diff --git a/frontend/README.md b/frontend/README.md
index 633f56f..57d4ee9 100644
--- a/frontend/README.md
+++ b/frontend/README.md
@@ -52,3 +52,11 @@ src/
 ## Architecture
 
 See `/ARCHITECTURE.md` for full system architecture and patterns.
+
+
+## Visual Assets + Fallbacks
+
+- Visual asset definitions live in `src/assets/visualAssets.ts`.
+- The homepage hero uses a fallback chain: bundled `hero.png` first, then `/images/hero-fallback.svg`.
+- Keep fallback assets lightweight (SVG preferred) and store browser-served fallbacks under `public/images/`.
+- Any new UI-critical image should follow the same fallback pattern to avoid broken-image regressions in production.
diff --git a/frontend/public/images/hero-fallback.svg b/frontend/public/images/hero-fallback.svg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cec6798
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/public/images/hero-fallback.svg
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+<svg width="1600" height="900" viewBox="0 0 1600 900" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" role="img" aria-labelledby="title desc">
+  <title id="title">Recipe hero fallback illustration</title>
+  <desc id="desc">Soft gradient with simple food-themed shapes used when the hero image is unavailable.</desc>
+  <defs>
+    <linearGradient id="bg" x1="0" y1="0" x2="1" y2="1">
+      <stop offset="0%" stop-color="#fde68a"/>
+      <stop offset="55%" stop-color="#fed7aa"/>
+      <stop offset="100%" stop-color="#bfdbfe"/>
+    </linearGradient>
+  </defs>
+  <rect width="1600" height="900" fill="url(#bg)"/>
+  <g opacity="0.15" fill="#1e293b">
+    <circle cx="250" cy="180" r="120"/>
+    <circle cx="1430" cy="710" r="180"/>
+    <circle cx="1210" cy="180" r="90"/>
+  </g>
+  <g fill="#0f172a" opacity="0.65" font-family="Inter, system-ui, -apple-system, Segoe UI, Roboto, sans-serif" text-anchor="middle">
+    <text x="800" y="420" font-size="84" font-weight="700">Recipe Manager</text>
+    <text x="800" y="500" font-size="34" font-weight="500">Fresh meals. Organized beautifully.</text>
+  </g>
+  <g font-size="84" text-anchor="middle">
+    <text x="620" y="640">🥗</text>
+    <text x="800" y="640">🍲</text>
+    <text x="980" y="640">🍰</text>
+  </g>
+</svg>
diff --git a/frontend/src/assets/visualAssets.ts b/frontend/src/assets/visualAssets.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..45f4513
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/src/assets/visualAssets.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+import heroImage from './hero.png';
+
+export const visualAssets = {
+  hero: {
+    primary: heroImage,
+    fallbacks: ['/images/hero-fallback.svg'],
+    alt: 'Fresh ingredients and plated food',
+  },
+} as const;
+
+export function heroImageChain(): string[] {
+  return [visualAssets.hero.primary, ...visualAssets.hero.fallbacks];
+}
diff --git a/frontend/src/pages/RecipeListPage.tsx b/frontend/src/pages/RecipeListPage.tsx
index b512def..63c8df6 100644
--- a/frontend/src/pages/RecipeListPage.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/pages/RecipeListPage.tsx
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import { useState } from 'react';
 import { Link } from 'react-router-dom';
-import heroImage from '../assets/hero.png';
+import { heroImageChain, visualAssets } from '../assets/visualAssets';
 import { useRecipes } from '../hooks/useRecipes';
 import { useTags } from '../hooks/useTags';
 import { RecipeCard } from '../components/RecipeCard';
@@ -18,6 +18,10 @@ export function RecipeListPage() {
   const [searchTerm, setSearchTerm] = useState('');
   const [searchQuery, setSearchQuery] = useState('');
   const [selectedTagId, setSelectedTagId] = useState<number | null>(null);
+  const [heroCandidateIndex, setHeroCandidateIndex] = useState(0);
+
+  const heroCandidates = heroImageChain();
+  const heroSrc = heroCandidates[Math.min(heroCandidateIndex, heroCandidates.length - 1)];
 
   const { recipes, loading, error, hasMore, loadMore } = useRecipes({
     search: searchQuery,
@@ -81,7 +85,16 @@ export function RecipeListPage() {
             </div>
           </div>
           <div className="relative min-h-[220px] bg-slate-100 md:min-h-full">
-            <img src={heroImage} alt="Fresh ingredients and plated food" className="h-full w-full object-cover" />
+            <img
+              src={heroSrc}
+              alt={visualAssets.hero.alt}
+              className="h-full w-full object-cover"
+              onError={() => {
+                if (heroCandidateIndex < heroCandidates.length - 1) {
+                  setHeroCandidateIndex((current) => current + 1);
+                }
+              }}
+            />
             <div className="pointer-events-none absolute inset-0 bg-gradient-to-t from-slate-900/20 via-transparent to-transparent" />
           </div>
         </div>