Effective use of gray
Adding the extra bit of class and appeal to your database can be accomplished quite easily. In most cases, you're using some neutral color as a base for your layouts because it's the easiest to view for extended periods of time. While simply selecting the layout part and choosing a light gray may be easy, there's certainly more you can do.
In this video, I go through some of the foundations for enhancing your layouts to make more effective use of gray. While the color doesn't specifically have to be gray per se, the trick here is to make layouts look like any other attractive software design. Presented are some of the tips to make your solution look that much better no matter what color you are using - gray just happens to be one of the most popular.
Comments
More realistic layout parts
Some great techniques in the video and technique file! Since Filemaker allows embossed, engraved and drop shadow effects, how long will it be before gradients/ other "lifelike" effects on layout parts are incorporated? I believe there is a middle ground between Bento's overly simplistic drag and drop/ chose between 3 levels of shading type of interface design and Filemaker's pixel level control of interface elements. Products like the Theme Library and Gradient Maker (hey- where did it go?) help fill in this middle ground and enable non-artists like me make better looking databases.
Gradients and RDP
I love the depth that gradients give to layouts, but in trying to use them in a remote desktop environment (Windows) the overlays become blocky and render the interface basically unusable. Have you experienced this and if you have, do you know of a solution that doesn't involve expensive (non-Microsoft) terminal server software?