Our people and sites

At work and off work
We show our people in their daily working lives. They are focused on the job or interacting together when they have a break. Depending on the audience (see employer branding guide) employees will either be concentrating on their work, interacting with colleagues or looking straight at the camera (safety permitting). As a guide, subjects featured should be captured from the waist up.

Portraits
When portraying one or multiple people, it’s important that they act naturally, with their gaze directed off-camera. Direct eye contact with the camera is reserved for employer branding.

Attitude
Our people are always positive, passionate, and professional. Their attitude feels genuine, real, inviting, and approachable. Just like our brand they are personal, ingenious, and responsible. When photographing people, the image should never feel forced, staged, or fake. Genuine emotions and realistic scenarios are key to a good image.

Cast
Our cast are the people of Umicore from all over the world. From people in production to researchers, administrative workers, and management. Male and female with different ages, backgrounds, and cultures.

Color
All images feel bright and vivid, with a lot of whites and some colorful accents. Avoid shooting in very dark environments or fix this during the shoot or in post-production. The white balance of the images is neutral or slightly blue-toned.

Styling
All of our cast must have a well-groomed appearance. They should wear what they would wear on a normal working day, and ensure no name badge is visible (this can be photoshopped). When applicable, the people wear their workwear as described by safety regulations. There are no restrictions on colors and style but busy patterns and large brands or texts must be avoided.

Composition
We use composition to create an interesting image where you feel close to the subject. We use different angles and shallow depths of the field to create inviting and interesting compositions. Everything should feel realistic and documentarylike. Technically we don’t use lenses that create a distant feeling. Telephoto lenses make you feel like viewing from a distance and we want to avoid that as much as possible. More wide-angle lenses or lenses close to the human eye create a sense of intimacy and proximity.

Do's & Don'ts

Use neutral colors to assure the image is bright.

Avoid using color casts.

Use neutral and natural light.

Avoid mixing lights with different colors (here there is blue and yellow light).

Use clear composition. We need to understand the subject and the scene.

Avoid complex compositions.

Create realistic scenes.

Avoid making people unnatural or making forced poses.

Use natural light or softboxes to keep the natural realistic feeling.

Avoid using fake light.

2. Sites style guide

The sites - Our sites around the globe are a direct representation of our business and must be presented as cutting-edge and polished.

The facilities in which we create materials for a better life.

The imagery of the Umicore sites is used to convey the sense of global scale in which we operate. Our efforts in innovation and sustainability can be shown with these too.

Setting
Images are created indoors as well as outdoors of our facilities. These can be production sites or offices.

Composition
Various angles and compositions can be used. From wide-angle architectural shots to detailed shots of our machinery. Aerial photography is a great tool to show scale as well.

Lighting
Outdoor images are taken in clear, sunny, or slightly cloudy weather. During the daytime or at sunrise or sunset. Indoor we use natural or available light.

Color
The colors are bright and neutral with mainly some blue or green tones. This will create a contemporary and innovative feel.

People
Although they should not be the focus, people can be shown in these images. It can be useful to add a focus point or a sense of scale to the image.

Appearance of the site
Not every Umicore site allows us to create imagery as intended in the style guide because of its physical appearance. It is allowed to create images in these environments but do try to apply the style guide rules as much as possible. The focus here should be the composition and the right image treatment in post-production. Do avoid using them in first-line external communications since they do not convey the right message.