22 Websites with Stunning Background Images [+ Best Design Practices]
22 Websites with Stunning Background Images [+ Best Design Practices for 2024]
Background images are a powerful tool for web designers looking to create immersive online experiences that captivate visitors from the moment they land on a page. When used effectively, background images can set the mood and tone for a website, showcase a brand‘s personality, and provide important visual context that guides visitors to take key actions.
In this post, we‘ll dive into the two main types of background images used in modern web design and share 22 examples of websites that masterfully incorporate background visuals to create stunning and effective designs. We‘ll also cover background image best practices to help you select and implement high-impact visuals on your own site. Let‘s get into it!
The Two Types of Website Background Images
There are two main types of background images used in web design:
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Body background images span the entire page (or a full section of a page) and sit behind all other content. Body background images are often used to create a rich, immersive visual experience, set the mood for the website, or showcase key products/services in a bold way.
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Content background images are used behind smaller sections of content, like text blocks, images, or other page elements. Content backgrounds add visual interest and help organize or highlight information.
Designers will often layer a content background over a body background to create visual hierarchy and make page content more scannable, as you can see in this example from HubSpot‘s blog homepage:
[Include HubSpot blog homepage screenshot]Now that we‘ve covered the difference between body and content background images, let‘s look at 22 websites that put them to work in creative and effective ways.
22 Websites with Stunning Background Images
- Warszawski UL
Warszawski UL‘s site uses scrolling animations and large body background images to create an interactive experience that immerses visitors in its serviced office spaces. We love how each image contains shades of blue that match the brand‘s accent color, creating a cohesive look and feel.
- Corvette Care
Corvette Care‘s homepage features a hero image slider that changes when a visitor hovers over the company‘s main service categories. This creative use of background images showcases the brand‘s capabilities and creates a sense of interactivity.
- Addictions Design
The folks at Addictions Design use body background images to create digital showrooms for the artisans and furniture firms they represent. The images make you feel like you‘re exploring a real life showroom and get a sense of the products in context.
- ThruDark
The designers at ThruDark combine body background visuals with videos to convey the wide range of climates and conditions their products are built to withstand. By layering product shots over images of extreme environments, they communicate the durability of their gear in a compelling way.
- Colossal
Colossal brings a complex topic—the science of de-extinction—to life with bold colors, illustrations, and animations. The imaginative background images make the site‘s content more accessible and engaging.
- INSPiiR
INSPiiR lets visitors virtually explore the Saint-Sauveur district through big, beautiful background photos. Semi-transparent overlays on top of each image ensure the text is readable without detracting from the imagery.
- Morris Adjmi Architects
MA‘s website puts its architectural projects front and center with a full-screen background image carousel and minimalist navigation that keeps the focus on the firm‘s stunning work.
- hipcool Studio
hipcool Studio makes its portfolio images pop by juxtaposing large, colorful project shots against a stark white background. The high contrast layout directs attention to the studio‘s work.
- Goldling Drinks
Goldling‘s playful homepage background illustrations capture the "golden hour" vibe the brand‘s drinks evoke. The fanciful graphics set a light, fun tone for the site.
- K+
This photography portfolio site uses expertly-composed background images with strategic negative space to pull the eye toward important text and navigation elements.
- JVN
The JVN website uses a mix of ingredient close-ups, product shots, and before-and-after photos as section background images to showcase the brand‘s haircare products in a thorough yet streamlined way.
- Parques de Sintra
An animated image slider featuring slices of photos from Sintra‘s many landmarks provides a glimpse at the diverse experiences the destination offers—and entices visitors to start planning their trip.
- Creperie Loheac
High-quality photos of delicious crepes and their ingredients get site visitors craving Creperie Loheac‘s star menu item and motivate them to visit the restaurant.
- Heartwood Resort
Full-screen photos of Heartwood Resort‘s picturesque exterior and cozy suites transport visitors to vacation mode and make clicking the "Book Now" CTA irresistible.
- Sun Chips
Sun Chips‘ product-centric background images rely on the bright bags‘ eye-catching colors to grab attention and make an immediate brand impression.
- Pixel Perfect Development
Cool-colored background images offset this site‘s bold headline text and call attention to the agency‘s services and value proposition.
- Quality Meats NYC
An enticing exterior shot of Quality Meats‘ Manhattan location beckons site visitors to step inside and experience the restaurant for themselves.
- Polène Paris
Polène puts its luxurious handbags on full display with a dreamy, elegant hero video background that captures the imagination and draws shoppers in.
- Homegrown
Farm-fresh ingredient photos call out the high quality of Homegrown‘s offerings and set expectations for how delicious their delivered meals will be.
- Hard Lines Coffee
Hard Lines‘ quirky illustrated homepage background shows off the brand‘s playful product packaging and mission to combine fun with serious coffee craft.
- Cedar & Hyde Mercantile
An image of a model sporting Cedar & Hyde‘s fashionable wares paired with a prominent CTA invites visitors to click through to the brand‘s collection and start shopping.
- Atlas Card
Atlas Card‘s moody background graphics and minimal navigation bar visually express the brand‘s modern take on credit and point visitors to key content.
Background Image Best Practices for 2024
As these examples illustrate, background images can be used in myriad ways to create immersive, compelling web experiences. To get the most impact from background visuals on your site, follow these best practices:
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Select high-quality images that are at least 72ppi and 1920px wide x 1080px tall for optimal resolution across devices. Make sure your images include ample negative space if you plan to overlay text.
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Ensure any text placed on top of background images is easy to read by using contrasting colors, semi-transparent image overlays, or solid content blocks.
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Make your background images responsive by:
- Setting the CSS background-size property to "cover"
- Using media queries to serve smaller image files on mobile devices
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Place your boldest, most colorful background images in the header or hero section of your pages to immediately engage visitors and establish your site‘s mood/aesthetic.
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Compress your image files and lazy load background images to minimize their impact on page load times. Visitors won‘t stick around to admire your stunning backgrounds if they take forever to appear!
When incorporated thoughtfully, background images can transform a website from a mundane screen of text into an interactive world that sparks emotion, showcases products or services, and guides visitors to take action. Use the best practices and examples outlined in this post to inspire and optimize your own site‘s background visuals.
By creating immersive online experiences with captivating background images, you‘ll hold visitors‘ attention longer, communicate your unique brand story, and ultimately drive more conversions. Use your newfound background image expertise to unleash your creativity and design striking websites that leave a lasting impression.
