Ornate Backgrounds
1st edition — by Patrick McNeil — Feb. 16, 2006
The Design Element
The usage of repeating ornate patterns on the web has been a trend
for a while now. This seems to be one of those trends that gets thoroughly
abused by many sites and well used by only a few. Of course the samples selected
for this article are all extremely well done.
So what does it take to do
it right? That is a difficult question. The difference between success and
failure in this case can be very subtle. Ornate backgrounds can make a design
feel crafty, high class, feminine, elegant, or gritty. The potential connotations
of the ornate element are quite extreme. One thing it universally says is
style. Something about them is just plain stylish.
Perhaps it is best to just consider how it fits into your overall
design. A checklist of things to look for might include:
- Make sure the color scheme works. Don't be afraid to
edit that nice pattern you downloaded and make the colors fit your
purpose. A tight color scheme does wonders to enhance the quality
of a site.
- Does the connotation of the pattern match the overall
theme of the site? It seems to me that an ornate background
shouldn't be your first decision, it should perhaps be one of the last.
After you come up with a desired feel for the site, and have some of
the primary imagery, then you might realize that an ornate background
is what you need to round out the design.
- Use ornament appropriately. An ornate background
on the web site of a typical corporate IT firm, not so appropriate. The
same background on the web site for an IT firm that installs wireless networks
in high class condos, perfect. Just consider the context and use it appropriately.
- Add depth. Add depth to that pattern. Many of the samples
have done this by adding something beyond the straight texture. This just
makes it more interesting and ties it into the site as a whole in a more
powerful way. A gradient overlay, or a subtle amount of texture. Consider
these sites in particular:
Daily Mine Field and Oringe.
Connotations of ornate elements: Crafty, high class, designer,
elegant, fashionable, gritty, old fashioned, traditional, country, oriental,
classical, delicate, feminine, and stylish.
Sample Usage
Links
Squidfingers (awesome
ornate patterns)
44 Suburbia (repeating
patterns - very stylish ones)
Koller Media (the mother load of patterns - collected from various sources)
bgMaker (create a pixel background pattern in real time)
Tile Machine (very
unique set of pixel patterns)
The
Inspirationg Gallery (ornate classical wallpaper patterns -
all repeating)
