Photography
Real people, real places
Our photography shows the people North works for and with, in the places they actually work. It is calm, honest and warm, and it is never a stock cliché.
Our customers are ministries, regulators and enterprises across the UAE and the region. Photography should look like it was taken there: real offices, real desks, real light through real windows, and screens that show our real product.
Three kinds of photography
| Type | What it shows | Use for |
|---|---|---|
| People at work | Analysts, officials and engineers using NorthStar in their own environment. Natural, mid-task, not posed at the camera. | Case studies, product pages, recruitment, presentations |
| Place | The landscape and architecture of the region: dunes, coast, city at dusk, interiors with daylight. Often with a horizon and open sky. | Campaigns, covers, events, wallpapers |
| Detail | Hands on keyboards, a screen showing Shaheen, a server room door, a printed brief. One object, shallow depth of field. | Supporting images, bento grids, social posts |
Light and colour
Warm, natural, slightly lifted
- Natural daylight or warm practical light. No hard flash, no blue-tinted office light.
- Gentle warm grade that sits with Dune and Dawn. Skin tones must look natural.
- Lift the shadows slightly; avoid crushed blacks and heavy contrast.
- Muted colour in the scene. Let Midnight clothing, Dune walls and blue screens echo the palette.
Left: as shot. Right: North grade (warm, softer contrast). Shown on an illustration for reference.
Duotone
When images need to recede
For backgrounds behind text, event screens and covers, convert photos to a Midnight-to-Dune duotone. It keeps any image on-brand and gives text a calm base.
Use duotone for place and detail images. Avoid it for faces in case studies, where people should look like themselves.
Shaheen
Strategy with a human in the loop
Screens in photos
Show the real product
- Screens show real NorthStar, NorthCloud or NorthEdge UI, never a competitor or a fake dashboard.
- Use sample data only. No real names, emails, classified markings or customer documents.
- Replace screen content in post-production if needed, at the correct perspective.
- Light mode on screens unless the story is technical.
People and culture
- Cast people who reflect the region and our customers. Get written consent from everyone recognisable.
- Dress and settings appropriate to government and enterprise contexts in the UAE.
- Show people in command of technology: deciding, reviewing, approving. Not watching a machine.
- Never photograph classified environments, badges, documents or screens without clearance.
- Never use AI-generated people presented as real customers or employees.
Dos and don'ts
Do
- Use real people in real workplaces.
- Use warm, natural light and a soft grade.
- Show our real product with sample data.
- Use duotone for backgrounds behind text.
Don't
- Use clichés: hooded hackers, glowing brains, robot hands, binary rain, padlocks on circuit boards.
- Use heavily filtered, neon or cold blue imagery.
- Show competitor products or fake dashboards.
- Show sensitive information on screen.
- Use stock photos of people pointing at transparent screens.
Last updated on 14 October 2026