I have always had a tough time with backgrounds images for Data Visualizations. On one hand, they can enhance the appeal and engagement of a dashboard if used well, and on the other, they can add extra visual clutter. In saying that, it is up to the practitioner to use background images wisely, and when using wisely, why not check out these wonderful websites with free to use stock images, my go to places, in no particular order:
3. Canva
Canva is a graphic-design tool website, founded in 2012. It uses a drag-and-drop format and provides access to over a million photographs, graphics, and fonts. It is used by non-designers as well as professionals. The tools can be used for both web and print media design and graphics.
The company was founded 1 January 2012 in Australia by Melanie Perkins, who had previously founded Fusion Books, Australia’s largest yearbook publisher. Canva rapidly became popular, with more than 750,000 users in its first year. Social-media and technology expert Guy Kawasaki joined the company as chief evangelist in April 2014. In 2015, Canva Work was launched which gave businesses a tool for producing marketing materials.
As of 2018, the company employs 200 people and has offices both in Australia and San Francisco. For the 2016-17 financial year, revenue increased from $AU 6.8m to $AU 23.5m, with losses of $3.3m. In 2017, the company reached profitability and had 294,000 paying customers. In January 2018, founder Melanie Perkins announced the company had raise $40 million by Sequoia Capital, Blackbird Ventures, and Felicis Ventures, and it was now valued at $1 billion.
In June 2018, the Canva announced it would be partnering with Dropbox to integrate its designs and images into the platform. Canva has a host of free works for usage.
Website: https://www.canva.com