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Desktop wallpapers can serve as an excellent source of inspiration. However, if you use some specific wallpaper for a long period of time, it becomes harder to draw inspiration out of it. That’s why since April 2008 we supply you with fresh desktop wallpapers. And to make them a little bit more distinctive from the usual crowd, we’ve decided to embed calendars for the upcoming month. So if you need to look up some date, isn’t it better to show off a nice wallpaper with a nice calendar instead of launching some default time application?

This post features 17 19 free desktop wallpapers with calendars, created by designers across the globe for Smashing Magazine and its readers. Both versions with a calendar and without a calendar can be downloaded and used for free.

Please notice:

• all images can be clicked and lead to the preview of the wallpaper,
• you can feature your work in our magazine by taking part in our desktop wallpaper calendar series. We are regularly looking for creative designers and artists to be featured on Smashing Magazine. Are you one of them?
• Desktop Wallpaper Calendar: April 2008 features desktop wallpapers from the last month.

So what wallpapers have we received for May?

The happy month

“When I think of May, images of happiness, sun, flowers come to my mind… the summer approaches and the faces of the people become smiling. This happiness is the one that I wanted to express in the calendar.” Designed by Alba Soler from Spain.

• with calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

The Model

“The model? She’s my cousin, she’s a model here in Mexico City. I was updating some of her pictures (for her site), and suddenly decided to do the may calendar with her.” Designed by Patricia Villanueva from Mexico.

• preview (0.3 Mb, jpg)
• with calendar: 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

Saxophone

“Saxophone. She is dancing…” Designed by Rogers Sampaio from Portugal.

• preview (0.3 Mb, jpg)
• with calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

Calendar Eater

“Today I discovered a tiny animal that eats notes from my books! So I took a picture immediately!” Available in 12 desktop resolutions — both widescreen and fullscreen. Designed by Vlad Gerasimov from Irkutsk, Russia.

• preview (0.4 Mb, jpg)
• with calendar:
  800×600, 1024×768, 1152×864, 1280×1024 , 1280×800, 1280×960 , 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200, 2560×1600

Surprise

“I made this last winter, being moody and waiting for warmer days. Looks like they’re here soon. Designed by Stefan Sicher from Switzerland.

• preview (0.3 Mb, jpg)
• with calendar: 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

Blooming in the rain

“This design is inspired by the rainy and sunny May. Hope it will Bloom you away.” Designed by Vane Kosturanov from Macedonia.

• preview (0.3 Mb, jpg)
• with calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

Rise Above

Designed by Rafal Tomal from Poland.

• preview (0.3 Mb, jpg)
• with calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

Time Flies

“The theme is: rainbow, time, joy, spring weather, magic and fantasy”. Designed by Sandie Sørensen from Denmark.

• preview (0.3 Mb, jpg)
• with calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

There is always an open window

“The idea came to me when I was working on a project, and it wouldn´t work out like I wanted it to. So I just got up, and saw a flock of birds through my open window. I took my time watching them disappear and spent some time on my balcony outside, just to get my head clear and fresh. Whatever there is, there is always an open window to get out.” Designed by Dirk Worring from Sonsbeck, Germany.

• preview (0.3 Mb, jpg)
• with calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

Mayper

“I saw a design a few months ago that I haven’t been able to get out of my mind. I’ve been looking for somewhere to use the techniques used in what I saw to create something unique. This wallpaper is that attempt.” Designed by Pat Dryburgh.

• preview (0.3 Mb, jpg)
• with calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

Chocolate Landscape

“For this project, I just had fun and made something that I would want on my own desktop. I created a simplified landscape using basic shapes and an earthy color palette. I also wanted to make an elegant, yet simple calendar, so that it added to the design, instead of disrupting it. The chocolate sky gave the design a fresh look, and I happen to like darker wallpapers in general, so I went with it.” Designed by Richard Roche from USA.

• preview (0.3 Mb, jpg)
• with calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

I Am The Stag

“A couple of friends of mine are getting married over the next few months (not to each other I might add) and it got me thinking about weddings and traditions, in particular the Stag Night. The wallpaper is representative of lucid dreams that we all get when we’re anticipating things to come, especially things the worry us or make us anxious, in this case the big day and the shenanigans of the Stag Night.

It also gave me chance to play around with lighting effects and have a good play in photoshop which I hadn’t done in quite some time. The calendar was layed out simply in a less traditional manner across the bottom of the main image, which I felt pulled it into the design better than having it set to one side in a traditional style layout..” Designed by Peter Coles.

• preview (0.3 Mb, jpg)
• with calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

Reviving nature

“”Reviving nature” represents my feeling of spring with all it’s fresh, mostly green colors and blue skies. The lines are representing the activity of nature during spring after a winter sleep.” Designed by Jelmer Kuiper from Netherlands.

• preview (0.3 Mb, jpg)
• with calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

Blue and Gray Columns

“I drew inspiration from David Seah’s Compact Calendar for the calendar layout… I love the idea of the days, months and weeks being contained in one unit. I always enjoy the bright vibrant desktops when I’m not actually using my computer, as soon as I start working I’m back to the muted medium grays that don’t distract me. I wanted to create something with energy and color but subtle enough to use long-term, we’ll see how long I leave this one up!” Designed by Amanda Hawkins from Phoenix, USA.

• preview (0.3 Mb, jpg)
• with calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

Runing

Designed by Ronen Berliner from Israel.

• preview (0.3 Mb, jpg)
• with calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

Morning Love

Designed by LoveMyDesktop.com.

• preview (0.3 Mb, jpg)
• with calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

Important Days

“I really like the Smashing Magazine logo. So I decided to use the SM logo as the colour scheme for my concept. Then I thought of the month “MAY”. “MAY” is the most happening of all the months. There are 16 important days celebrated in this month. That made me to symbolically show these important days in my design. The important days which are symbolically shown in this design are international labour day, world asthma day, world press freedom day etc.” Designed by Guru Thilak from Chennai, India.

• preview (0.3 Mb, jpg)
• with calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

The Concrete Jungle

“The wallpaper is an illustration telling the story of an elephant leaving where he came from because of people turning his home into a parking lot. He is taking the jungle with him only to find more parking lots. The places where he and the wild can live are becoming very limited.” Designed by Tim Newton from USA.

• preview (0.3 Mb, jpg)
• with calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

Treasure your life

“I have taken photos of the roses in my garden. They look so precious and beautify while they are young and alive, but sadly I have to cut them down when they are dying… In a way it really reminds me how precious the life is and we really should treasure our lives and everything along with our lives when we are young, healthy and alive!” Designed by Yan Z. Hughes from USA.

• preview (0.3 Mb, jpg)
• with calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

Join in next month!

Please notice that we respect the ideas and motivation behind artists’ work which is why we’ve given artists full freedom to explore their creativity and express emotions and experience through their works. And this is also why the themes of the wallpapers weren’t anyhow influenced by us, but designed from scratch by the artists themselves.

Thanks to all designers for participation. Hopefully, in May we’ll receive as many entries as in April. Join in next month and smashing May, folks!