diff --git a/web/assets.js b/web/assets.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..976edd48e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/web/assets.js
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+// @flow
+
+export const assetCacheURLPrefix = 'https://dh9fld3hutpxf.cloudfront.net';
+
+// Background Illustration
+export const backgroundIllustrationFileName = 'background-illustration.svg';
+export const backgroundIllustrationHeight = '100px';
+export const backgroundIllustrationWidth = '133px';
diff --git a/web/chat/chat-thread-list.css b/web/chat/chat-thread-list.css
index fd984319b..ce8a403e8 100644
--- a/web/chat/chat-thread-list.css
+++ b/web/chat/chat-thread-list.css
@@ -1,308 +1,314 @@
 div.thread {
   display: flex;
   flex-direction: row;
 }
 div.threadListSidebar {
   display: flex;
   flex-direction: row;
   height: 32px;
   padding-right: 8px;
   position: relative;
   cursor: pointer;
 }
 div.threadListSidebar > svg {
   position: absolute;
   top: -7px;
   left: 30px;
 }
 div.thread:first-child {
   padding-top: 6px;
 }
 div.activeThread,
 div.threadListSidebar:hover {
   background: var(--thread-active-bg);
 }
 
 div.activeThread :is(div.dark, .lastMessage span.read, .title) {
   color: var(--chat-thread-list-color-active);
 }
 
 div.activeThread .lastMessage.read {
   color: var(--chat-thread-list-color-active);
 }
 
 div.activeThread.thread:hover {
   background: var(--thread-active-bg);
 }
 div.thread:hover {
   background: var(--thread-hover-bg);
 }
 div.title {
   flex: 1;
   font-size: var(--m-font-16);
   font-weight: var(--semi-bold);
   white-space: nowrap;
   overflow: hidden;
   text-overflow: ellipsis;
   color: var(--thread-color-read);
   line-height: var(--line-height-text);
 }
 div.threadArrowExtender {
   width: 10px;
   position: absolute;
   border-left: 0.5px solid var(--arrow-extension-color);
   height: 8px;
   top: -15px;
   left: 32px;
 }
 
 .threadButton {
   flex: 1;
   cursor: pointer;
   overflow: hidden;
   padding-left: 12px;
 }
 .threadButton + div {
   display: flex;
   flex-direction: column;
 }
 .threadButtonSidebar {
   flex: 1;
   cursor: pointer;
   overflow: hidden;
   display: flex;
   align-items: center;
   padding-left: 8px;
 }
 p.breadCrumbs {
   display: flex;
   padding: 8px 0 2px 0;
   font-size: var(--xs-font-12);
   font-weight: var(--normal);
   color: var(--breadcrumb-color);
 }
 p.breadCrumbs.unread {
   color: var(--breadcrumb-color-unread);
 }
 span.breadCrumb {
   display: flex;
   align-items: center;
   white-space: nowrap;
   text-overflow: ellipsis;
 }
 
 div.colorContainer {
   display: flex;
   padding-top: 8px;
 }
 
 div.spacer,
 div.colorSplotch {
   width: 42px;
   border-radius: 1.68px;
 }
 div.colorSplotchContainer {
   height: 42px;
   display: flex;
 }
 div.lastActivity {
   font-size: var(--xxs-font-10);
   color: var(--fg);
   line-height: 1.5;
   padding-right: 16px;
   font-weight: var(--semi-bold);
   white-space: nowrap;
   flex-grow: 1;
   padding-bottom: 12px;
   align-items: flex-end;
   display: flex;
 }
 
 div.lastMessage {
   font-size: 16px;
   white-space: nowrap;
   overflow: hidden;
   text-overflow: ellipsis;
   line-height: var(--line-height-text);
   padding-bottom: 8px;
 }
 div.threadRow > .lastMessage {
   color: var(--thread-last-message-color-read);
   font-size: var(--s-font-14);
 }
 div.unread {
   color: var(--fg);
   font-weight: var(--semi-bold);
 }
 div.lastMessage.unread {
   color: var(--fg);
 }
 div.dark {
   color: var(--thread-color-read);
   padding-right: 16px;
 }
 .read {
   color: var(--thread-from-color-read);
 }
 div.dotContainer {
   display: flex;
   align-items: center;
   justify-content: center;
   width: 16px;
 }
 div.unreadDot {
   height: 4px;
   width: 4px;
   background: var(--fg);
   border-radius: 15px;
   align-self: center;
 }
 div.italic {
   font-style: italic;
 }
 div.sidebarTitle {
   flex: 1;
   font-size: var(--s-font-14);
   white-space: nowrap;
   overflow: hidden;
   text-overflow: ellipsis;
   color: var(--thread-color-read);
   align-self: flex-start;
 }
 div.threadListSidebar > div.dotContainer {
   width: 16px;
 }
 div.sidebarTitle.unread {
   color: var(--fg);
 }
 div.seeMoreButton {
   padding-left: 66px;
 }
 div.sidebarLastActivity {
   white-space: nowrap;
   font-size: var(--xxs-font-10);
   line-height: var(--line-height-text);
   font-weight: var(--semi-bold);
 }
 svg.sidebarIcon {
   color: var(--thread-color-read);
   padding: 0 6px;
   font-size: 20px;
 }
 div.sidebar .menu > button svg {
   font-size: 16px;
   color: var(--thread-color-read);
 }
 div.sidebar .menu {
   opacity: 0;
 }
 div.sidebar:hover .menu {
   display: flex;
   align-self: flex-end;
   opacity: 1;
 }
 .menu {
   position: relative;
   display: flex;
   justify-content: flex-end;
 }
 .menu > button {
   background-color: transparent;
   color: var(--thread-color-read);
   border: none;
   cursor: pointer;
   display: flex;
   align-items: center;
 }
 
 .menu > button:focus {
   outline: none;
 }
 
 .menuContent {
   display: none;
   position: absolute;
   top: calc(100% + 1px);
   right: 0;
   z-index: 1;
   width: max-content;
   overflow: hidden;
   background-color: #eeeeee;
   border-radius: 5px;
   box-shadow: 1px 1px 5px 2px #00000022;
 }
 .menuContentVisible {
   display: block;
 }
 
 button.menuContent {
   border: none;
   cursor: pointer;
   padding: 10px;
   font-size: 16px;
 }
 button.menuContent:hover {
   background-color: #dddddd;
 }
 
 ul.list {
   margin: 5px 3px 10px 0px;
   overflow: auto;
 }
 
 div.search {
   display: flex;
   background-color: #dddddd;
   border-radius: 5px;
   padding: 3px 5px;
   align-items: center;
 }
 svg.searchVector {
   fill: #aaaaaa;
   height: 22px;
   width: 22px;
   padding: 0 3px;
   margin-left: 8px;
 }
 div.search > input {
   color: black;
   padding: 0;
   border: none;
   background-color: #dddddd;
   font-weight: 600;
   font-size: 15px;
   flex-grow: 1;
   margin-left: 3px;
 }
 div.search > input:focus {
   outline: none;
 }
 svg.clearQuery {
   font-size: 15px;
   padding-bottom: 1px;
   padding-right: 2px;
   color: #aaaaaa;
 }
 svg.clearQuery:hover {
   font-size: 15px;
   padding-bottom: 1px;
   padding-right: 2px;
   color: white;
 }
 
 div.spacer {
   height: 6px;
 }
 
-div.emptyItem {
-  padding: 10px;
+div.emptyItemContainer {
+  display: flex;
+  flex-direction: column;
+  align-items: center;
+}
+
+div.emptyItemText {
+  padding: 16px;
   font-size: 16px;
   text-align: center;
   white-space: pre-wrap;
   color: var(--fg);
 }
 
 div.threadListContainer {
   display: flex;
   flex-direction: column;
 }
diff --git a/web/chat/chat-thread-list.react.js b/web/chat/chat-thread-list.react.js
index dda220a3f..33954d862 100644
--- a/web/chat/chat-thread-list.react.js
+++ b/web/chat/chat-thread-list.react.js
@@ -1,53 +1,68 @@
 // @flow
 
 import invariant from 'invariant';
 import * as React from 'react';
 
 import { emptyItemText } from 'lib/shared/thread-utils';
 
+import {
+  assetCacheURLPrefix,
+  backgroundIllustrationFileName,
+  backgroundIllustrationHeight,
+  backgroundIllustrationWidth,
+} from '../assets';
 import Search from '../components/search.react';
 import ChatThreadListItem from './chat-thread-list-item.react';
 import css from './chat-thread-list.css';
 import { ThreadListContext } from './thread-list-provider';
 
 function ChatThreadList(): React.Node {
   const threadListContext = React.useContext(ThreadListContext);
   invariant(
     threadListContext,
     'threadListContext should be set in ChatThreadList',
   );
   const {
     activeTab,
     threadList,
     setSearchText,
     searchText,
   } = threadListContext;
   const isBackground = activeTab === 'Background';
 
   const threadComponents: React.Node[] = React.useMemo(() => {
     const threads = threadList.map(item => (
       <ChatThreadListItem item={item} key={item.threadInfo.id} />
     ));
     if (threads.length === 0 && isBackground) {
       threads.push(<EmptyItem key="emptyItem" />);
     }
     return threads;
   }, [threadList, isBackground]);
 
   return (
     <div className={css.threadListContainer}>
       <Search
         onChangeText={setSearchText}
         searchText={searchText}
         placeholder="Search threads"
       />
       <div>{threadComponents}</div>
     </div>
   );
 }
 
 function EmptyItem() {
-  return <div className={css.emptyItem}>{emptyItemText}</div>;
+  return (
+    <div className={css.emptyItemContainer}>
+      <img
+        src={`${assetCacheURLPrefix}/${backgroundIllustrationFileName}`}
+        height={backgroundIllustrationHeight}
+        width={backgroundIllustrationWidth}
+      />
+      <div className={css.emptyItemText}>{emptyItemText}</div>
+    </div>
+  );
 }
 
 export default ChatThreadList;