Smashing Magazine - we smash you with the information that will make your life easier. really.

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 we have decided to supply you with smashing wallpapers over 12 months.

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 30 free desktop wallpapers, created by designers across the globe. Both versions with a calendar and without a calendar can be downloaded 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?

So which wallpapers have we received for September?

[Offtopic: by the way, have you already visited Smashing Magazine's Facebook fan page? Join the community for a stream of useful resources, updates and giveaways!]

Places in London

“All of the wallpapers are with the theme of various places in the city of London. These photos were taken as a part of a project for a friend studying architecture and they turned out so well that I decided to make them as wallpapers. You can also see a few more London Wallpapers which I posted on my blog.” Designed by Kishor Krishnamoorthi from Hyderabad, India / University of Essex, UK.

• preview (0.6 Mb, jpg)
• with calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

• preview (0.6 Mb, jpg)
• with calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

• preview (0.6 Mb, jpg)
• with calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

Unknown Path

“Railroad photo by Richard Ryerson Photography. Designed by Sean Canady.

• preview (0.6 Mb, jpg)
• with calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

Jeans World Maps

Available in 12 desktop resolutions — both widescreen and fullscreen. Designed by Vlad Gerasimov from Irkutsk, Russia.

• preview (0.15 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

Abstraction

“I designed this wallpaper because dark backgrounds work best for ease of use. I also put a fun funky abstract shape on the left side for an interesting composition.” Designed by Chad Engle from WV, USA.

• preview (0.6 Mb, jpg)
• with calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

Dangerous Dinner

“This wallpaper is an illustration about the underdog — never underestimate the little guys.” Designed by Tim Newton from United States.

• preview (0.6 Mb, jpg)
• with calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

Autumn Moonlight

“A photographer and his model shoot under the light of the full moon in autumn. As autumn approaches, what better to do than a photo shoot with the girl you love in the countryside?” Designed by Yin Shan Ho from Hong Kong, China.

• preview (0.6 Mb, jpg)
• with calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

Sacred Tree of Wisdom

“The theme for my wallpaper i got from the Kung Fu Panda movie. There is a Sacred Peach Tree of Wisdom which master Oolong planted. I liked the colors of it especially the moment when master left the earth along with the leaves. This magical feeling I’ve tried to show in the wallpaper also.” Designed by Tanya Shevkunova from New York, USA.

• preview (0.6 Mb, jpg)
• with calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

Sommerende

“Photo by Anja Gronwald · Photoshop by André Barges.” Designed by Loading-Now from Rostock, Germany.

• preview (0.6 Mb, jpg)
• with calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1650×1050, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 1920×1200

Hat Fashion

“This design came about from an illustration that I did after being inspired by some old fashion magazine covers and illustrations that I’d been looking through. The final product is very different from my original point of departure which was much more summery, but hopefully it fits better now as we’re moving into fall.” Designed by Tessa Matsuzaki from Vancouver, Canada.

• preview (0.6 Mb, jpg)
• with calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

Surrealism Phantasmagorical

“I wanted to put together a surreal dreamlike design born out of a simple image. 2 of my friends are in the main picture taken on a walk around the city one overcast sunday afternoon. The idea was to bring some kind of life into what it’s like in a city – even when it’s not sunny – but with a twisted futuristic edge and yet still organic.” Designed by Richard Hopkinson from Manchester, UK.

• preview (0.2 Mb, jpg)
• with calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1900×1200
• without calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1900×1200

Forgotten Beigns

“This wallpaper is inspired in my last flash site “Seres de los Reinos olvidados” (Beigns from the forgotten Kigdoms, in english) a Fairy tales site for kids. Designed by Camilo Jones from Medellin, Colombia.

• preview (0.6 Mb, jpg)
• with calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

Seasons Autumn

“The motivation behind the work lies in Finland’s beautiful landscapes and scenery. The idea to do this came when I was at a cottage this summer. I wanted to capture the true essence of this beautiful season. Go out and enjoy it. It’s colourful and quiet.” Designed by Miikka Saari from Finland.

• preview (0.6 Mb, jpg)
• with calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

Red Green Orange

“It was very hot week, with temperatures above 36oC, and it look like asphalt was melting. I was sitting in my favourite caffe drinking “campari-juice” and there was one slice of orange in glass, and it was looking so refreshing.” Designed by Nikola Lazarevic from Serbia.

• preview (0.6 Mb, jpg)
• with calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

Gentle Temper

“I am trying to create a vigorous image with a blend of gentle and soft side of the sea. There is always a cycle at work in nature, an understanding almost that forces are to work hand in hand. I hope to convince people to experience this aspect of nature with my wallpaper. “Gentle Temper” is inspired by poet, John Keats’ “On The Sea” poem. The words “gentle” and “temper” beside each other provide an interesting paradox.” Designed by Ee Venn Soh from Malaysia.

• preview (0.6 Mb, jpg)
• with calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

Pupil People

“The story is pretty simple – some of my friends are teachers and I know how they miss their scamp children on the second day of vacation already. So here we are, September is here and they’ve got a chance to love each other again.” Designed by Karel Hejkal from Litvínov, Czech Republic.

• preview (0.6 Mb, jpg)
• with calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

On The 197

“This girl was in front of me on the 197, Rosemont, the bus I take everyday to commute. She was extremely unquiet, I’m happy with the result, though.” Designed by Patricia Montero de Cabana.

• preview (0.6 Mb, jpg)
• with calendar: 800×600, 1024×768, 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1440×900
• without calendar: 800×600, 1024×768, 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1440×900

Autumn Rasta Colors

“I love the colors of the falling leafs in autumn, the green, yellow and red leafs reminds me the rastafarian culture and reggae music. Also, September is a very rainy month in my city. This is how I represents this concepts.” Designed by Jon Garza from Mexico.

• preview (0.6 Mb, jpg)
• with calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

Yosemite Beauty

“I shot this photo last year in the Yosemite National Park. The natural beauty inspired me and because of I shot it in September I thought it’s a perfect base for a wallpaper for this month.” Designed by Manuel Ressel from Germany.

• preview (0.6 Mb, jpg)
• with calendar: 1024×768, 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 1024×768, 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

When type meets texture

“I wanted to experiment with both type and texture. This wallpaper is the result.” Designed by Greg Ponchak from United States.

• preview (0.6 Mb, jpg)
• with calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

Goodbye Holidays

“This wallpaper it´s a little bit melancolic with the holidays: car, beach umbrella, happiness, postcard, picture… In september leaf start to dry and i have impress in the wallpaper; we say goodbye to the holidays, a lot of people is sad but we can start watching the beauty of the nature.” Designed by Baskontix from the Basque Country.

• preview (0.6 Mb, jpg)
• with calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

Vectors in Front

“Think about the preponderance of concept. Lapses of fluence like first stammerings of the form. Sketches. The polysemy of the image. The chaos like rhythm. The golden rule. Intuition, feelings and colours. Vectors in front. The independence of taste.” Designed by Martin Pruvost from Argentina.

• preview (0.6 Mb, jpg)
• with calendar: 800×600, 1024×768, 1280×960, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 800×600, 1024×768, 1280×960, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

Splatter

“This started out as inspiration piece for the redesign of my site, but the more I started fooling around the more it became clear that this would be more appropriate as a wallpaper. So – tada!” Designed by Elly from New Zealand.

• preview (0.6 Mb, jpg)
• with calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

All you need is feed

“The idea is simple, all you need is within reach of a feed. God bless you XML!” Designed by Eduardo Cruz from Oaxaca, México. The RSS-icon was designed by Dirceu Veiga and is available for free download.

• preview (0.6 Mb, jpg)
• with calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

Cacao Mood

“This idea comes from our studio name, Cacao-Büro, and it shows what we feel when we design, we are happy because we design, like a little boy with a chocolate bar.” Designed by Cacao Büro from Buenos Aires, Argentina.

• preview (0.6 Mb, jpg)
• with calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1900×1200
• without calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1900×1200

Skulls

“My September wallpaper was inspired by all the death I have experienced around me over the past year. Friends, family, and loved ones not losing their lives, rather beginning new ones. I found a verse in scripture that really stood out to me about what was going on around me – Death has been swallowed up in victory. ” Designed by Mike Monts De Oca from United States.

• preview (0.6 Mb, jpg)
• with calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

Return to work

“For the calendar of this month I have wanted to treat the idea of the farewell of the summer and the return to the work. The aim is to inject adrenaline whom it sees in order that it begins the new labour year with a lot of energy. Now we have to correct days in the calendar until the next holidays come.” Designed by Alba Soler from Spain.

• preview (0.6 Mb, jpg)
• with calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

Miscellaneous Days

“This is another version of my monthly calendar about GTD (”Getting things dropped”) on your desktop: you can use the calendar to drag all the files on your desktop to certain days, when you expect to (hopefully) be working on them. If you didn’t make it – no prob – just drag them to the next day!” Designed by Michael Schmidt from Vienna, Austria.

• preview (0.6 Mb, jpg)
• with calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

Independence Day Of Chechen Republic of Ichkeria

“When September comes it remind me of 6th September 1991 when my lovely country Chechnya was came into being. So, I am dedicating this wallpaper to all the people of my country. This wallpaper contains coat of arms of Chechnya (which have been modified by me).” Designed by CheDesigner from Chechnya.

• preview (0.6 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 September we’ll receive as many entries as in August. Join in next month and smashing September, folks!