We always try our best to challenge your artistic abilities and produce some interesting, beautiful and creative artwork. And as designers we usually turn to different sources of inspiration. As a matter of fact, we’ve discovered the best one—desktop wallpapers that are a little more distinctive than the usual crowd.
This creativity mission has been going on for over five years now, and we are very thankful to all the designers who have contributed and are still diligently contributing each month. This post features free desktop wallpapers created by artists across the globe for September 2013. Both versions with a calendar and without a calendar can be downloaded for free. It’s time to freshen up your wallpaper!
Further Reading on SmashingMag:
- Halloween Wallpapers: Monsters, Pumpkins & Zombies
- Pet Wallpapers & Other Cute Animals For Your Desktop
- 50 Remarkable Nature Wallpapers
The Books That You Will Love
“We hope you love reading our printed books and eBooks as much as we do!” — Designed by The Smashing Team from Germany.
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- with calendar: 320×480, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440, 640×960, 1366×768, 1600×1050, 2880×1800
- without calendar: 320×480, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440, 640×960, 1366×768, 1600×1050, 2880×1800
The Road To School
“Bring your most playful costume to raise your energy and vitality for the new shoolyear.” — Designed by Ly Gia Phu from Vietnam.
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- with calendar: 640×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1280×720, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 2560×1440
- without calendar: 640×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1280×720, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 2560×1440
It’s Just A Job
“Whatever your life’s work is, do it well.” — Designed by Davide Vicariotto from Italy.
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- with calendar: 320×480, 640×960, 1024×600, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1366×768, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2048×2048, 2560×1440, 2560×1600
- without calendar: 320×480, 640×960, 1024×600, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1366×768, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2048×2048, 2560×1440, 2560×1600
Big Bad Wolf
“Even the worst baddies were children.” — Designed by Elise Vanoorbeek from Belgium.
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- with calendar: 320×480, 1024×768, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440
- without calendar: 320×480, 1024×768, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440
Miss, My Dragon Burnt My Homework!
“We all know the saying ‘Miss, my dog ate my homework!’ Well, not everyone has a dog, so here’s a wallpaper to inspire your next excuse at school ;)” — Designed by Ricardo Gimenes from Brazil.
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- with calendar: 320×480, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440, 640×960, 1366×768, 1600×1050, 2880×1800
- without calendar: 320×480, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440, 640×960, 1366×768, 1600×1050, 2880×1800
Back-To-School Apples
“September always reminds me of going back to school (in my early years) after a long summer break, there would be a few apples in our lunch boxes, not that I was teachers’ pet.” — Designed by Kelly from Ireland.
Number 9
“The evolution of the glyph (number 9)” — Designed by Erik Kuipers from The Netherlands.
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- with calendar: 320×480, 640×480, 800×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1152×864, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440
- without calendar: 320×480, 640×480, 800×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1152×864, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440
Dream Big!
“It’s time to cool off after the summer, and time to kick those big dreams into gear!” — Designed by Sasha Endoh from Canada.
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- with calendar: 320×480, 1024×768, 1152×864, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 2560×1440
- without calendar: 320×480, 1024×768, 1152×864, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 2560×1440
Colors Of September
“I love September. Its colors and smells” — Designed by Juliagav from Ukraine.
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- with calendar: 320×480, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1080, 2560×1440
- without calendar: 320×480, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1080, 2560×1440
When Summer Falls…
“September means the end of the summer and beginning of the fall. This means the summer falls and the fall rises. I used this little pun and stressed it with the colors orange and green in both the tree and the title.” — Designed by Niels Vanhorenbeeck from Belgium.
Rain In The City
“Rain in the city. September shares with us the end of summer. Autumn is coming, the entire city is full of orange shades and the rain is coming in town, and all we can do is singing in the rain !” — Designed by Laboratorio Creativo from Romania.
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- with calendar: 1280×720, 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 2560×1440, 2880×1800, 2240×1400, 1600×1000, 2560×1600, 1600×900
- without calendar: 1280×720, 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 2560×1440, 2880×1800, 2240×1400, 1600×1000, 2560×1600, 1600×900
Meet The Bulbs!
“This summer we have seen lighting come to the forefront of design once again, with the light bulb front and center, no longer being hidden by lampshades or covers. Many different bulbs have been featured by interior designers including vintage bulbs, and oddly shaped energy-saving bulbs. We captured the personality of a variety of different bulbs in this wallpaper featuring the Bulb family.” — Designed by Carla Genovesio from USA.
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- with calendar: 320×480, 640×480, 800×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1152×864, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440
- without calendar: 320×480, 640×480, 800×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1152×864, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440
Adventurous Summer Schooling
“This wallpaper was inspired by the many happy kids going back to school. With the help of Illustrator, I created this wallpaper of a boy who is thinking of doing new exciting things in September 2013.” — Designed by Rahul Bhadauria from India.
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- with calendar: 320×480, 640×480, 800×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1152×864, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440
- without calendar: 320×480, 640×480, 800×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1152×864, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440
Back To The Grind…
“What does your desk look like?” — Designed by Nicola Thomas from Manchester, UK.
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- with calendar: 1024×768, 1152×864, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1080, 2560×1440
- without calendar: 1024×768, 1152×864, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1080, 2560×1440
One September Morning
“A ever wonderful poem by Jalal al-Din Rumi, translated by Coleman Barks. And a most minimalistic wallpaper.” — Designed by Aydin Demircioglu from Germany.
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- with calendar: 800×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1152×864, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440, 2560×1600
- without calendar: 800×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1152×864, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440, 2560×1600
Beyond The Clouds
“As the sunny days of summer start to fade, it’s good to remember that, even on the most cloudy day, there’s always sunshine beyond the clouds.” — Designed by Christine Jordan from Canada.
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- with calendar: 320×480, 640×480, 800×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1152×864, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440
- without calendar: 320×480, 640×480, 800×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1152×864, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440
Costa De Los Pinos
“The summer ends, another beautiful season is starting, warm colors and fuzzy atmosphere are replacing the crowd on the beaches.
Jerome ;o}” Designed by Jerome Cuenin ;o} from Switzerland / USA.
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- with calendar: 640×480, 800×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1152×864, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440
- without calendar: 640×480, 800×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1152×864, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440
Colors In The Garden
“These are the colors in the garden, in the sunny morning.” — Designed by Philippe Brouard from France.
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- with calendar: 320×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1280×720, 1280×1024, 1440×1050, 1600×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1440, 2560×1440
- without calendar: 320×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1280×720, 1280×1024, 1440×1050, 1600×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1440, 2560×1440
World Bat Night
“In the night from 20 to 21 September in the world has one of the most unusual environmental events - Night of the bats. Its main purpose - to draw public attention to the problems of bats and their protection, as well as to debunk the myths surrounding the animals, before which many people experience unjustified superstitious fear, considering them vampires.” — Designed by cheloveche.ru from Russia.
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- with calendar: 1024×768, 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
- without calendar: 1024×768, 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
International Talk Like a Pirate Day
“September 19th is “International Talk Like a Pirate Day,” so I wanted to capture the spirit of the day with something that was a little more aesthetically pleasing than your average pirate-themed design. I dedicate this design to my Mom for her birthday!” — Designed by Chelsea Parker from North Carolina, United States.
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- with calendar: 1280×720, 1680×1050, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 2560×1440
- without calendar: 1280×720, 1680×1050, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 2560×1440
School Chalkboard
“With kids returning to school I was reminded of my time stuck writing on the chalkboard as punishment.” — Designed by Bryan Taylor from Georgia, USA.
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- with calendar: 800×480, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1920×1200, 2560×1440
- without calendar: 800×480, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1920×1200, 2560×1440
Looking Outward
“This quote by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry immediately came to mind after I saw how my photo turned out. It was taken on the top of Mt. Greylock in the Berkshires.” — Designed by Monica Barron from New Jersey, USA.
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- with calendar: 800×480, 1024×768, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1920×1440, 2560×1440
- without calendar: 800×480, 1024×768, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1920×1440, 2560×1440
Laughing In Flowers
“A colorful wallpaper to brighten up your day.” — Designed by Shavaughn Haack from South Africa.
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- with calendar: 1024×768, 1280×720, 1680×1050, 1920×1080, 2560×1440
- without calendar: 1024×768, 1280×720, 1680×1050, 1920×1080, 2560×1440
Tsukimi
“The moon will become the roundest in mid-autumn and Japanese will eat Dango (sweet rice dumpling) while admiring the moon.” — Designed by Evangeline Neo from Japan.
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- with calendar: 320×480, 1024×768, 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1920×1080, 2560×1440
- without calendar: 320×480, 1024×768, 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1920×1080, 2560×1440
Join In Next Month!
Please note that we respect and carefully consider the ideas and motivation behind each and every artist’s work. This is why we give all artists the full freedom to explore their creativity and express emotions and experience throughout their works. This is also why the themes of the wallpapers weren’t anyhow influenced by us, but rather designed from scratch by the artists themselves.
A big thank you to all the designers for their participation. Join in next month!
What’s Your Favorite?
What’s your favorite theme or wallpaper for this month? Please let us know in the comment section below.