Portfolio Alt Text: Describe the Work, Not Your Keywords

Good portfolio alt text explains what an image contributes to the page. It is not a place to hide a list of services, and it does not need to describe every visible detail. Start by asking what someone would miss if they could not see that particular image.

The W3C Web Accessibility Initiative’s image guidance distinguishes informative, decorative, functional and complex images. Those categories are a useful starting point for photographers, illustrators and designers because the same picture can serve different purposes in different places.

Describe the meaningful visual information

Imagine a hypothetical editorial portrait in your portfolio. “Portrait photography, creative photographer, best portraits” tells a reader almost nothing about the image.

A more useful description might be: “A seated musician in a red suit, framed through a rehearsal-room doorway.” If the page is specifically explaining lighting, the significant detail might instead be the contrast between a softly lit face and the darker room.

These are invented teaching examples, not descriptions of a real commission. Their lesson is to select details according to the page’s purpose. Do not infer a person’s identity, emotions or background from appearance. Use confirmed names when identifying a subject is relevant.

Let captions carry project context

Alt text and visible captions have different jobs. A caption can identify the client, year, collaborators or your role. Nearby project text can explain the brief, constraints and outcome.

For a hypothetical packaging case study, a concise image description could be: “Three refill pouches use oversized numerals to distinguish the product range.” The project text could then explain why that hierarchy mattered. Avoid forcing the entire case study into one image attribute.

If a complex diagram or process image communicates information that cannot fit into a short alternative, W3C recommends a more complete text equivalent. Put the explanation where readers can find it, rather than treating brevity as the only measure of good accessibility.

Describe the action when the image is the link

An image used by itself as a link needs an accessible name that communicates its purpose. W3C’s functional-image guidance makes that distinction explicit.

For example, an image-only project thumbnail might need “View the refill packaging case study,” not merely “Three pouches.” If visible text already names the same link, avoid unnecessary repetition; the correct implementation depends on how the image and text are grouped.

Pure decoration can use an empty alt attribute, written as alt="". That does not mean every repeated portfolio image is decorative. Ask whether it contributes new information before hiding it from assistive technology.

Review one project from beginning to end

Start with a single case study. Read its title, description, image alternatives and links in order. Does the sequence still explain what you made, what matters visually and where a reader can go next?

An automated check can identify some missing attributes, but a filled field can still contain an unhelpful description. Review the language yourself and, where possible, include disabled users in feedback.

Pair this pass with editing your photography portfolio for the work you want. Selection and description work together: one decides what deserves attention; the other makes that attention more widely possible.

Join the Design conversation: which portfolio image has been hardest to describe clearly?