Bigger is Better: The Rules of Using Fullscreen Website Backgrounds

With a marketing world keen on using every inch of a medium for user experience, websites with full-screen backgrounds have become increasingly popular. In fact, the artistic use of this particular element has become a large part of the web design lexicon, with many different layouts from landing pages to social networks using this feature.

Full-screen backgrounds have a strong visual impact, which readily sets the tone for a quality user experience. Brands that have used this element on their sites have succeeded in drawing user attention — some of them have even become leaders in their respective industries.

To reach the right effect with a full-screen background, however, brands need to go beyond simply uploading a brilliant photo. Before you incorporate this design element, pay attention to the two golden rules discussed below:

The Balancing Act

Some photos contain several details (e.g., a photo of several products grouped together, a bunch of people, or a city landscape). Those who use one should make sure that the content inside the image and the content external to it are balancing each other.

The web design experts at MagnifyCreative.co.uk suggest uploading the background image and then adding the rest of the website elements instead of the other way around. This ensures that each element would work harmoniously with the main attraction of the site.

Clarity and Readability

The trick is to have a file that is large enough and will display well on every screen, whether it be a smartphone screen or a huge desktop monitor, and at the same time not burdening the loading time. The rule of thumb is to choose a resolution of 72 dpi to 96 dpi and an image size of 1250×800 or anything higher.

Even if the background image is beautiful, it is still supposed to function as a background. That means there are other elements on the site visitors should pay attention to. Make those clearly visible and readable by using sharp colour contrast.

In general, these rules are applicable to any type of site. They should be enough to get you started on the path to well-crafted and brilliantly designed website layouts.