Website Themes With Architectural Hero Images

Hero images – the eye-catching header image or full page background – are huge right now, and rightly so. They frame and contextualise your content. They provide interesting backgrounds for sites that don’t require a lot of text.

But the hero doesn’t always have to be a caped crusader or morally ambiguous jewel thief, and characters don’t always have to be people.

Gotham City frames Batman. It contextualises his fight against crime. It provides the colour palate and tone of the comics and movies. While location is important in most stories, Gotham’s overtones elevate it to its own character.

Vehicles are easier to categorise as characters: KITT, the DeLorean, or the USS Enterprise are easy examples. The Doctor’s TARDIS, however, is a worthy addition because of its fluid internal architecture. The interior changes to reflect the mood and characteristics of the incumbent Doctor. Along the years we’ve seen severe, simple sets, sprawling gothic inspired rooms, and complicated coral formations.

I mention these to illustrate the possibilities that locations and architecture provide for strong Hero Images. Architecture inspires emotion. It prompts memory and association.

And sometimes they’re not just fantastic feats of engineering and science. Sometimes they’re art. That means there’s something to suit every theme and colour palette. Just take a look at some of these, and how you might use them.

While there’s plenty of themes geared toward architects, real estate and travel that obviously utilise great architecture images – such as Bellevue, Ambient, and Maison – what we’re looking at here are great templates that utilise architecture for theme.

The WordPress template FlexForm demonstrates how interesting geometric repetition in particularly crafty architecture can be used as eye-catching headers. The glass and steel image provides a corporate feel that doesn’t overpower the site. Images such as this cool blue commercial London architecture, or this modern office facade could be easily utilised in similar ways.

The Elysium theme also shows how photographed geometric patterns can be used to great effect.

The LawBusiness theme also uses a strong central image, rather than a header or background. This WordPress theme is geared toward legal practitioners, of course, but it shows how architecture can provide mood and support the theme of the site.

Once you’ve picked a theme you’ll find there’s a huge amount of architecture images available. As I said before, there’s something to suit every theme and palate. Here’s but a tiny sample to inspire your next big website.

Framed properly, certain angles highlight the geometric patterns in some expertly designed buildings…

…while at a distance, multiple buildings can have the same effect.

A unique view of a familiar landmark can keep it fresh on your site. This one works in a similar way to the DynamiX example, drawing the viewer to the white space to the right.

This fantastic image of New York has a range of colours that could suit a variety of sites. Full size it would be a strong background image, while cropped it could be a bold header.

The muted colours of this scene make it a great background image, and there’s still plenty of white space for text.

This colourful colonial Columbian cityscape would add a splash of life to the right site.

The eeriness and the white/blue palate of a foggy Dubai evoke an unusual otherworldliness.

This desolate image of the Walton lighthouse has plenty of white space for your text and headings.

Winter is here in this cold shot of an imposing windmill. As with the Walton lighthouse, there’s plenty of white space to utilize without impacting the integrity of the image.

If you write crime fiction, this tantalisingly creepy abandoned building could be the backdrop for your next case.

For more architectural images, visit Envato Elements.