more tips soon...
Introduction simplicity lead in to page space don't clutter page sizing use proportions overkilled effects wise effects colour framing backgrounds navigation fonts font ideas		Choose a background that doesn't dominate the page or make it hard to read. It should add to your theme. Your imagery and text should sit easily over it without causing eyestrain. Avoid black if possible, as it can be hard to do well. The web is full of free backgrounds, but other sources, such as scanned images (wallpaper?) can work well.