Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in marketing is a matter of organizational ethics and a business strategy with tangible, well-documented benefits. It reflects in your hiring decisions and marketing campaigns, and that includes visuals, which are powerful in conveying your messages and creating perceptions about your brand. Inclusive visuals help audiences feel recognized, valued, and respected. With more and more brand visuals emerging from AI image generators, inclusive prompt engineering has become a useful skill, which you will understand better through the AI image prompt examples in this post.

What are inclusive images?

Why does inclusive marketing matter?

How to create AI image prompts?

Examples of inclusive image prompts plus templates

What are inclusive images?

Images that are inclusive avoid stereotypes and represent the real-world diversity of your audience. Common categories of inclusive imagery include:

• Gender and sexuality (not excluding or assuming any gender)
• Age (e.g., not showing older people as physically challenged)
• Race and ethnicity (avoiding racial or ethnic stereotypes)
• Socio-economic status (not making assumptions related to one’s economic status)
• Disability (not reducing people to just their disability)
• Religion (representing religious beliefs in a nuanced way)
• Body size and appearance (including a range of body types)

Representing a broad range of identities, characteristics, and experiences in marketing campaigns has been shown to deliver a number of business benefits, as discussed below.

Why does inclusive marketing matter?

When DEI efforts are structured and aim to bring about deep-seated change rather than superficial and done to enhance the corporate image, they can build genuine trust among consumers and employees. The merits of inclusive advertising have been noted in various studies:

• Inclusive ad campaigns deliver a 62% likelihood of being consumer’s first choice; 3.5% higher short-term sales and 1% higher long-term sales; and 15% higher consumer loyalty (Unilever)
• 71% of consumers expect brands to promote diversity and inclusion in their online advertising (Meta)
• Two out of three Americans say their social values shape their shopping choices (McKinsey & Company)
• 75% of consumers globally say that diversity and inclusion influence their purchase decisions (Kantar)

By 2044, many minority groups across the U.S. will reach majority status. That means the main customer base of a majority of businesses could be looking a lot different than it is today. An understanding of how to generate inclusive image at scale using AI can help marketers cater to diverse groups of existing and future customers, and potentially, increase satisfaction and loyalty across the board.

Inclusive marketing begins with inclusive market research, which does not limit a brand’s understanding of needs, preferences, and goals to majority groups. Images portraying diversity fit seamlessly into a marketing framework that integrates DEI, and splash across a brand’s website, blog, whitepapers, social media posts, and animated videos, to name some. The best inclusive AI image prompts generate visuals representing diverse people, experiences, and contexts engagingly and thoughtfully.

How to create AI image prompts

AI image generators work best with clear and structured prompts. If you know how to create image prompts, making them inclusive is a matter of experimentation and practice. If you’re unfamiliar with prompt engineering, here’s a framework to create image prompts.

1. State the subject (main focus) of the image, such as human, animal, planet, car, etc. A specific prompt describing the subject, such as a “a man in a black suit” or “an open laptop on a minimalist desk”.
2. Describe what is happening, what the subject is doing, and what is in the subject’s background. For example, “a man in a black suit standing at the center of a long conference table. The room is bright, with ergonomic furniture, a glass wall showcases a city skyline, and large potted plants add warmth to the environment. A whiteboard on one wall is filled with colorful notes and diagrams. A few employees stand by a coffee station in the corner, chatting, and sharing ideas.”
3. Specify the aesthetic and style the image should have. Your options are:
   • Medium: photo, oil painting, fresco, 3D rendering, anime, digital art, drawing, etc.
   • Art movements: gothic, impressionist, steampunk, cubism, art nouveau, etc.
   • Artist inspirations: Picasso, Van Gogh, Dalí, Monet, etc.
   • Framing: close-up, wide shot, medium shot, high angle, aerial shot, etc.

Here’s an example using the Narrato AI image generator:

 

Narrato is a complete platform for generating AI content, from blogs, video scripts, and social media posts, to newsletters, product descriptions, emails, and ads. It can repurpose content into various formats (e.g. convert a video into a blog post), improve content, generate SEO briefs, and summarize complex documents. A single place for collaborating on and co-create content, it automates content publishing to any CMS or platform.

 

 

Examples of inclusive AI image prompts

To make AI image prompts inclusive, describe people/things, settings, and artistic styles that are representative of a specific type of diversity. An AI image generator will generate images based on your cues and create any number of images for the same prompt, making it easier to select the perfect one for your needs. Take a look at these AI prompts for diversity and inclusion:

Gender and Sexuality

1. A digital illustration of a cisgender employee and a transgender colleague reviewing documents in an office cabin.
2. A serene photo of a non-binary person relaxing in a modern coffee shop, writing in a journal, with sunlight streaming through the window.
3. A wedding portrait of a same-sex couple exchanging vows in a lush garden, surrounded by supportive friends and family of all ages.

Race and Ethnicity

1. A colorful street mural of people from various ethnic backgrounds, each depicted with cultural symbols and traditional attire, captured in a lively urban neighborhood.
2. A close-up of a diverse group of hands of various skin tones working together to plant a community garden, with vibrant flowers blooming in the background.
3. An image of a global video conference where employees of various ethnic backgrounds are collaborating on a project.

Age

1. A lively medium shot of seniors, adults, and children enjoying a community art workshop, with paints, brushes, and canvases spread out across a bright studio.
2. An elderly woman teaching a teenager to knit in a cozy living room, with the soft glow of a fireplace in the background.
3. A high resolution photo of a modern office where employees of different ages collaborate on a creative project, sharing ideas around a table with digital devices and notes.
   
   

 

Disability and Neurodiversity

1. A vibrant classroom scene featuring children, including a child using a wheelchair and another wearing noise-canceling headphones, collaborating on a robotics project.
2. A photo-realistic medium shot of an artist with a prosthetic arm painting a large mural, surrounded by colorful paint cans and a cheering crowd.
3. A serene wide shot of a hiker with a guide dog and a visually impaired friend enjoying a scenic mountain trail at sunrise.

Socio-Economic Status

1. A community center filled with people from various backgrounds learning new skills, such as coding, cooking, and crafting, in a supportive environment.
2. A group of children playing soccer on a makeshift field in a lively urban neighborhood, with vibrant graffiti on the walls behind them.
3. A family of diverse socio-economic backgrounds sharing a meal at a soup kitchen, with warm lighting highlighting connection and care.

Religion and Belief Systems

1. A diverse group of people enjoying a lively evening at a restaurant with live music. The restaurant has a warm, inviting ambiance, with soft lighting, colorful decor, and a live band playing in the background.
2. A wide-angle shot of a community gathering at a multi-faith event, with prayer rugs, menorahs, and candles arranged harmoniously in the background.
3. A peaceful image of a young woman meditating in a Zen garden, with symbols from different belief systems subtly integrated into the landscape.

Body Size and Appearance

1. A fitness class featuring people of all body sizes and shapes practicing yoga in a sunlit studio, with inclusive and positive energy radiating from the scene.
2. A glamorous portrait of a plus-sized model confidently posing in bold, fashionable clothing, against a bright, colorful backdrop.
3. A lively scene of friends of all body types enjoying a summer day at the beach, playing volleyball and relaxing on towels under colorful umbrellas.

 

Family Structure and Marital Status

1. A joyful blended family of various ethnicities playing together on a beach, with kids building sandcastles while parents laugh in the background.
2. A single parent reading a bedtime story to their child in a cozy bedroom, surrounded by stuffed animals and glowing fairy lights.
3. A close-up of a polyamorous family cooking together in a vibrant kitchen, with ingredients from diverse cuisines spread across the counter.

More inclusive AI image prompt examples that avoid stereotypes around geographical/cultural origins and education/literacy

1. A group of diverse adults in a community literacy class, with people of varying ages, ethnicities, and abilities sitting around a large wooden table.
2. A scene showing people from different cultural backgrounds working together in a community setting, such as a market, street festival, or rural area. Avoid stereotypes and instead focus on the positive aspects of cultural exchange and collaboration.
3. A young Arab man with a modern casual outfit walking through a bustling Middle Eastern market, carrying a reusable shopping bag with local produce. The market is vibrant, with colorful textiles, spices, and handcrafted goods.

Inclusive prompt templates

• Create a vibrant digital illustration of a diverse leadership collaborating in a [type of workspace, e.g., modern office, coworking space]. Show individuals of varying [genders, ethnicities, and abilities] engaged in tasks like [brainstorming, coding, presenting ideas].
• Illustrate [people from different age groups], engaging in [state activity or specific hobbies, such as hiking, painting, or sports], in a [describe setting or background, such as a picturesque outdoor or vibrant indoor setting like a lush park, an art class, or a city hiking trail].
• Create a photorealistic 3D render of an inclusive workplace celebration. Depict employees of [different ages, body types, and cultural backgrounds] gathered around a table, sharing a [specific event, e.g., birthday, cultural festival]. Add realistic details such as [office decorations, diverse cuisine], with soft lighting to create a warm and joyful atmosphere.
• Create [visuals of people with disabilities] enjoying life with friends and family, engaging in [specific activities like travel, dining, or art], emphasizing adaptive devices and inclusive design.
• Illustrate [people from various socio-economic backgrounds] working together on impactful projects, such as [urban development, environmental clean-ups], in [specific settings like city streets, rural landscapes].
• Create a portrait of a [age/ethnicity] person [in a library, studying at home, attending a workshop, etc.] focused on learning.
• Create a high quality photo of a [type of leisure activity, e.g., beach outing, park picnic] showcasing friends of diverse body shapes and sizes. Include specific actions like [building sandcastles, playing volleyball], with warm, vibrant tones emphasizing joy, confidence, and togetherness.
• Create a digital illustration of [specify gender identity, e.g., cisgender and transgender employees] having lunch together in a [modern office cafeteria]. Depict a casual scene where individuals are seated at tables, chatting and enjoying [specific foods, e.g., sandwiches, coffee].

Inclusive AI prompts for real representation

AI image generators are capable of generating empowering depictions of people. The best use of the tools is when you reflect diversity meaningfully. Accurately portraying real-world diversity and inclusion through them will require experimenting with inclusive AI prompts. Use the examples of inclusive AI image prompts in this post to start experimenting with AI image generation.

Narrato AI is a great image generator to begin with, and a free trial is available that you can sign up for right away! For a more advanced AI product photography solution, check out the enterprise AI marketing platform Typeface which offers creative automation use cases that cover an organization’s visual creation needs.