What is Parallax Scrolling?

Alliance · August 24, 2021

Parallax scrolling is a web design element that creates a scrolling effect for images. Here are the 20 Best parallax scrolling examples.

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Parallax scrolling is a website design trend that has recently increased in popularity and become a desirable effect to add interest to a website. Parallax scrolling is a technique used in web design that creates a scrolling type of effect where background images move past a screen a bit more slowly than the images in the foreground. The technique was traditionally used in animation, but has since been adapted into website design through advancements in CSS and HTML over the years. The overall effect helps add dimension to the image and create a faux 3D look. As visitors scroll down a webpage, the different layers in the background and foreground move at different speeds, which creates this optical illusion. Parallax scrolling was first introduced back in 2011, and the illusion has since been utilized more frequently within website design.

Why include parallax scrolling in your website design?

Traditionally, parallax scrolling is used in different areas of a website as a way to emphasize and draw attention to specific imagery. Parallax scrolling can be well utilized on the homepage of a website, or throughout other pages as a way to create a more immersive and memorable browsing experience. Due to its realistic effects, using this technique in your website design is a great way to add interest to a website and stand out among competitors.

Challenges of parallax design

Parallax design creates an amazing user experience, but can pose challenges if not implemented correctly. Parallax design requires a high level of graphic design experience due to its complexity, and therefore we would not recommend attempting it if you have never done it before. Parallax design that is implemented improperly can result in a slow load time, especially on smaller portable devices. Parallax design also might take away from other important areas of a website (such as call to action items, service overview, or contact information), so it is important that the parallax design does not distract visitors through too large of a visual that doesn’t properly convey what the business is really about.

Positives of parallax design

Parallax design still holds a number of positive attributes when it comes to website design. Parallax design can be an awesome way for image heavy websites to stand out among competitors and present their brand in a more engaging way. It also can be a great way to emphasize a particular product or service, which can be effective for new business launches or best selling items. Parallax design is a great way to engage visitors on the homepage of a website through its eye-catching 3D image effect. You just will want to ensure the chosen imagery for the parallax design is very relevant to the brand and acts as a way to better tell a brand’s story through a memorable image design.

Best practices when using parallax design include:

Avoiding overuse of parallax design effects
Making sure parallax design does not result in a slow-loading website by using images that are too large
Not using parallax design if it doesn’t align with your type of business
Allowing for design effects to be turned off if visitors find them distracting
Ensuring that parallax design elements do not distract from other important areas of a website
Here are the 20 of the Best parallax scrolling examples.

Examples of parallax design:

The Story of the Goonies

The Goonies website uses parallax scrolling to make an impressionable overview of the plot, timeline of the history and image gallery. The parallax scrolling adds a zoom like 3D effect to transition to each of these elements on the website. Visit site

Firewatch

Frewatch, a 3D wilderness game, uses parallax scrolling to bring the game features to life right from your computer. As a visitor scrolls down the page, the foreground of the wilderness silhouette begins to cover the background, giving an optical 3D illusion to the homepage. Visit site

Apple Ipad Pro

Apple uses parallax scrolling as a way to introduce its Ipad pro product. As a visitor scrolls through the homepage, the Ipad appears to move closer into the foreground, then gives an illusion of it disappearing before a new image of the product appears at a different angle while highlighting the products features and benefits. Visit site

Wolfdog Raven

Wolfdog Raven’s website helps tell the story of this 3 year old pup through parallax scrolling effects on its homepage. As you scroll down the page, the image of the dog or words in the background move either upward or sideways as you scroll down the page while the foreground does not, which gives a 3D optical illusion effect.

Another Escape

Another Escape, an environmentally conscious media company, introduces its brand through stunning wildlife imagery. As you scroll down the page, the nature imagery seems to move with you until it disappears into the background through use of parallax scrolling effects. Visit site

Tom Develan

Tom Develan, an interior designer, helps showcase a gallery of recent design projects through use of parallax scrolling effects on the website’s homepage. The overall effect gives the website a 3D look, while still remaining modern and tasteful looking. Visit site

Environmental Defense Fund

The Environmental Defense Fund helps visitors explore its 2021 Impact Report in a visually exciting way through the use of parallax scrolling. The background image of the worker on the job remains stagnant while the text transitions in a scrolling type of effect, which overall makes the images in the foreground appear closer than they actually are. Visit site

Porsche Volution

Porsche helps tell the story of the company’s history in its vehicles’ evolution through an interactive timeline that uses parallax scrolling. As a visitor moves down the page to a new decade throughout the 1900s, the picture of the previous Porsche is overlapped by an image of the later version of the vehicle. Visit site

Alliance Plus

Alliance Plus, a cleaning facility solutions provider, uses parallax scrolling on the homepage of the website to give it a modern appearance. As a visitor transitions down the page, different images that help tell the brand’s story appear to move closer to the foreground to give it a modern 3D effect. Visit site

The Boat

Through use of parallax scrolling, the images of the website of the Boat take on an animation type of effect. Images of the water move sideways in the background, while the text transitions downward as the visitors scrolls downward to help bring movemovement to the page Visit site

Make Your Money Matter

Make Your Money Matter is a credit union that uses parallax scrolling to create an animation type of effect on its website. The images transition in the background to provide movement on the page as the company tells its story of its competitive advantages for investment strategy. Visit site

Nasa Prospect

Nasa introduces its concept of robotic space technology through the Nasa Prospect website. The website uses parallax scrolling to transition images in the background as the robot and astronaut appear to remain stagnant as the company tells the story behind the assistance in space that these robots can provide. Visit site

Cooper Perkins

Cooper Perkins, a consulting company, uses parallax scrolling as a way to transition imagery through the page. The overall effect is still clean and professional, but the image transitions add visual interest when learning about the company’s history and core values. Visit site

Playful

Playful, a company based around beauty products, introduces each of its different product commercials through parallax scrolling. As a visitor scrolls down the homepages, the product image begins to slowly disappear as a new one transitions into its place, creating a unique and memorable user experience. Visit site

Gramercy Park Hotel

The Gramercy Park Hotel in NYC creates a unique user experience through the use of parallax scrolling on the homepage. The beauty of this hotel is introduced through transitional images of some of its most unique spaces, giving the homepage a slideshow type of effect. Visit site

Canatal

Canatal, a construction company, incorporates parallax scrolling on the homepage to give visual interest to imagery and help tell the brand’s story. Images in the background appear to move upward as images with company information remain stagnant as the visitor scrolls through the homepage to learn about Cantals projects, customer experiences and level of expertise. Visit site

Madies

Madies is a healthy alternative to snack bars. The website uses parallax scrolling that gives movement to imagery that relates to the brand, such as fruit and dried snacks to create top of mind awareness when introducing their product to the public. Visit site

Karlie Kloss

Karlie Kloss, a high fashion model incorporates parallax scrolling into her personal website. She introduces her personal brand through various modeling headshots with a text overlay that creates a scrolling effect, adding movement and visual interest to the homepage of her website. Visit site

Bellevoye Whisky

Bellevoye, a whisky brand, introduces its brand through memorable imagery and inclusion of parallax scrolling. The different whisky products appear to move upwards and disappear as another product is introduced. Visit site

Industrial Jewelry

Industrial jewelry, a modern accessory brand, helps captivate its brand image through relatable imagery and parallax scrolling effects. Pictures of the latest jewelry collections are introduced and appear to move upward, while transitioning to other product images. For brands with ever changing product lines, this can be a unique way to showcase the latest items in a visually engaging way. Visit site

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