Showcase of Big Backgrounds in Web Design
Published April 27th, 2009 in Galleries
Websites using large background images are consistently increasing in popularity. This post is a showcase of more than 30 websites using large background images. As you will see from the websites that are featured here, there are any number of different approaches and possibilities that can be used to create an impact with a background image.
Lanbruk’s Gunyah
Pixel Image
The Circumference
Not Your Average Joe
Montel Media Group
Hellenic Holidays
Housing Works
Gazelle Touch
Bike Friday
JasonDorn.com
Pillsbury
Travis & Presley
TOOBYDOO
eleven3
Text on Color
Ace of Base
MEDIENRING
Farmhouse Fare
Carolina Jesus
WallSwaps
Elite Pre-Vestibular
Roar
August
NOFRKS Design Studio
BH Eurosong
Get London Reading
Longfellow Ranches
Upstruct
ANidea
Global Ventures
Le Nordik
Skate2 + Etnies
Peter Pearson
Creative Spaces
For more design inspiration, please see:
62 Responses to “Showcase of Big Backgrounds in Web Design”
nice list…thanks.
Bike Friday is really interesting. Too bad the background is cut, just doesn’t look nice on larger screens.
Some other examples here:
http://siteinspire.net/showcase/category/style/big_background_images
I think more sites should think about what happens at the edge of the pic.
Fade/Tile/Repeat…
All too often this is forgotten, and the image just cuts off – even on screen resolutions of 1680×1050
Another inspiration selection, thanks!
nice inspiration list, thanks..
Pixel image is stunning, thanks!
Some really nice backgrounds, nice list!
Very nice list. I really dig Creative Spaces, and Get London Reading is really original; it feels a bit like I’m looking at a photo rather than a website (in a good way).
I saw http://www.include-digital.com/ in the list Daniel gave above which is really nice. The background and colors seem to be randomised, so you get some interesting combinations.
The best for me : ANidea ! I love it !
Really nice post, and by the way, nice blog !
@Paul Randall
A very large background doesn’t have to stop or fade; it can just resize:
http://siteinspire.net/showcase/view/top_dollar
I’m so in love with this trend. Good job finding sites I haven’t seen yet (don’t know if it’s just me but it seems like a lot of similar blog posts can be a little repetitive)
While many of these large backgrounds are done very well, I hate it when they are so busy that they detract from the content rather than add to it. The Housing Works site is a good example of one used effectively, where the background photo is an integrated part of the content rather than just “decoration”.
I have touched on this before and you have a very good collection of web sites with large images set as backgrounds, as a student in web, advertising and multimedia design I will be experimenting with this. Also I think vector mapping is a good thing because you can zoom in a lot and it doesnt turn all pixelated like bitmapping does. Keep up the work as I have put you in my favourites
wow, impressive!
These sites are very striking, and browsing through them makes me want to incorporate a big background on my own site.
However, I agree with Samantha Warren. When designing, these questions should be asked: is this technique necessary? How does it fit with the purpose of the website? Does it enhance/interact with the site’s content or is it just a pretty background? Some of the sites here do answer these questions well.
Samantha,
I agree. The sites on the list were chosen to show some variety and examples, but I agree that having a purpose with a large background is very important. Thanks for the comment.
this is so fresh. large backgrounds have been shown before, but these are great examples of current designs. thanks!
It’s good to have a list such as this but it’s also really important to manage file sizes correctly. While it’s tempting to use a highly detailed images, to do that will slow down the display for users with a slow connection, therefore it’s really important to use good compression techniques. In my book, “The Corel PHOTO-PAINT X4 Insider,” I walk the user through the main compression formats (GIF, JPEG and PNG) and indicate which ones should be used and why.
Thanks for the feature, much appreciated.
Nice isnpiration..and ther’s some beautiful examples! Good!
awesome design..
Impressive design. Really nice sites.
nice list!
we have one here as well – http://www.sleepmode.uk.com/
Great collection – thanks.
Please remember the download times for people on slow connections.
Thanks for featuring my site
After being a bit worried going with the trends when making designs for new clients that don’t have a clear vision about what design they are after.
I turned out pleasantly surprised! Most clients just love it!
Good post (another good one in this line is: http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/01/14/web-design-trends-for-2009/ )
Its really looks catchy if we use such kind of backgrounds on web site. Its useful to attract the visitors to spend more time on website and i am also planning to make my web site more catchy with the help of background design. Michelle.
Its very useful to attract the visitors to spend more time on website. Big backgrounds in web design make an impactful and interesting website design. The right web design london company looks into your needs and objectives and translate into a website that will appeal the intended audience.
Nice inspiration list thanX VandeLay!!! =)
I like the idea of big banner backgrounds on a website… Some of them are so visually interesting that you want to see more and that is the whole point anyway. Great idea and list.
Now that’s what I call making use of every pixel available on the screen. Who says big is bad. In fact, intelligently done, it can produce some really dramatic and memorable results. And this list is testimony to that!
very carefully selected showcase. Thank you for another great inspiration post.
I completely think it enhances the website. Although, that may be because I have a 30″ screen.
Anyway – is there a link to how this is done, particularly the pixel image website. Seems to come in differently.
thanks.
Yes nice list again . i like big background on websites. On my personal website i also have big background.
Great set of websites, I love the Gazelle Touch design. The Ace of Base site brought back some memories too!
Bike London is a great idea but i think the execution of the site is not up to standard.
this backrounds are so cool and beautiful to see
wow, very nice designs !! your the PRO !
This is NOT the best set of inspiration I’ve seen. And I’m CLEARLY NOT moved by them.
It’s really hard to come across ironic, isn’t it?
Chris, where do you see better? Please share it with us. In a web world increasingly filled with WordPress themes, I am hungry for design inspiration. If you choose to put down this great work, at least give a URL to work that you think superior.
Thanks.
I love these designs. Great post!
nice list here.. thanks
my website imicreation has a big background picture also, check that out.
Thanks for the post. keep more coming..
Great, beautiful but heavy sites. Not for dial-up, yeah!
Sites-visit-cards. And only. Not content – attraction!
I think Gazelle Touch is the best. I like Skyline Backgorunds. My second favorit is August.
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