{"id":17008,"date":"2013-01-05T04:25:09","date_gmt":"2013-01-05T08:25:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/?p=17008"},"modified":"2023-02-24T17:59:47","modified_gmt":"2023-02-24T21:59:47","slug":"beautiful-uses-of-texture-in-web-design","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/2013\/beautiful-uses-of-texture-in-web-design\/","title":{"rendered":"Beautiful Uses of Texture In Web Design"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sometimes web design suffers from its inherently digital feel; it can be difficult to inject a sense of tactile, dimensional surfaces into a design that was entirely created by taps of the keys. But the illusion of those surfaces can be a great way to add interest and individuality to a design. One of the most effective ways to overcome this problem is to add texture. There is a large assortment of ways that this can be done, and some of the most successful and appealing techniques are highlighted here:<\/p>\n

Grunge<\/h2>\n

There are plenty of great resources for grunge textures, which can simply be multiplied over a plain background to get this popular effect, like on the site Bangers Austin.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Stippling<\/h2>\n

For a look that\u2019s a little more refined than grunge, create a light stippling effect with a custom paintbrush<\/a>, as seen on the Leaders, The Conference site.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Pattern<\/h2>\n

There are a lot of ways you can go with adding a pattern to the background of your site, whether it\u2019s large-scale and graphic or small and delicate. You can make really intricate patterns using photos, or for simpler patterns, you can search through pattern libraries or create your own from a symbol or brush.<\/p>\n

Bold<\/h3>\n

Maryland Craft Beer’s website is a great example of a larger, bolder pattern used in the background.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Subtle<\/h3>\n

Andrew Norell’s site is a great example of a smaller, more sublet background pattern.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Vintage<\/h2>\n

The texture of old paper combined with an overlay of vintage engravings makes this website\u2019s background particularly compelling.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Vector<\/h2>\n

Many vector illustrations can look a little too flat and simple unless you add texture, drop shadows, or other effects. This website combines the two methods along with a few subtle gradients to create a satisfyingly tactile feeling.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Illusion<\/h2>\n

Another interesting way to use texture is to create an illusion of depth and reality, making elements of your website look like they\u2019re interacting with a background of real material, such as wood grain or cardboard.<\/p>\n

Background<\/h3>\n

This website uses a wood background to create the illusion of depth and subtle texture.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Overlapping<\/h3>\n

This site uses a cardboard texture to create an overlapping illusion of depth.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Photographic<\/h2>\n

Another great way to add unexpected depth is to use photography in the background. Although there are a lot of beautiful sites that use unaltered images, adding a layer of texture over a photograph is unique way to mix things up a little, like Freckles and Handsome’s did with this background photo.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Although these examples show that there are a lot of directions you can take textural effects, it\u2019s important to be aware of the moment when a design moves from being interesting to cluttered or overbearing. Texture should be used in manageable doses, which often means restricting it to either the background or the foreground of a site, or toning it down significantly if it\u2019s being used in both. With this guideline in mind, consider adding texture to your next design that needs just a little something to be taken up a notch.<\/p>\n

What is your favorite Texture style? Any awesome Texture packs we should know about? Let us know in the comments below! Thanks for reading!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sometimes web design suffers from its inherently digital feel; it can be difficult to inject a sense of tactile, dimensional surfaces into a design that was entirely created by taps<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":90,"featured_media":17013,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[208,24,35,5256,5633,107],"tags":[5885,5887,609,30,608,115,848,3024],"yoast_head":"\nBeautiful Uses of Texture In Web Design<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Sometimes web design suffers from its inherently digital feel; it can be difficult to inject a sense of tactile, dimensional surfaces into a design that\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/2013\/beautiful-uses-of-texture-in-web-design\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Beautiful Uses of Texture In Web Design\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Sometimes web design suffers from its inherently digital feel; 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