How to Effectively Use Website Background Images
When designing the websites, there are many elements to take care of. One thing that you should not leave out is the website background image. Let’s see how to effectively use background images to amp up your website design.
Here are what you need to know to choose the perfect background image for your website.
- What is Website background?
- Importance of website background
- Helpful tips for effective website background image
- Wrap up
What is Website background?
Website backgrounds are images, solid colors, illustrations, video and anything that fills the screen for the websites. Website background can be group into three main types. background color which is the use of solid color only. This type of background can be seen a lot in blog websites. Then there are background photo/image which will be our focus in this blog. And lastly we have background video that are good for grabbing site visitors’ attentions.
Importance of website background image
Grab site visitors’ attention
Though the background image is in the background, it is still one of the important elements on the website. A great website background image will draw users’ eyes to the highlights of the websites. In the same fashion, a bad background image will distract the user from the contents on the websites.
Engage user’s emotions
Every picture and color carries a message with them. As a web designer, you can choose the background images that will tell a story or convey certain emotions to the viewers. To paint a clearer picture, brighter colors picture convey enthusiasm while black and white represent professionalism.
Also, if you use specific color palette in web designing, stick to the color palette. Pick the images that can go along with your color palette to keep your website cohesive.
Create brand identity
The use and selection of website background image can build brand identity. Apart from grabbing attention and conveying emotions, background images will show the uniqueness of the brand. It will set your website apart from others. Make the visitor remember your website and your brand.
Affect user experience
As a part of website design, website background surely influences the user experience. The images you use should be picked carefully to enhance the experience and guide users to what they are looking for. Background image should never distract the website users since it might lead to bad user experience and bad reputation of your website.
Helpful Tips for Effective Website Background Image
Now that you know the role of website background images, let’s learn some tips and rules that will help you design the perfect background images for your websites. Follow these tips to have an effective background image.
Make sure it is high quality
The first thing to keep in mind is to use a high quality image. In this case, high quality refers to both aesthetic and the resolutions.
The picture you use as the background should still be well designed. Choose the picture that are beautiful enough, make sure every element in the picture looks good. Especially when you use the picture of your products as a background image. You want to present the best features of the products to please the site visitors.
We understand and agree that the image file should be small enough to not slow down the website, however, the image should be high quality when presented on the website. Be aware not to over compress the image file to the point that the image looks grainy and distorted.
Use the right sized image
Sizes of the background image which are often overlooked are very important. If the image you pick has too many elements that might distract the site visitors, try cropping them to put the spotlight on the products on what you want to highlight in the picture. Position the image to make the products look its best.
Sizes are also concerned with the ratio of the image too. You should use an image size and ratio that will fit the screen well. If the image is too big or too small for the screen it can be distracting for the viewers.
Also, if you are designing a mobile website, choose the ratio for mobile devices screen.
Make it responsive
As discussed above, the image should fit the screen well. In this generation, most people use mobile devices to access websites. The websites you create should display well on every screen size including desktop, smartphone, and tablet.
To make the image responsive is to make the image flexible to resize itself to fit various screen sizes. Doing this will make your websites mobile-friendly. It will make your website accessible anywhere, anytime.
Do not distract the viewer
Keep in mind that the website background image is there for beauty and drawing attention. Do not use the image that are distracting. Keep the image clean and interesting.
Having too much elements and colors in the image is not pleasing to the eyes. Keep the color background images coordinate with the whole website. You don’t want the background image to over shine the contents on your website.
Also, you want to keep navigating the users so please do not use the image that will interfere with the navigation bars or clickable icons.
Use colors to your advantage
As mentioned that website background image and color of the image can create brand identity. Colors are one of the tools that can build brand recognition and identity.
Pay attention to the colors of the image and keep it close to the color of your brand if you have one. Doing this will keep your website coherent and also make the viewer recognize your brand better.
If not, another way to use the colors of website background image is to keep it simple and soft so the other elements like product pictures or logo standout more. You can also you negative colors to highlight the important elements as well.
Keep the image relevant
When designing the website, you want every element on the website to tell the story of your brand so you need to stick with only one story. When choosing the background images, you need to keep telling that same story.
Pick the image that ia in the same way as other elements. Make sure that the background image represents or enhances the characteristics of your brand and products.
To set an example, if your brand is eco-friendly, your website background image could be nature or environment or use the shades of green to represent nature. Just make sure you represent your brand through the background image and the result will be great.
Abstract image is a simple solution
Now, this is the easy way out for everyone. Using abstract images as the website background image is easy, simple, but elegant at the same time.
Abstract images make your website effortlessly look modern and look good. It also work well with minimalist website design since it give an extra elements to the website.
Abstract images will fit any brand personality. All you need to do is to just pick the right colors to represent your brand.
Wrap up
Website background image is another element that could make or break your website design. It helps draw readers’ attention, convey messages, and build brand identity. To make an effective website background image you need to consider the quality, size, colors, and always think of the users first. Make sure you create a great user experience by not distracting them with your busy and irrelevant background image. Keep in mind that users’ minds are the key to your website’s success.