Twelve Restaurant and Lounge

Mar 30, 2009

Using large background images

I came across this site recently, Twelve Restaurant and Lounge is a chic, contemporary modern British restaurant and bar. I love the use of imagery in this site. I've noticed a big trend in using large background images in websites recently, and I think this is a beautifully executed example.

The site, with it's minimal swiss design, is pulled together nicely with the use of the large background images. I love the style, lighting and composition of the photography. It really lends to the modern, chic atmosphere the restaurant is offering, allowing prospective clientele to experience the venue before ever stepping foot inside the establishment.

File size concerns

One big pushback to this trend of using oversize images in backgrounds, is concern over file size. While this is always a concern with web content delivery, it all boils down to target audience. You wouldn't use this method designing a site such as AARP, as there is a very good chance that a large segment of your audience is using slower internet connections. With the case of Twelve, their audience is a young, contemporary, tech savvy bunch, who are more likely to have faster connections allowing for more flexibility in the design.

Visit the site: Twelve