Learn how to use CSS and a few graphics to dress up images.  Hopefully this article will inspire you and give you new techniques.  This is a follow-up to my original article “Unique CSS Borders – Boring Borders Stop Aside” which you can see here.

Double Border

This easy to create double border is so easy.  This is a double border with a background color added.  By adding 2 pixels of padding to the image you get a nice inner line which adds another dimension of design.  You will get a different look depending on the browser used but the borders still look nice and your viewers will not know.

The CSS:

.double {
	border: 20px double #2B3500;
	background-color: #D6E67B;
	padding: 2px;
}

Art Deco

This is another very easy border. By using the border class: dash and a background color you get this very nice art deco design. I’ve also added 2 pixels of padding to the image in order to give a little more detail.

The CSS:

.art-deco {
	border: 7px dashed #73BFBA;
	padding: 2px;
	background-color: #000;
}

Two Tone

This is a bit reminiscent of the beveled edges of the early days. One suggestion that I have is to keep the border colors close so you don’t end up getting that retro look that makes us cringe.

The CSS:

.two-tone {
	border-top: #DBEEF2 10px solid;
	border-right: #B7DDE6 10px solid;
	border-bottom: #B7DDE6 10px solid;
	border-left: #DBEEF2 10px solid;
	padding: 2px;
}

Decorative X

By creating a graphic and using it as a background image, you can get a variety of unique looks.
For this example I created a graphic that is 10 x 10 pixel and applied a black background. I created the diagonal lines in gray to create an “X” like this.  By adding padding of 10 pixels (same as the graphic size) you get a nice effect.  You can experiment with circles, triangles or bow tie shapes.

The CSS:

.x-back{
	padding: 10px;
	background-image: url(x.jpg);
	border: 1px solid #000;
}

Nested Divs

This example uses two nested divs (inner and outer) to create a more interesting border. I found the background patterns at DinPattern. You’ll see that the inner and the outer divs both have an image as a repeating background and also a solid border.  Be creative with background patterns or textures to make some really different looks.

The HTML:

    <div class="outer">
	   <div class="inner">
    	<img src="car.jpg" width="382" height="303" alt="" />
     </div> 	<!--end inner div -->
   </div> <!--end outer div -->

The CSS:

.inner {
	width: 300px;
	padding: 10px;
	background-image: url(tread.gif);
	background-repeat: repeat;
	border: 1px solid #006;
}
.outer {
	padding: 20px;
	width: 330px;
	background-image: url(haunted.gif);
	background-repeat: repeat;
	border: 2px solid #666;
}

Have questions or ideas for other borders, post in the CSS Forum!