Have you ever noticed that the vast majority of default desktop backgrounds are of nature? With more of us working indoors, maybe it's no surprise. These new free desktop backgrounds by Weaver House for DesignLoveFest are a nice alternative to the standard nature shot.
You can download the first set of designs here and the second set here.
If you don't have a window in your high-rise cubicle, I recommend the nightlife background from the second set, which captures the idea of a skyline in a new way.
So why nature wallpapers in the first place? Ben Williams, a UK based corporate psychologist theorized in the early 2000s that your desktop wallpaper was a look into your personality and priorities, because we use our computer to carve out a space for ourselves in our work environments.
"It says this is my territory; look how exciting or dramatic it is," he said.
My current desktop background is a series of geometrics squares — which doesn't bode well for my personality assessment. I won't promise that changing your background to one of DesignLoveFest's current offerings will scream: "I'm a nature nut!" — but they're gorgeous and worth a look.
(Images: DesignLoveFest)
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My desktop background at home is just one of the default designs that came with Windows 7 - what does that say about me?!?! Probably that blue is my favorite color. At least at work I have a beautiful photo of Paris at night, taken by yours truly.
I get a free desktop calendar every month from Smashing Magazine.
I love dynamically designed wallpapers with rich, saturated colors. So these walls don't do much for me. But I do agree that one's desktop (assuming you're computer savvy enough to know how to change it) provides an interesting look into a person's personality.
i work 60+ hours a week, most of it from home, all of it on my laptop. a good desktop image is pretty important for my frame of mind when working/thinking. it was getting too cluttered, so i went a bit extreme. i hid the app dock along the bottom, removed everything from the desktop (even the hard drive icon), and removed everything but the wifi, time, and battery from the menu bar. my wallpaper is one large image, usually pretty simple (currently a rolling wave with a storm overhead). it may sound a bit excessive, but it has made working so much easier, kind of like the way a neat desk would make it easier for others. when i glance at someone else's desktop and see icons (especially ones that aren't lined up), i start to sweat!
i use the scene from 'before sunset' where they're passing under a bridge. the one from the poster, but in true color instead of that black/sepia. and i used to use a generic screensaver program and folder full of concert photos. felt like summer in my office.
National geographic (.com) posts a daily photo that you can (usually) download wallpaper size. Their pictures are always amazing, and they look great as desktop wallpaper! (You can browse through their archives, too, to find a picture you like).
Circa 1977 black and white photo of Bruce Springsteen and Clarence Clemons here. My idea of nature.