Image Media Patterns

Image & Media Patterns — Complete Visual Media System

Mental model

Media is where performance and craft collide. An unoptimised hero image costs more than every font, script and stylesheet on the page combined, and a correctly-sized one is invisible.

• Reserve the space. Width and height attributes or aspect-ratio on every image. Layout shift is the single most common Core Web Vitals failure and the easiest to prevent.
• The hero is never lazy. loading="lazy" on the largest contentful paint element delays the thing the score is measuring. Lazy-load everything below the fold and nothing above it.
• Aspect ratio is a design decision. 16:9 for video, 4:3 for editorial, 1:1 for avatars and grids, 3:2 for photography. Mixing ratios inside one grid reads as an accident.
• Autoplay needs muting, a pause control, and a reduced-motion escape. All three, not two.
• Alt text describes function, not appearance. A decorative image takes alt=""; a linked image describes the destination.

Constants

16:9  video, embeds            4:3  editorial, product photography
1:1   avatars, grid thumbnails 3:2  photography
21:9  cinematic banners        golden 1.618:1  hero art

Index

Reference architecture

What every reference file contains

1. When the pattern applies, and the simpler thing to try first
2. Complete HTML/CSS/TSX with the loading strategy included
3. Accessibility: alt text rules, controls, keyboard, reduced motion
4. The performance cost and how to measure it
5. The mobile form of the pattern

Routing

For galleries and carousels — masonry (both CSS-columns and grid), justified, uniform and mosaic grids, lightboxes, scroll-snap and autoplay carousels, filmstrips, infinite scroll and comparison sliders: read references/gallery-carousel-patterns.md.

For players — a complete custom video player spec, scroll-triggered picture-in-picture, full audio player, podcast player, and voice-message UI: read references/media-player-patterns.md.

For shipping images well — width- and DPR-based srcset, art direction with <picture>, native and IntersectionObserver lazy loading, LQIP, BlurHash, ThumbHash and dominant-color placeholders: read references/responsive-image-recipes.md.

For odds and ends — the patterns that had no home in the files above when this skill was converted to a router: read references/media-supplementary.md.

Cross-References

• layout-block-intelligence — Hero sections, feature blocks containing images
• component-patterns-code — React/SwiftUI/CSS implementations of image components
• accessibility-inclusive-design — WCAG media requirements, screen reader patterns
• performance-states-patterns — Loading skeletons, error states, empty states
• responsive-block-patterns — Container queries, breakpoint transformations
• animation-recipe-library — Entrance animations, Ken Burns, parallax recipes
• form-design-encyclopedia — File upload form patterns
• platform-visual-standards — iOS/Android/web image handling conventions
• design-systems-architecture — Token-driven image component APIs