Backgrounds are used by web designers in the making of a web page. In general, a web designer will keep common colors or theme for use in the backgrounds through out a web site. Backgrounds used by a web designer are the ground or scenery located behind something, as in the part of a pictorial representation that appears to be in the distance and that provides relief for the principal objects in the foreground. A web designer will use backgrounds for the general scene or surface against which designs, patterns, or figures are represented or viewed and also for a position or area of relative inconspicuousness or unimportance with in the web page. The web designer has come a long way since the beginning, especially in terms of styling. Take a look at a website from 10 years ago and compare it to one from today.
The differences are enormous. One of the major changes that the web designer has done different is the background. Today, backgrounds are one of the core features that determine how visually interesting a website is. There are two main structures used by the web designer for backgrounds, body background and content background. The body background used by the web designer is the most distant background. It is usually an image, illustration, texture/pattern or other graphical element. The other level of the structure used by the web designer is the content background. This is the background of the text, images and other base data or information. The web designer will use different styles of backgrounds structure such as content and body brackgrounds layered for example.
This is multiple layers of backgrounds. On the bottom is the body background. Then layered on top of that is the content background. The web designer might use a content directly on body illustrated or texture style. The web designer does this by laying the content directly on a backgrounds. This is generally done with body backgrounds consisting of illustrations, textures and images. This technique done by the web designer is trickier, especially with images, but it can work nicely the web designer gets the color balance perfect. This means a contrast between the background and text that allows the text to be easily readable and scannable. A third style done by the web designer is the body and content backgrounds as one. This is probally the most simple and basic structure and is where the content background is the body background, and is usually done with a single color or a few different colors, but nothing too complex.
When designing a header that is separate from the rest of the layout, the web designer needs to use a good transition. Sometimes, the contrast between the header and the content background colors or styles will do the trick. In other cases, the two elements need to work together in harmony, instead of against each other. Using illustration, or any graphic element for that matter, by the web designer is a very good technique for adding a little more personality and feeling to a website. On top of that, it helps make the design more memorable and plays into the overall theme of the website. Using illustrations in the background of the wrapper in a standard layout, then allowing them to flow over, is an excellent and beautiful technique.