagram, chart, or illustration |
| Factual requirements | Labels, quantities, interface version, or source records |
| Placement and dimensions | Where it appears and how it behaves on a narrow screen |
| Rights and provenance | Source, permitted use, creator, and any required credit |
| Text alternative | The meaning a nonvisual reader needs |
| Acceptance | Specific conditions for approval or revision |
Keep the source file and approved export connected to the brief. A later editor should be able to identify which data or interface revision produced the published asset. Filenames such as final-final-2 do not substitute for that record.
Work an example for a migration guide
Suppose the article explains why a redirect should preserve the visitor's original task. A useful diagram could show three old guides leading to their appropriate successors, with one retired event identified separately. The image's job is to make the mapping decision visible.
The brief would specify fictional paths, readable labels, and a clear distinction between a moved guide and retired content. It would prohibit ranking arrows, traffic-growth claims, and invented performance numbers because the article has no evidence for them. The caption would identify the paths as examples.
The acceptance check is practical: can a reader tell which old URL reaches which destination without reading a paragraph inside the image? If the diagram needs tiny explanatory text, simplify the picture and keep the detailed mapping in an adjacent HTML table.
A decorative server-room photograph might set a mood, but it would not explain this decision. Choose it only if the article has a separate visual purpose that justifies the space and loading cost.
Make accessibility part of the brief
The W3C WAI image decision tree, checked September 9, 2026, distinguishes informative, functional, redundant, and decorative images. A simple informative image needs its meaning conveyed in text; complex information should also be available elsewhere on the page. Pure decoration can use an empty alt attribute.
For the fictional redirect diagram, a concise alternative might say that three guides retain relevant successors while a retired event receives a separate decision. The adjacent mapping table can carry the exact paths. Do not cram the entire table into an alt attribute if the same information is already available as readable page content.
For a linked image, describe the destination or action when that is necessary to understand the link. For a product screenshot, explain the relevant state rather than listing every visible control. These choices depend on the image's role in this particular article.
Review quality without inventing evidence
Check that a screenshot uses an authorized environment with private data removed. Check a chart against its underlying values, units, time range, and sample. Check an illustration for accidental logos, misleading labels, or details that conflict with the article.
Google's image guidance recommends relevant surrounding text, descriptive filenames, and useful contextual alt text rather than keyword stuffing. It also emphasizes balancing image quality with loading performance. Treat those as publishing details after the asset's meaning is correct.
Test whether the asset remains legible at its actual displayed size. A beautiful full-resolution file can become an unreadable thumbnail. Provide an appropriate export and reserve space in the layout so the image does not disrupt the reading experience as it loads.
Keep the useful asset and discard the filler
Approve the image when it performs the stated job, preserves factual accuracy, has appropriate use rights, and works in the article's layout. If it adds nothing, remove it instead of writing a caption that tries to justify its presence.
Use the format selection guide to decide whether an image is even the right explanatory form. A strong table, concise example, or well-structured paragraph can be the better editorial asset.