14 Sites to Download Free Purple Background Images

Purple is such an interesting color. It is a combination of red and blue so it comes off as both warm and cool, depending on its intensity. It is often associated with royalty because this dye was once only available for wealthy rulers. Purple was historically expensive which is why people see it as prestigious and luxurious whenever a purple background is used.

Having a purple background in photos is not an extremely popular choice. This is due to the impression that purple denotes many emotions. It is not commonly found in nature, save for a few flowers and fruits, so people see it as too artificial. When it comes to associations, however, purple is linked to both royalty and spirituality hence its regal and sophisticated character.

Purple = Sophistication

Cultural Associations

There are also several cultural associations that are to be considered when using purple. In the United States, for example, they have an award called Purple Heart that is given to wounded and departed soldiers. They see purple as a representation of courage. However, in Thailand, widows wear purple instead of black after their husbands’ deaths.
Even Queen Elizabeth I has such fondness for purple. She allows the members of the royal family to wear this color. Because ancient rulers were thought to be offspring of the gods, this color is associated with both religion and spirituality. The Catholics associate it with Advent and Lent. Purple is also a symbol of peace and mysticism in Hindus and Buddhism respectively.

The reason behind these associations is that because it is a mix of red and blue, it has some of the best attributes of both hues. Blue conveys stability, calm, and serenity while red suggests passion, extravagance, wealth, wisdom, luxury, and energy. Aside from courage, sensitivity, faith, and indulgence, purple is also linked to both mystery and magic.

In Egypt, it denotes faith and virtue while people from Tibet consider this color to be sacred and must only be used in objects that are attributed to Buddha.

Marketing considerations regarding the color purple.

Because it hosts a lot of meanings, many people find it critical to choose a purple background for marketing and branding. You see, purple ignited a horde of emotions. Some see it to be calming and uplifting while it fosters creativity and free-thinking in others.

The meanings also change depending on its intensity. It looks warmer and brighter if it leans more on its reddish tones. Adding more blue hues makes it darker but sets the tone to be cooler and a lot calmer. The preferences are also affected by the tone. The darker and bluer hues are more associated with masculinity while the red hues indicate femininity.

It is so tricky to use a purple background because of these loose associations. Do remember though that there were people who were bold enough to use purple to their advantage. To emphasize its regal connections, yellow and gold are also used as accents for the color purple. This is the foremost reason why you can see such color combinations in historical movies with kings and royalties.

As for its magical associations, the most famous example is in the Walt Disney movie Fantasia. The 1940 feature film has a lot of purple going on, from the backdrop down to Mickey Mouse’s magician’s hat.

The combination of yellow and purple also denotes both an uplifting and happy mood which is why toy manufacturers choose these colors for toys and games packaging. Food companies, however, find the color as an appetite suppressor so you rarely see it on food adverts.

Purple is sometimes the color of choice to market businesses that are both romantic and nostalgic in nature. These emotional responses are triggered with the lighter hues of purple and are extremely favored by women.

Purple Color in Brands

There are several famous brands that are instantly associated with the color purple. The most prominent one would be Yahoo! with its distinctive purple background. But did you know that the company only used it because it was the cheapest choice?

The worldwide sensation basketball team, Los Angeles Lakers also predominantly use purple that is accented by yellow/gold for their team colors. Cadbury, a brand that is known worldwide, has maintained its brand identity with the striking purple color for its packaging and branding materials.

You see, a purple background is not that scary to use with plenty of successful brands using it. You just need to study how you can make it work for your brand. Excited to see how purple will look on your brand? Here are some resources of purple background that you can use for your own design.

Resources and Sites Where to Download Cool Purple Background Images for Free

You came to the right place if you are looking for free photos with the regal purple hue. These resources allow free downloads of their purple collections so you can use them right away.

1. Unsplash.com

Unsplash has a nice collection of purple backgrounds. All that you need to do is remove background from your photos and choose from its array of magical-looking backgrounds.

Unsplash does know how purple looks regal and extremely luxurious. These purple-hued wallpapers are specifically made to give an air of royalty to your mobile and desktop screens.

2. WallpaperAccess

WallpaperAccess has a growing collection of purple backgrounds for its users. These are great to have if you are looking for extravagant-looking background photos. They will look amazing for all your photo editing needs as they can work as backgrounds for portrait photos.

You can choose from this top collection of purple desktop wallpapers and backgrounds that are perfect whether it is for your phone’s home screen or on your computer.

3. WallpaperCave

You can easily get lost in the depth of purple colors in this handsome collection by WallpaperCave. Most of them have abstract imagery so it will be easy to integrate it into your design concept.

4. Pexels

Pexels has a great selection of purple background photos. They look stunning and incredibly magical. You can definitely take a pick from any of their photos and instantly elevate your design.

5. AlphaCoders

You need to be warned that this collection of purple wallpapers from AlphaCoders is simply irresistible. The abstract designs are so mesmerizing and it may take a while for you to choose because you will find it a tad difficult to pick only one design.

Easily place your images in black background with Removal.AI

6. Wallpaperscraft

What is awesome about this purple collection from WallpapersCraft is that they also use plenty of other colors. They show how you can incorporate other hues into your design even if you are using such a strong color as purple.

7. WallpaperSafari

You might find it overwhelming to choose only one wallpaper out of over 5 million images. Wallpaper Safari takes care of this tedious job by sorting these purple beauties according to popularity.

8. Pixabay

Pixabay is where you should pick out a nice purplish background if you are after some dainty-looking ones. You can instantly notice how most of the photos in their purple collection are about flowers or nature. This is kind of great, actually, since purple is often seen to be an artificial color. Seeing it on flowers makes it seem more alive.

9. WallpaperCave

The color purple does not only look great in dark hues. It also looks adorable when it is lighter. These light purple collection from WallpaperCave shows how this color can also be sweet and magical at the same time.

Premium Resources

If you are on the hunt for amazingly good-looking purple backgrounds, these premium resources are your must-have. Marvel from all these collections and you will never think twice about paying for their striking purple wallpapers and backgrounds.

10. Shutterstock

You can see from all the photos how the artists put a lot of effort in making sure that all the right shades of purple are incorporated in the design. All the backgrounds look amazing with the play of light and dark hues.

11. GettyImages

These premium photos are all in high resolutions. The designs look modern and sophisticated. You can use any of these backgrounds for your next big presentation and you will never regret it.

12. iStockPhoto

What is great about this collection is that it has everything from dark to abstract, textured, and purple with other color combinations. You just need to be very specific on your search and it will give you plenty of wonderful choices for the results.

13. Adobe Stock

Nothing sounds more professional than Adobe and this is evident on their purple collection of backgrounds. Every photo looks meticulously designed. They will be the perfect background photos for your subjects after background removal.

14. 123rf

Clearly made for enterprise, this collection looks professional and nicely put up. They are all ready for photo editing and be included in your design concept.

Usage/Application of Purple Background

Because of its universal appeal, purple can be used in a lot of ways, especially in marketing and branding. Here are some examples of how you can use a purple background for your own company or product:
In fashion and portrait photography:

Purple looks soothing but it is also an extremely vibrant color. As you can see in the photo, it gives the model a regal air while still maintaining a feminine touch. Wearing purple symbolizes wealth and fashion-forward individuals use this representation to use purple in order to look expensive and luxurious. You can often find a lot of purple accents to high fashion shoots because it instantly makes the atmosphere look grandeur and extravagant.

In product photography:

Even though it is a secondary color, purple promotes a lot of positive implications, including gender equality, passion, energy, royalty, and luxury. This makes it great to use for product photography.

In Web and App Design:

This color is thought to be at the edge of imagination so it is often associated with creativity and wild imagination. It represents free-thinking and is associated with anything fantastical. With these considerations in mind, it can be extremely advantageous to use purple in both web and app design as it ignites creative thinking. You have to find a way to incorporate purple in your design if you want to foster strength but still with an air of mystery.

Because of its royal history, purple can be used for a whimsical theme. Its tones can also be played around with to make it look modern and sophisticated. The variety of attributes to it makes it the perfect choice whether you use it for its magical and historical or creative value.

However, you decide to use this color, know that the intensity and use of other colors can also affect how it would translate to the audience. The meanings easily change from powerful to lame so you have to be exceptionally careful when working with the color purple.

Experiment With Purple Background

Every design and concept needs color and it is important to consider the different associations that every color brings. As tempting this color may be, purple should be used sparingly and with a lot of caution. It will always depend on how you want the color to translate your brand.

As you can observe, this color has many attributes and you can only get away with using it if you do so with care. It has a diverse appeal so you can definitely use it in a variety of ways for design. While many designers tend to shy away from it, be bold in experimenting with how you can use it for your brand.

Play around with how it would work as a background and what accents would work for the text and graphics. You can incorporate it in your primary color scheme to make an instant and lasting impression. Purple is really special because of its rare characteristic of bringing out many emotions. Use it to your advantage.