Communications and Marketing

Zoom Virtual Backgrounds

Zoom is the video conference service available to all students, faculty, and staff at UC Santa Cruz.

We created a few UCSC-inspired virtual backgrounds for you to use in Zoom. They contain illustrations by Miranda Powell, and photos by Carolyn Lagattuta, Nick Gonzales, Elena Zhukova, Stephen Louis Marino, Jonathan Chang, Steve Kurtz, and Jim MacKenzie.

How to use these images:

  1. Click on any image to view the full resolution version.
  2. Right-click or use your browser’s save command to download the image to your computer.
  3. Refer to this help document to set the image as a virtual background in Zoom.

Sexual Assault Awareness Month

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Please visit our ZOOM SPECIAL MESSAGES page for Sexual Assault Awareness Month virtual backgrounds for use in Zoom.

Inspiring Change – The Campaign for UC Santa Cruz

UC Santa Cruz: Inspiring Change campaign.ucsc.edu
UC Santa Cruz: Inspiring Change campaign.ucsc.edu
UC Santa Cruz: Inspiring Change campaign.ucsc.edu
UC Santa Cruz: Inspiring Change campaign.ucsc.edu

2025 United Way Campaign

United is the Way with United Way logos pattern: ucsc.edu/unitedWay
United is the Way with big United Way logo: ucsc.edu/unitedWay
United is the Way with yellow circle with blue background: ucsc.edu/unitedWay
United is the Way: ucsc.edu/unitedWay

Slug Strong

Get vaccinated for COVID-19 zoom background

Playful

Messy book shelf
Cartoon like mural featuring a strawberry and a tree branch. Text reads, The Ville
Painting of flowers
Mural featuring diverse people and a woman reading a book.
Mural with two whales and the night sky
Blue background with cartoon Sammy on the right with Redwood trees on both sides
Sunset and grassy field
Ring of redwoods towering into the sky

Scenic

Professional

UC Santa Cruz
UC Santa Cruz
UC Santa Cruz: The real change is us
UC Santa Cruz: Our voices will define the century dark blue waves
UC Santa Cruz: Our voices will define the Century with yellow waves
UC Santa Cruz: Our voices will define the Century with dark waves
UC Santa Cruz: Our voices will define the Century with campus sign and white wave lines.
UC Santa Cruz: Our voices will define the Century with Lick Observatory with white wave lines
UC Santa Cruz: Our voices will define the Century with Engineering building with white wave lines
UC Santa Cruz: Our voices will define the Century with Seymour Research center with white wave lines.
UC Santa Cruz: Our voices will define the Century with library chairs with dark wave lines

Have questions? Need clarification? Reach out.

Miranda Powell, Creative Project Manager & Graphic Designer

Last modified: Nov 19, 2025