Common Trends In Desktop Wallpapers: Part 1

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This is part one of a series of posts which reveal common trends typically found in desktop wallpapers. Our hope is to bring these trends to the attention of wallpaper designers so that they can stop following them or improve upon them. The trends that we have gathered are some which we hope will soon stop and have something new take their place. Continue reading to see some popular wallpaper trends.

To date we have featured nearly 267 HD wallpapers across Dizorb and Zixpk, after sorting through thousands of wallpapers we noticed a trend among many desktop wallpapers. We prefer to not feature the same type of wallpapers over and over because that would be really boring. If we wanted to Dizorb.com could feature thousands of wallpapers but if we did, many of them would look the same because artists follow the same trends and we like to feature the few that break these trends or make them their own. Below we have compiled a list of categories that most wallpapers typically fall under.

Hot Air Balloons

This to me is by far one of the most annoying trends to have recently come about. For some odd reason which I can not explain artists have decided to incorporate hot air balloons into their wallpaper designs. Wait! Maybe I can explain this phenomenon, you see hot air balloons represent FREEDOM.

But really lets face it. It was nice when this trend first came about. The hot air balloons seemed to add that little touch of magic to the wallpapers (even the really bad ones) but now after a while its time to move on. I don’t want to see another hot air balloon in a wallpaper. It’s starting to get old. Maybe it’s time to move onto something new like kites which can also represent freedom.

^ The reason why I believe the image is a perfect outcome of this hot air balloon trend is because the main focus of this wallpaper is directly at the hot air balloons, so the artists didn’t simply add the hot air balloons as an after thought. They made the hot air balloons the center piece of the image.

^ This a a good example of what is commonly found with this trend. Usually its an amazing landscape image, but the author feels that it needs a little more and hence adds the hot air balloon. For me this wallpaper would have been just fine without the extra little addition.

^ This wallpaper tried to do what the above “Good” example achieved, but by simply adding the hot air balloons it does not take focus away from the rest of the major defects that the wallpaper has. For example the photo quality of this image is pretty bad and the hot air balloons don’t help in bettering the situation.

Abstract Lines/ Waves

Now don’t get me wrong here. I for one am a big fan of abstract wallpapers especially those that feature abstract lines/waves. These types of wallpapers are usually elegant and simple which is the perfect blend for a desktop image.

However it seems that now most of these wallpapers are starting to appear exactly the same, so for me there is really no point in featuring many of these types of wallpapers on Dizorb.com however once in a blue moon some do break the mold.

^ Petercui is a DeviantArt user whose main wallpaper focus is on abstract shapes/lines. In this wallpaper composition the abstract lines/waves trend is taken to a whole new level by giving the abstract lines a soul and sense of being. So again the perfect wallpapers are those that give the trend a spotlight and make it stand out in the image and not hidden in a little corner.

^ The above example is what most of the abstract lines/wave wallpapers usually fall into. Meaning that the wallpaper usually consists of a line spanning the image and the rest being a certain gradient color. These types of wallpapers are great when done correctly but they tend to fall into looking similar to each other, and hence the authors design is lost within the thousands of similar images.

^ There really is no need for an explanation as to why this wallpaper has taken this trend in the wrong direction. The abstract lines/ waves are nothing new and the gradient color is very bland.

Incorporation of Planets

Now this seems to be the most overused wallpaper trend of them all. Most likely you have already seen hundreds or even thousands of images that feature some sort of planetary shape incorporated. This is the most overused trend because of natural  human curiosity.  We love to imagine how it would be like to live in a different world where one can see stars, moons, and other worlds in a way that is not possible here on Earth. I for one am a sucker for sci-fi wallpapers simply because I like to use my imagination.

^ This is probably one of the most popular wallpapers of all time and it deserves its fame. In this wallpaper the moon is the main emphasis and what it adds is a sense of the perfect “dream” planet, meaning that you would actually want to live inside the image.

^ This wallpaper is on the border of being perfect and good. Lets just say its really good. Without the incorporation of the planet at the upper left this wallpaper would be bland with just the road and sky. The planet makes the road have a destination. So the incorporation of the planet drastically changes the mood of the wallpaper.

^ How could I not categorize this wallpaper as being just horrible. I have to give it up to the author for killing two birds with one stone by incorporating both the hot air balloons and planetary systems. Thing is I don’t get why the author did this. It just adds general confusion to the wallpaper and doesn’t make it too appealing. My choice for this wallpaper would have been to leave out the planets and hot air balloons. This way people can actually relate to the female in the wallpaper and the mood that it wants to convey.

Apple Logos

There is just something about the apple logo/brand that makes Apple fan boys create thousands of wallpapers featuring that delicious fruit. Apple wallpapers come in every form imaginable, which isn’t always a good thing. But I do congratulate apple fan boys for creating better looking wallpapers than Windows fan boys (let the hating begin). This trend is most likely due to Apples effort to make their products look astonishing from every angle. This level of craftsmanship trickles down to mass Apple loyalists who also wish to make their Mac GUI have that same level of sophistication.

^ This is an extremely cool Apple wallpaper because of the fact that the artist decided to show the back side of the apple logo. This little twist is what has made this wallpaper stand out from the crowd.

^ This is a “good” Apple wallpaper. the reason why it is “good” is because the backgroud pattern is amazing already without the apple logo. This makes the logo seem like an after thought which is a shame.

^ Many might argue with me about why I have classified this wallpaper as being horrible. I know that Apple’s emphasis is simple and elegant, but really this wallpaper is nothing special. It’s just an Apple logo plastered on a black gradient background. To me this doesn’t scream Outstanding.

Conclusion to part one

In this post we took a look at four wallpapers trends which were hot air balloons, abstract lines/waves, the incorporation of planets, and Apple logos. These trends come about because of the general acceptance by wallpaper seekers, so artist want to gain as much exposure as possible or they simply want to try out this new design trend and in turn we are bombarded with thousands of new wallpapers which aren’t always the best. The above wallpapers that were classified as being “just terrible” aren’t all that bad and most likely some people will like them. However they were given this label because they fit the trend but not exactly in a new and revolutionary way.

In part 2 we will reveal even more wallpaper trends commonly found.