Tips for having an interesting background

Hi Marie,

I recently started using Niice: https://niice.co/ when I need inspiration for a project from a visual design angle. You can type in any search term you want and it will collate images related to that search term. For example, you can type in a colour, or a particular artist, or a particular style, or a combination of words like "corporate blue". You can then, if you want, create a moodboard.

Hope this helps, and I am sure other heroes will have awesome tips as well.

Niice is a really great resource. 

Marie - can you post a screenshot of what your template looks like and the screens to which you'd like to add a bit of pop?

Would a background pattern / gradient, perhaps more subtle than below, help?

That looks really beautiful Steve, simple and elegant!

Hi Marie,

maybe one of the Blurred Backgrounds from our free download section works for you. And there's also an article on Creating Your Own Background Image in Storyline in case you'd like to play around with it.

Thanks, folks!

Veronica, thanks for the Niice tip. It doesn't seem to have much in the way of telephony/server image ideas, but I'll keep trying.

Nicola, I loved the links you shared and the article references. This is definitely something I'm playing with. Loved the article with the smartphone snapshot trick.

Steve, a gradient was my first attempt at a background, but I thought it looked messy with our "clean" look. I'll attach a sample slide with our color palette (logos obscurred). The green diamond is the issue here; a similar unifying element appears on several slides. We have a pale blue checkmark that is part of the marketing team's "look", but I don't want to use that on every page.

Thanks again for your comments. Any additional ideas, now that you see where I'm starting from?

From a design perspective, the green is quite intense. Generally, the eye wants to look at the most interesting colors. So on this slide it is hard to tell what to focus on, as all I want to do is look at the green diamond.

I would suggest a much lighter tint of green, or even perhaps a light gray. In thinking about what to put in the background, remember it should be something subtle, and it should never be the focus of the slide, so it shouldn't have words or really interesting shapes. 

A gradient can look clean if you pick some subtle colors. Perhaps even a slight texture. That is they key to a clean look, something low key and elegant. Grays are good for that, or light blues.

The gradient behind this cone could work: http://minimalissimo.com/2015/01/cone/

Great site! I added it to my bookmarks.

i agree with deanna. the diamond kinda distracted me in that slide. if you think there's too much blank white space, go with a solid light gray background. if it still looks empty, a subtle (less light gray, or one of the logo's color) header bar can also be used.  

If the issue is having to open on a blank slide, maybe a short description on what the slide is all about can be placed under the header?

Thanks for your help, everyone! A nice soft gradient shape is the winner.

Glad you were able to get the assistance that you needed Marie :)

I have nothing to add here in terms of suggestions (sorry!), however...I am wondering how many people in design jobs are required to have something "professional" when in fact the requester actually means "...dull and traditional", (but is wordsmithing with themselves and justifying their own position of safety...).

For example, Bokeh lighting effects can look very "professional" but are not traditional or dull (IMHO). Combined with minimal words in the right positions they can look great.

Thanks, Bruce. I think words are definitely at the root of the problem here. It's very difficult to explain a visual concept in words, either to express how something doesn't work, or to share your vision. I found that my new development team didn't "get it" even with a storyboard; it was only after I put together the working prototype that they had that "Ah hah!" moment.

Thanks for sharing these examples. Cheers.

Sounds clean!!!!

Thanks for those examples, Bruce!  So many ideas rushing in my head right now due to that suggestion!

The two shared by Bruce looks beautiful, so suitable for my elearning book.