Scenes for screens
Not your average video call backgrounds
Illustration by Joslyn Reid
As 2021 got closer and working from home continued, we realized that the video calls we'd gotten so used to weren’t going to end anytime soon. Instead, they become an opportunity to harness and showcase some of the talent our team. It didn’t take long for Khoi Vinh, senior director of design for Adobe XD, to come up with the idea for a year of virtual video call backgrounds.
Over this past year, Khoi challenged members of the team to flex their creative muscles by bringing to life unique backgrounds that embody creativity for all. The result? A unique and expressive collection that makes art references, celebrates nature, and offers new vantage points of the world around us (including one from space!).
Looking back on this project, I'm reminded how impressive, inspiring, and talented the people I work with are and how rewarding it is to be able to share their work with people outside (and inside) of Adobe Design. It wouldn’t have been possible without Khoi, senior designer Emma Zhang, who translated each background to a project on the Adobe Design Behance page, and the members of the design team, whose talents brought these projects to life each month of the past year.
Download a background (or two) and bring some new energy to your next video call.
![Golden medallion in the middle of an abstract field of leaves and seeds in shades of yellow, tan, and gold with accents of bright blue.](./media_182208c62c8ee0eddfb7feb3c6b92ad6226bfe95a.jpeg?width=750&format=jpeg&optimize=medium)
![An illustration of a seated woman, drinking from a teacup and gazing out a cafe window, surrounded by four cats (one of them on her laptop screen).](./media_15f15d37c45746360ca03e2ce78d854bb575dff4f.jpeg?width=750&format=jpeg&optimize=medium)
![Organic blobs of blue and teal are suspended in a field of navy with pink angular lines overlaid with a random pattern of teal and blue dots.](./media_1a074c5307b2f25fc59272767e3b9e0be3286416b.jpeg?width=750&format=jpeg&optimize=medium)
![An astronautical view of space from a window. A large planet and starry sky are the backdrop to an astronaut standing on a pier emerging from a cloudscape.](./media_1ea7d7cf1cdc820ad0afd69b17aaa4337c7cccb8c.jpeg?width=750&format=jpeg&optimize=medium)
![Abstract shapes in shades of green, orange, and yellow, with accents of pink and purple comprise this stylized jungle-like setting.](./media_1aab43de5688d1c001c5e33d6c11ce939393a73be.jpeg?width=750&format=jpeg&optimize=medium)
![Succulents in muted pinks, purples, blues, and greens form the map of the world against a striking black background.](./media_1a22787bbbcce450e5162ae298c47bc6b54e0ee9c.jpeg?width=750&format=jpeg&optimize=medium)
![Circle quadrants in pink, purple, blue, green, yellow, and white form abstract parrots and leaves on a half white, half purple background.](./media_11ff58ce9dce498cf1419eaaae627a43926fe3db4.jpeg?width=750&format=jpeg&optimize=medium)
![A close-cropped image of a smiling woman looking out from a video call on an open laptop.](./media_11b186581ea86f11873b03a01d2971d3c671044f8.jpeg?width=750&format=jpeg&optimize=medium)
![Golden hummingbirds with colorful necks drink from pink flowers growing on vines in various shades of green against a background of forest green.](./media_11b6915a41306de01848f750329fbf41483d8ebdb.jpeg?width=750&format=jpeg&optimize=medium)
![Lines of white, red, and teal spiral toward the center of the black background.](./media_1b3a0fdb70284b80536fff37ab39ce5543befb1f2.jpeg?width=750&format=jpeg&optimize=medium)
![Whimsical tree stumps and bushes commune with stars, clouds, and birds in shades of watery blue, pink, yellow, and green against a background of night.](./media_14d9c18c8f62e38f7c63489b41aa17eff044ec312.jpeg?width=750&format=jpeg&optimize=medium)
![Charcoal and peach fingers pinch an eye with a tan iris and golden pupil surrounded by mod, petal-like ripples of red.](./media_115105b0a25af9442e22db351d876756861120590.jpeg?width=750&format=jpeg&optimize=medium)