…you need to know that you should never overuse textures and patterns.

When it comes to Web 2.0 layouts, textures and patterns are two things that can bring life to the designs. When used properly, textures and patterns can enhance the overall feel and sell the design. If you want to learn how to use textures and patterns in your design, here are some tips.

But first, you need to know that you should NEVER overuse textures and patterns. Just because they can make a design look good, does not mean that you can use them in ALL of your designs. Use them properly and ONLY when they are needed. This is so that your design won’t look trashy or abused. Also, it is important to remember that sometimes incorporating too much texture and patterns in your design can distract the users from your site’s main content. So, be careful!

The second thing to remember is that although they can enhance your design’s appearance, it does not mean that textures and patterns automatically make it amazing. If your fundamental layout is not that good or needs a little work, textures and patterns won’t turn it into a five-star design. They may help a bit, but make sure you work on your layout first.

Now that you’ve remembered all the rules, it’s time to move on to the real thing. It is a good thing to know that there are many kinds of textures and patterns that you can choose from, including wood, paper, concrete, leaves, etc. If you can’t make one on your own, you can download them from sites on the Internet for free. After you’ve downloaded the textures (or patterns), just extract them to the Textures or Patterns folder under Presets (usually in C:\Program Files\Adobe Photoshop CS3\Presets\Textures or C:\Program Files\Adobe Photoshop CS3\Presets\Patterns).

Or, you can create your own textures. Simply save the textures you have created (in JPG or PSD format) in the same folder as above (C:\Program Files\Adobe Photoshop CS3\Presets\Textures or C:\Program Files\Adobe Photoshop CS3\Presets\Patterns) and voila! They are ready for use.

Another option is to save the textures into your own folder and drag them to your layout. This allows you to have more control over how to use your textures and patterns.

Now that you know how to use and create your own textures and patterns, you can start incorporating them in your layouts. Just remember to be creative and most importantly, have fun!

M.A.H.

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