Designing a whole advertising campaign

A business running posters, social posts and leaflets at once wants every one of them to look like the same business. Each piece uses photos and lettering, and sometimes people. The photos may belong to someone else, and the people shown need to agree.

One look in every format

One way to keep a campaign consistent is to write the design choices down. A public example is the GOV.UK Design System. Government teams use it to make their services consistent with GOV.UK. Its styles cover the typeface, the type scale, colour and images.

A business can write a short guide of its own on the same lines. It might set the colours, the lettering, where the logo goes and the kind of photos used.

Who owns the artwork

Under section 11 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, "The author of a work is the first owner of any copyright in it." When an employee makes the work in the course of their job, the employer is the first owner, "subject to any agreement to the contrary". Under that rule, a freelance designer or photographer starts as the owner of what they make. A business that wants to own the work needs a written agreement, signed by the designer, to pass it over.

Copyright comes automatically

GOV.UK says creators get copyright protection automatically. They don't have to apply for it or pay a fee. That protection covers illustration and photography.

The Intellectual Property Office says the vast majority of images on the internet are likely to be protected by copyright. A business needs permission to use one, often through a licence. The IPO counts advertising a business as commercial use. Some Creative Commons licences are for non-commercial use only, so read the terms before using one.

People in the picture

Rule 6.1 of the CAP Code urges marketers to get written permission before they show or refer to a member of the public. A crowd scene or a general public place may be acceptable without it.

GOV.UK's guidance for its own publishers has two steps that suit any campaign. A business checks with the copyright holder that the people shown are happy for the image to be used. If it arranges the photography itself, it gets written consent from the people in it.

Credits and image details

That same GOV.UK guidance says images under a Creative Commons or other third-party licence need a credit. A Creative Commons credit names the creator and the licence, links to the image and the licence, and says if the image was cropped or changed. The IPO adds that it's unlawful to remove, on purpose, the details stored in an image file that name the copyright owner.

Subtitles on TV adverts

ITV plans to make closed-caption subtitles compulsory for every advertiser on all its channels and on ITVX by January 2027. ISBA, which speaks for advertisers, welcomed the plan on 11 September 2026. A campaign with a TV advert can plan for subtitles from the start.

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