Should a corporate website use real employee photography?

Real employee photography can make a corporate website feel more credible and less faceless by showing the people behind the organisation. Use imagery of people in action where it supports a real story about the business, its clients or its communities. Photography works best alongside clear information architecture and direct copy, rather than as a substitute for either.

How can a complex corporate website stay clear while feeling more human?

A complex corporate website can stay clear by organising information around the visitor's practical needs, including the organisation's offer, leadership, portfolio, news and investor information. Clear signposting, concise copy, restrained colour and white space reduce cognitive load. Real people and purposeful photography can then add warmth without compromising navigation.

What does a verbal identity add to a corporate website?

A verbal identity gives a corporate website a consistent way to express its character through language. It helps teams write about complex subjects with a recognisable balance of authority, warmth, authenticity and trust. When language and design reflect the same values, the website feels more coherent across pages and channels.

Can AI-generated website content still feel human?

AI-generated website content can support a human experience when it is guided by a clear brand identity, distinct voice and human review. Content produced only for speed or cost reduction can weaken trust, particularly where audiences need reassurance or accountability. Approved language, visual rules and values help keep automated output recognisable and credible.

How do we make our corporate website feel more human?

Humanity comes from making people and purpose visible

A human corporate website shows the people, relationships and values that give an organisation its character, rather than presenting only a portfolio of services, businesses or financial information. Real employee photography can make the people behind a complex organisation visible and counter the impression of a large, faceless business. Story-led photography can also show clients, communities and teams in real environments, grounding a corporate identity in lived experience.

The content needs to carry the same sense of humanity. A verbal identity should express qualities such as authenticity, trust, partnership and pride in language that sounds like the organisation, not generic corporate copy. Human warmth does not mean losing authority. A website can be serious about technical, financial or risk-related subjects while remaining approachable, direct and recognisably human.

Sources: The Ardonagh Group: A website with a human side, Everywhen: A unifying brand that makes business personal, WellSaid: Shaping the voice of an ethical AI leader

Clarity gives a warmer website room to work

Clear structure makes a corporate website feel more human because visitors can quickly understand what the organisation does, who leads it and where to find the information that matters. Complex businesses need navigation and page structures that explain subsidiaries, sectors, news, leadership and investor information without making audiences work through unnecessary complexity.

Simple design choices can support that clarity: restrained use of colour, generous white space, clear signposting and concise copy help visitors move through a broad offer. Large, relevant photography can then carry the organisation's story without replacing useful information. The result is not a less corporate website, but a more accessible one: investors, employees and other audiences can see both the scale of the organisation and the people driving it.

Sources: The Ardonagh Group: A website with a human side

A human feel needs a consistent voice, not decorative warmth

A warmer corporate website depends on a consistent brand identity, distinct voice and clear values across copy, design and interaction. Isolated changes such as friendlier headlines or more lifestyle imagery can feel superficial when the underlying language, imagery and user experience do not express the same character.

AI can increase the volume of website and campaign content, but automation used only for speed or cost reduction can weaken the sense that a real organisation stands behind the experience. Brand governance should therefore define the language, visual cues and values that content must preserve, especially where teams use AI-generated material. Human review matters most at moments where audiences need reassurance, clarity or accountability. A coherent verbal and visual identity gives internal teams a practical basis for making content feel recognisable rather than generic.

Sources: The Prompt: Why brand matters more than ever in an AI world, WellSaid: Shaping the voice of an ethical AI leader

Humanising a corporate website starts with the organisation's real character

We believe a corporate website becomes more human when it reveals the people, relationships and purpose already present in the organisation, while making complexity easier to navigate. Polished design alone cannot create that feeling. The language, imagery, structure and brand behaviour need to express the same credible character.

We have applied that approach for The Ardonagh Group, using a clear site structure, direct signposting and photography of real people to engage investors and employees while reflecting a growing portfolio. For Everywhen, we developed messaging rooted in humanity, pride and partnership, alongside authentic, story-led photography. For WellSaid, we shaped language and design around authenticity, trust and quality so that communications could reflect the product's ethical position consistently.