Illustrations vs photos: which builds more trust?

Key takeaways

Real photos of your people and work usually build more trust than illustrations, because they show the business is real. Illustrations work well for explaining processes, abstract services or software, and for keeping a consistent style. The weakest choice is generic imagery of either kind. Use photos for proof, illustrations for explanation.

• Illustrations: best for explaining processes and abstract services.
• Photos: real people and work are direct evidence the business exists.
• Illustrations: generic packs look like every other template.
• Photos: stock images of strangers can reduce trust.

Do photos or illustrations build more trust?

Real photos build more trust in most cases, because they are evidence. A photo of your team, premises or finished work tells visitors the business exists and does real work. Nielsen Norman Group's research on photos found users pay attention to images of real people and products and ignore decorative stock images. An illustration, however good, cannot prove anything.

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• Team photos on your website: what works and what does not

When do illustrations work better?

Illustrations work better when the thing you sell is hard to photograph: software, financial processes, data services or a multi-step method. A clear diagram explains faster than a photo of someone at a laptop. They also help keep a consistent style across many pages. Commission or draw them for your content; do not pick generic packs.

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What about stock and AI-generated images?

Stock photos of smiling strangers and generic AI images are the weakest option. Visitors increasingly recognise them, and when they do, the site feels less real. If you must use stock, use it for objects and places, not for people who are meant to represent your team or customers. Check licences for every image.

• Stock photos on a business website: when they hurt
• Using images from Google on your website: copyright risks

Can you mix photos and illustrations?

Yes, if each has a clear job. Use photos for proof: team, premises, work, events. Use illustrations for explanation: process steps, how a service fits together, icons for features. Keep each style consistent, and avoid placing a cartoon figure next to a real person where the two compete.

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When do neither work?

Neither works when images are decoration with no purpose. A page with a generic image above every heading adds load time and visual noise without adding belief. If an image does not show proof or explain something, consider removing it.

• Cluttered website design: what to remove first

What does this look like in practice?

A pattern we see: a services firm uses a flat illustration pack across the whole site, so it looks like many other firms using the same pack. Replacing the homepage and about page illustrations with real team photos, and keeping simple custom diagrams for the process page, makes the business feel real.

• See client work
• Website Design & Development for UK businesses

Imagery checklist

• Use real photos for team, premises and work.
• Use custom illustrations or diagrams to explain processes.
• Remove stock images of people posing as your team.
• Keep each style consistent across the site.
• Remove images that neither prove nor explain.

• The website credibility score: rate your site out of 10
• What makes a website look professional?

Next step

Go through your top five pages and label every image 'proof', 'explains' or 'decoration'. Replace or remove the decoration.