Trending Background Ideas for Designers in 2021

Backgrounds pull a lot of the weight in any kind of graphic presentation. Anything on your sites, flyers, or Power Point presentations will be better off with a great background. They are the most effective and transformational design element you can use.

Your background sets the tone for the subject of your design and the accompanying design elements. An introductory pamphlet will have a different background design than the packaging on a luxury product. Likewise, the background on your website can have a huge effect on how your products are perceived.

There is also a well-understood psychology to colours, which are vibrantly displayed in background images. They can be the primal, deciding factor that leads to a new customer, or at least to a new member of your email list. The point is that your background images should be among your first considerations, not your last.

PikWizard houses a large collection of templates where you can source background images. Try experimenting with the various images in each category.

Water Colour

Water colour images can serve as great background images for several business types. If your business offers products or services that are related to water sports at all, they are hyper-appropriate and answer your viewers’ questions immediately.

You don’t need to have an ocean-based business for these images to be appropriate. Watercolor backgrounds are illustrations that have a hand-painted texture. They are popular in part because of their soft design. They are a welcoming and unique design type.

Have a look at PikWizard’s water colour images and see if they would make the right background for you.

Bokeh

Bokeh backgrounds create an air of mystery that can be great for some brands. Bokeh is a style that uses a blur for the out-of-focus components of a photo. The effect is created by either camera filters or the manual blurring of a large part of an image. The result is transforming small sources of light into soft, warm circles.

Check out our selection of bokeh images for templates.

Geometric

Geometric templates offer a feeling of complexity that some publications can benefit greatly from. The geometric category includes imagery featuring many different items. But each image tells a story.

Normally, geometric photographs are captured using an emphasis on shapes from a specific perspective. Bold lines and angles are captured and displayed. This is why you’ll notice a huge overlap with architectural imagery.

Have a look at PikWizard’s geometric templates and see if they fit in with your design needs.

Neon

If you want your background image to be subtle, neon isn’t the right choice for you. But if you want to add some flare to your imagery, these neon image templates are a great way to do it.

Neon photography is fun and flashy. These templates all feature extravagant lighting and add an er of mystery and flare simultaneously.

Pastel

These pastel images offer a great background to websites for many service-based businesses. But they can also make a great background for an invitation.

The pastel genre has always made great use of soft edges and warm colours. It’s a welcoming aesthetic that can be appropriate for a range of events and formats. Think of wedding invitations or websites for personal services. There is nothing imposing or harsh about pastel images, making them a safe bet.

Space

Space and the sky have been capturing peoples’ imaginations for millennia. People’s natural fascination with space hasn’t gone away and you will see space imagery used by many people and businesses.

Space photography involves capturing more complete perspectives of the night sky. This produces a mesmerizing but cold appearance.

You can use the power of the infinite universe as a design idea for your backgrounds. Just have a look at these space and sky photos. Remember to use bright text and other additions on top of them for contrast.

Liquid

As an alternative to water colours, these templates can provide a softer appearance. These subtler liquid photographs feature water from a more artistic perspective. Some photographers dedicate most of their careers to capturing liquids in the most interesting ways. They aim to use viscosity, texture and translucency to capture a single moment that you might pass by as you go through your daily life.

Liquid images are meant to provide a feeling of motion. They create a “flowing” feeling that adds where a still background leaves off. This art form can be used to present beverages in a more refreshing light, or to simply create a cool and refreshing image to cool the viewers off.

Grunge

The grunge category is an interesting one that features some of the most interesting perspectives. The theme requires images to appear dirty, distorted, or at least distressed. There are grunge templates that are appropriate for a wide range of websites, posters, and other formats.

“Grunge” is the 1980s alternative rock sub-genre that started out in the Northwest US. The musical genre was characterized by a fusion of punk rock and heavy metal. On the aesthetic side, grunge imagery captures a mood that was present at the height of Generation X. You might not find it to be the prettiest look, but the goal is to keep things realistic and genuine.

Have a look at the grunge category and the diversity of backgrounds that it offers.

Minimalist

Flashy designs featuring all sorts of wacky colours and graphics aren’t the right choice for everyone. Sometimes a simple approach can make the most impact. PikWizard also has plenty of minimalist templates for your background images. You will have an easier time adding text and other design elements to these templates.

Line

Background templates in the line category are fairly minimalistic themselves. They simply add an element of creativity by making use of straight lines. But some of them are also similar to geometric photography.

It’s harder to less broadly define this kind of image. You can find many different levels of flair and sophistication. Check out PikWizard’s line templates if you’re looking for something not too tame, but not too flashy either.

You can take a free background image and use it as you found it. But you’re normally going to want to take several more steps to make it more attractive and useful.

Adding a Product

You can add images of your products over a background image. The key to doing it right is understanding contrast. You can lower the contrast of your background image to make it easier to display your product photos.

Adding Photos & Text

It’s also a good idea to add photos of other items to your backgrounds. You can drag and drop your photos to complete the design process.

Normally, the most important thing you’ll put over a background image is text. Design Wizard enables you to insert text boxes over the background image. You can get as artistic with your text as you can with every other element. The important thing to remember is to make sure there’s strong contrast between your text and background. You can edit the size and colour of the text, or reduce the transparency of the background to accommodate the text.

Regardless of the type of background you use, there are a few things you can do to ensure you have the best possible backdrop.

Simple For Startups

Websites for young businesses or careers shouldn’t be too heavy. Unless you’re buying the right plan, an elaborate backdrop will reduce the speed of your site. Users will end up clicking out of your site if they’re made to wait too long.

Even if your site is more well-built, try to make sure the loading speed for the average browser is adequate.

Websites

Website backgrounds should be featured above the fold (the section a visitor sees before scrolling down). You can be creative with a website background, but make sure it’s consistent with the theme of your site.

Social Media Posts

Social media posts can feature a background for more magnetism. But make sure the backgrounds you use for social media posts stay as simple as possible.

Easily-distracted users should be drawn to your image, but should also be able to very quickly understand it. Keep your most important part of the message in focus by creating a strong contrast with the backdrop.

Invitation Letters

One great way to use backgrounds is with invitation letters. You can use may of the kinds of backgrounds we’ve gone over to make a perfect invitation. Pastel and minimalist backgrounds can be particularly effective.

If you feel like you need to upgrade your backgrounds, the truth is that you’re probably right. Websites and social posts are becoming increasingly competitive. Catching and holding onto peoples’ attention is becoming more difficult as well. But the good news is that it isn’t too hard to start making a great background image.

Go over some of the background images offered on PikWizard and see what you can do. There are many design elements you can use to make sure your background comes out perfect.