How to make the most effective campaign backgrounds

Getting the background right is not always easy, so here are a few functional and styling suggestions we recommend.

Below is an annotated screenshot showing the translucent crop zones in the builder with sample content properly positioned.

Key tips:

• Mobile screens will be cropped to the center of your background (shown in the 2 translucent boxes) so keep this space free of imagery to increase text legibility

• Designing for mobile screens can be tricky as different manufacturers use different screen sizes. As a general rule, we look at 470×932 (iPhone Pro Max) size as the largest common screen size - so keep that space as clear as possible as your ‘Safe Zone.’

• Use strong contrasts so your text is as legible as possible

  • Yellow background with black text

  • Purple background with white text

  • Green backgound with black text

  • Blue background with white text

  • etc.

Avoid overlays of bright backgrounds and light text (e.g., pale yellow with white = unreadable!)

• If your background is busy or too bright:

  • Use the Background Overlay setting in Campaignware.

  • Set it to black and semi-translucent (40-60%).

  • This allows your text to sit above the image cleanly without needing to redesign everything.

• Use the mobile background upload if you wish to use a more optimised background for mobile devices at 470×932

Example backgrounds

FAQs

Q: Do I need to design separate backgrounds for mobile and desktop?
A: No – but if your background is text-heavy or has key visual elements that could be cropped it may be useful. Use the mobile upload option for best results.

The vast majority of your traffic will be from mobile devices, so keep your designs simple but effective. We love the use of textures in backgrounds for this reason

Q: What’s the best background size for desktop?
A: Use 1920×1080px for the best results across most screen sizes.

Q: What format should my background image be in?
 A: JPG, PNG or WEBP works best. Use PNG if your image includes transparency.

Q: What format should my background video be in?
 A: MP4, AVI, MOV or GIF works best. Keep it under 10MB

Q: Can I use patterns or textures or gradients in the background?
 A: Yes, we recommend textures or subtle patterns with gradients so text stays legible.

Q: My text is hard to read – what should I do?
 A: Try increasing the contrast between your text and background, or apply a black translucent overlay.

Q: Will Campaignware automatically resize my background?
 A: Yes, but only to fit screen ratios. Cropping may still occur, so always keep the central area free of key content.