covered the shape and size of the plates and the shape size and positions of any openings for access and attachments are used to determine the configuration plate shapes will typically include rectangular square octagonal round and oval shapes access openings can be rectangular for rocker switches etc square for phone and data jacks etc round for dimmers coaxial cable power outlets fan mounts light mounts etc or irregular for power outlets etc the reverse side of the transparent cover plate is then painted the desired color or colors such as if a faux finish or multicolor design is desired u2014 note however that the application of colors would be reversed at 54 while the front and reverse surface of the transparent plate will typically be substantially smooth and flat either or both of these surfaces may be textured to provide a desired aesthetic appearance or a translucent appearance similarly while the transparent plate will typically be clear it may be tinted to provide a desired shade of the paint color e g tinted darker to provide a darker shade tinted with a slightly opaque amount of white to lighten the shade or even tinted with a color indeed while many embodiments will use a clear outer plate such that the painted reverse surface will allow the wall plate or cover to blend into the wall it may also be desirable to draw attention to the wall plate or cover with ornamentation such as sparkles flowers cartoon characters stripes patterns borders etc that are pre applied to the reverse surface with the remaining portions being transparent as such when the reverse surface is painted the pre applied ornamentation will have a background of the desired color the backing plate is secured to the.