One of the most crucial aspects of a graphic design project is its background. Without proper utilization of it, your design project would feel empty. At worst, it may trigger unpleasant feelings towards the viewers. Different design mediums have their own different ways to handle a background design but worry not! We have gathered some fantastic background utilization tips for several mediums.

First Things First

Since we are going to talk about the application of backgrounds for several occasions, it won’t hurt to have some refreshers on the basics of design backgrounds. First, make sure your background does not overwhelm the contents—it was meant to amplify them. Second, use color palettes that fit your project’s overall vibe. It is known that some colors can affect our mood, so pick the colors carefully.

For Flyers

If you are not used to designing printed media, you may find designing a fantastic background for flyers quite intimidating. This is because sometimes the printed color looks different than what we see on-screen. Aside from carefully picking the colors, some tips you can follow are:

1. Subtlety is key. As we mentioned before, the background and the contents should complement each other. That doesn’t mean you cannot use textures or images—just use them accordingly. If your contents are mainly texts, having high-resolution imagery for the backgrounds would help with the balance, and vice-versa.
2. Trust the contrast. Since you want the contents to be highly visible, they should be in high contrast to the background. However, it shouldn’t be too overbearing—just play around with hues from the same palettes so the tone wouldn’t be ruined. 

For Web Designs

Website backgrounds are often underappreciated. However, they are actually the linchpin of the website. Without them, any website would feel bland and boring. To help you deploy a more interesting background, here are some tips you can follow:

• Mind your palette. Choosing the right color palette for your web’s background is important as it can be used to gather attention, trigger emotions, or even induce desires.

• Treat it as an amplifier. Remember, a background is there to amplify the contents and make them the center of attention. There is no point in having a pretty background if it’s making the content barely visible.

• Try solid color. Since the current trend in graphic design is leaning toward sleek minimalism anyway, you can always try using solid colors for your background. Just make sure the contrast is right and the actual color matches your content.

• Embrace the trend. Staying in line with the newest trends will ensure your website feels fresh and new. Try incorporating 3D animations, Pantone color of the year, or geometric shapes to your background.

• Make it mobile-friendly. Since people access their smartphone more than a personal computer, make sure you deploy two kinds of background: one for desktop devices and one for smartphones.

For Product Mockups

A mockup is an artistic presentation of how a product would look while being used in real life. In a way, it’s like making a glimpse into the future where the product in question is released and used by customers. For a mockup to properly predict the future, the background should have these aspects:

1. Encounters. You want to show how the product would look after its release, so incorporating people—even if it’s just the hand—shows an interaction between the customer(s) and the product.
2. Usage.  Sometimes, simply having a person WITH the product is not enough. You have to show the person USE the product. This way, you demonstrate a situation in which the product becomes a part of a customer’s everyday life.
3. Situation. Continuing with the theme of a product’s role in customers’ life, why don’t we show in what kind of setting customers most likely use the product? Would it be in their home? Or in public spaces with friends and families? Or while on the go? You decide.

Final Words

Due to its nature, designing a background is quite tricky. Different mediums handle their background differently, so you have to adapt accordingly. But no worries, the aforementioned tips should help you design a fantastic background.