"The thing is, the company I was working for had a dedicated photo team that provided beautiful, high-quality images with numerous contextual and action shots, perfect for web pages. So when what came to my desk was a classic full-page hero of an image with a gradient, I wasn't exactly surprised. But it did frustrate me that we couldn't come up with something more bold."
"I closed my laptop and thought about how I disliked what I just saw for a 2025 website revamp. I checked in later with my team and leadership to see how they reacted to the redesign. Leadership loved it. I, however, knew this wasn't a good proposal and that it could be irrelevant in a couple of years. See, full-page heroes are terrible design most of the time, but our photography team and C-Suite would never agree with that."
"So, how do you veto a full-width hero within your organization? And what is the solution to keep beautiful imagery while keeping UX standards? Let us dive in. How do we fix the age-old hero image dilemma? I am not here to say there is a one-size-fits-all solution for every business model. And I'm definitely not here to just be that one contrarion. But I am on a mission to help kill the concept that every home page needs a generic full-width hero image."
A dedicated photo team produced high-quality, contextual and action photography for web pages. A proposed full-page, gradient hero image aligned with familiar expectations but risked feeling generic and outdated. Leadership preferred the proposed hero despite concerns about long-term relevance and UX. Full-width heroes frequently prioritize an overwhelming visual over clarity and action. Half-page hero layouts split image and text, delivering balanced composition, immediate clarity, and concise calls to action. Alternatives to full-width heroes can preserve strong imagery while improving usability. Contextual choices should reflect business models and user needs, with selective use of heroes where appropriate.
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