[by Katie Laxton]

Some of my favorite blogs have one thing common. Sure the content is great but with all the blogs available to read, great content isn’t too hard to come by. No, my favorite blogs are like my favorite men…they are all quite easy on the eye! They not only inspire me with their wealth of information but with their wonderful graphic content as well. I mean, is having both too much to ask for? A teacher of mine once spent an entire class period talking about the fact that humans do not think with words, they think with images. I am seeing examples of this in new ways everyday. Today in particular, I notice it through background patterns.

Since web design is no exception when it comes to following optimal column width and with computer screens forever getting bigger, browser windows often leave plenty of blank background space. While it is important not to distract the viewer from the information your site is trying to get across, it never hurts to spice things up a little. Sure, backgrounds are neutral for a reason but that doesn’t mean you have to use a solid color or, for the more adventurous, a gradient. Patterns aren’t just for fabric and bad 70’s wallpaper any more! There are some great sites out there that provide some wonderful (and some not so wonderful) background patterns free of charge. Just to name a few of my favorite…

http://www.k10k.net/pixelpatterns
http://www.squidfingers.com/patterns/
http://citrusmoon.typepad.com/citrusmoon/
http://www.noqta.it/dromoscopio/
http://playground.everydayicons.jp/

Just be sure to choose wisely. Some of the patterns are so creative and vivid they may be the only thing a visitor sees on you site. Enjoy!