Dear Wikimedia affiliates communications leads, 

We are so excited to share a new resource with you: The Wikimedia Photo Library.[1] In it you will find high quality images that help to tell the story of free knowledge. We hope that this library will help you in the important work you do as a communications lead. Alongside this library, we’ve also updated guidelines [2] on how to effectively use imagery to tell brand stories. 

Curious to learn more about these resources? 

We will be holding a short workshop for 45 minutes on Tuesday 3 October 2023, at 16:00 UTC (add event to your calendar) [3] and again on Thursday 5 October at 7:00 UTC (add event to your calendar) [4] to accommodate different time zones. During these workshops, we will walk you through some examples of images that align with the Movement Brand Guidelines, some basics of quality photography and answer any questions you may have about this topic. 

The need for a Wikimedia Photo Library

Our research showed that there are lots of photos available from Wikimedia events, usually featuring people using computers. There were very few images showing mobile editing or reading, and even fewer showing people using the projects in their everyday lives. 

These images are the first steps in creating a photo library that is representative of the whole movement. We have added images that are aligned with the Movement Brand Guidelines in this category on Wikimedia Commons.[5] Photography is a powerful tool to create cohesion in Wikimedia communication. Our hope is that all of you will help to build this resource out with images from your region. 

By continuing to add to this category, we will be helping one another tell more impactful stories of the free knowledge movement – learn how on the Brand portal on Meta-wiki.[6]

Thank you so much and please let me know if you have any questions. We hope to see you at one of the workshops! 

Best, 

Samir and the Brand Studio team