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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 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 45 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 what wallpapers have we received for March 2009?

[Offtopic: by the way, did you already get your copy of the brand new Smashing Book?]

Paragliding

"Some people are made for the sky, some people are made for the Earth! Clear Sky, travelling and flying that’s what we are living for." Designed by Michael Gabris from Zvolen, Slovakia.

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

Third Month of the Year

"Playing with typography." Designed by Nikola Lazarevic from Nis, Serbia.

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• with calendar: 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

March-09

"I wanted to do someting with the avantgarde font, but because its very used and its very destinct I thought why not do it in 3D. I have never seen avantgarde in 3D (its probably done, but I havent seen it). Anyways, I wanted it clean but with some color to symbolize that its still winter here in sweden but the spring is coming right up with all its color." Designed by Pål Linder from Sweden.

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• with calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

Spring is coming

"Spring is coming soon and I can’t wait until the flowers start blooming again." Designed by Kathleen Verhetsel from Belgium.

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

Valentine Hangover

"I designed this for those who are sick of Valentine’s Day in mind. March may be pushing it to be hung up on some holiday but I think you have to keep the ol’ love box going all year. And it’s my birthday on the 18th! Yay! " Designed by Jason Jajalla from Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

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

Hug me Forever

Designed by Jana Jelovac from Belgrade, Serbia.

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

Inspiration Inspired

"The motivation for this wallpaper is David Ogilvy one of the greatest minds in advertising." Designed by Martian Design Studios.

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

Space Invaders

"The inspiration for this wallpaper comes from the classic arcade video game Space Invaders. Since the game itself is very simple, I thought it was appropriate to make the wallpaper minimalistic too." Designed by Reinis Ivanovs from Riga, Latvia.

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

Good Luck

"Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! Though many think that it’s the “luck of the Irish” – Irish luck is indeed bad luck. (or at least that’s what I’ve heard) So this wallpaper is a play on that with the destruction of the 4 leaf clover and the words “good luck march” trying to actually wish everyone the best of luck for the month of march even though Irish luck is seen as bad luck." Designed by Lucas Tetrault.

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

Abstract Eastegg

"My work is for the march month, thats the month off the east time, i wont to rememenber that, the eggs, the rabits, anda the place where their live and eat: the carots. I creat a beautiful composition with that elements." Designed by Ana Fernandes from Castelo Branco, Portugal.

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

Lost Between Earth and Space

"Inspiration behind Lost-Between-Earth-and-Space came from feeling lost and confused. Sometimes you are not sure whether you are here or out there so. I created this wallpaper to constantly remind me to not always be like everyone else, to be different and to remind me that confusion is not a bad thing because it can lead to excellent ideas and great success." Designed by Marcos Garcia.

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

April loves March

"Following on from some of the valentine inspired calendars from Feb, I thought that maybe March could do with some loving to. A simple postcard from ‘April’ would spread the love." Designed by John Sheppard.

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• with calendar: 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

Pizzicato Wail

Designed by Laura Racero from Madrid, Spain.

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

Madman

Designed by Manuel Ressel from Germany.

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• with calendar: 320×480, 1024×768, 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

March Spring

"This one is the Beauty of Spring. As we all know March is the season of Spring in the northern hemisphere, the beauty of nature can be seen in this season. Greenery all over the place makes the Earth look like Heaven." Designed by Shashank Goswami from India.

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

Crane

Designed by filip from Germany/Spain.

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

Random Assortment

Designed by Jon Victorino from Campbell, USA.

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

Ripe and Raw

"This wallpaper tells that with combining old and fresh designs you can come up with something that will  attract different generations:) and also this pic was shot by my girlfriend who is a professional photographer and my source of inspiration." Designed by Roy Galve from Philippines .

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

Urban Night

"March is that month when winter gives way for first signs of spring. The origin of the name comes from Roman *Martius* after Mars. I wasn’t able to catch Mars from my window, so I settled with Moon." Designed by Ilan Bresler from Israel.

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

Eat Sleep Design

"After a great deal of personal searching and staring moodily into still pools of water, I made the admission to myself that these are really the only things that I need on a regular basis. It also comes as a handsome 11×17 freely available on my web site." Designed by Colin Parks from Canada.

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

Clinging to Colour

"I designed this wallpaper as a typographic / abstract work paying tribute to my thoughts whilst creating it with the words inscribed. It was also an exercise of “less is more”, as the piece started out with many other elements and textures and was eventually reduced right back down to what you see today." Designed by John O’Nolan.

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

Magic Horse

"I like Magic and fantasy and full moon so I thought to do a fantasy with a full moon . . . finally I came up with this . . ." The wallpapers is based on the tutorial Create a magic night. Designed by Maya Sivalingam from Sri Lanka.

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

St. Patrick

"This wallpaper not only touches on my faith as a Catholic but also my roots in Ireland. Using a St. Patrick Prayer Card. I created an aged wallpaper bearing St. Patrick along with a little information about him other than he drove all the snakes out of Ireland." Designed by Rachel E Cobb from USA.

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

Computer Head

"This wallpaper features a watercolor of a guy with a computer monitor as a head, with a big eye on the screen. I work with computers a lot, and sometimes it feels like I’m turning into a computer zombie – you know, when 5 hours later you realize its 5 hours later." Designed by Nicole Hanusek from USA.

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

Colorful March

"March is my favorite month because it starts with my birthday ! :) it brings colors and fun in my life. thats why theme is colorful march ;)" Designed by Veerendra from India.

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

Gritty St. Pats

Designed by Chris Wylie from Canada.

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• with calendar: 1024×768, 1280×800, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 1024×768, 1280×800, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

Spring Coming

"When spring’s coming you can feel it in your bones. I wanted to recreate this feeling with colors and textures. Simplifying things (too much): each month is a journey (car), but it can be creative (pencil) and magical (fractals)." Designed by PeHaa from Poland.

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

Stpatsday Spring

"I took a shot of the moss in the back garden to use one day in a design but have never found the need till now. With St. Patrick’s day coming up I thought it would be nice to add a four leaf clover sprouting out and highlighting this fantastic day, and add a blast of colour to peoples desktops." Designed by Gareth Brown from Birmingham, UK.

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

Gritty St. Pats

The wallpaper was removed due to the copyright infringement.

Deep Underwater

"There are deep underwater fishes. All ocean creatures are wonderful, they always inspirate." Designed by Valeria Kuzminskaya from Ukraine.

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

Spring Tulips

"Spring is ready to begin, it is my favorite season of the year." Designed by Benedikte Vanderweeën from Ronse, Belgium.

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• with calendar: 800×600, 1024×768, 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200, 2560×1600
• without calendar: 800×600, 1024×768, 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200, 2560×1600

Flowers & Fly

"Its part of the calendar cyclus, a series of artworks, painted on mesh gear. The flowers and the fly symbolize the reawakening of nature and life, the rise of spring, grey fades to colors…" Designed by Werner Wagner from Germany.

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

Detail

"Details are small, but they can make the different… or a big poo." Designed by Alexander Chludek from Germany.

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• with calendar: 1024×768, 1152×864, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1080
• without calendar: 1024×768, 1152×864, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1080

Art Retro Motion

"I had some time off from school so I like to design and this is the result." Designed by Sipko Dijkstra from The Netherlands.

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

Martius Blindness

"This started out as a skull vectorization with numerology turned grunge piece with a symmetric touch march was originally named ‘martius’ after mars, roman god of war. This is the 3rd month of 09, a year of many wars; civil wars, financial wars & the never ending human wars.
In man’s quest for their own causes, they are seemingly blind to those around them while they have moved on, those left behind have to pick up the pieces and it never ends – satisfaction is not a permanent vocabulary in man’s dictionary. " Designed by Joy Lym from Singapore.

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

Colour of Love

"March is the month when people start impatiently waiting for early Spring; and Spring, among other things, associates with falling in love. To me the colour white symbolizes these feelings more than any other colour. And this design is also quite personal – about my own feelings towards that maybe special someone. The surrealistic touch of bits and pieces connected with strings is how we slowly get to know the other person." Designed by Signe Cāne from Latvia.

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

Scrappy Love

"This calendar reflects my love of collage and texture. I love tiny details and layers of different styles and subjects. It also showcases a love of typography and tokidoki! Its a free flowing doodle." Designed by Cara Bonsdorf from Victoria, BC, Canada.

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

First Blossoms

"First Blossom – a hand drawn tree that bursts into blossoms the first day of Spring (the 21st of March)." Designed by PeHaa from Poland.

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

March Holi

"Vibrant Holi is the name I have given to this set. As you may know – “In INDIA Holi is celebrated in March and it is a festival of Colors, where people color each other with ‘gulal’ and play it with all happiness and enthusiasm.” So Say HOLI HAI!!" Designed by Shashank Goswami from India.

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

Typo

"My motivation is my imagination =D" Designed by Filip Skundric from Slavonski Brod, Croatia.

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

How Should I Fly

Designed by Sinem Şenol.

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

Japanese Girl’s Day

"This calendar design is inspired by kimonos, origami birds, and the Japanese holiday Girl’s Day, which is on March 3rd each year. March 3rd is also my sister’s birthday, so I made this for her." Designed by Viil Lid from Norway and Honolulu, USA.

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

The Search

"I shot this picture in Mahabalipuram, Tamilnadu. The lady was standing still for a long time. Her calm face added more intrigue to the scene n im taken aback by that." Designed by Karthik from Chennai, Tamilnadu, India.

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

Birds Return

"Swallows and cherry blossom not only represent spring but are omens of good fortune. This wallpaper is about the birds finally coming back after winter and having a good gossipy catch up on all the news. Things are getting brighter. Listen out in the mornings and you’ll hear them." Designed by Suzie Knight from Leeds, UK.

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

Them

"I used the picture as a starting point for a charity event poster that i’ve done recently. i liked how it turned out and i decided to make a wallpaper." Designed by David Gheorghiţă from Romania.

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

Green Life

"I came up with this theme after I took one of my photographs and played with it in Photoshop. It’s my interpretation of spring and everything coming to life again during this month. Dark and gloomy days make way to sunny days and nature blossoms again. " Designed by Anca Varsandan from Timisoara, Romania.

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

Hair

Designed by Martin Dörsch from Austria.

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• 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. Join in next month! And smashing March, folks!