Prettier unhidden dock

There's obviously still a debate going on whether the dock should be hidden by default or not. This blueprint isn't really intended to discuss about that but it is rather about the looks of the unhidden dock.

Unhiding the dock by default is still an option in elementary Luna and although I'd personally would much rather have all my apps visible to me all the time, the current options are not satisfying. One thing I dislike about always showing the dock, is the amount of background picture around the dock, which doesn't feel right and can be distracting. I much prefer Windows in this sense, where the apps are always visible and you have a nice semi-transparent bar filling up the area.

So that's my suggestion: users should be able to choose to have a backdrop behind the complete dock-area. This can even be divided in two situations: you should be able to always fill the dock-area with a back-drop, or only when there's a maximised window on the screen.

To see an example of the dock, check out http://i.imgur.com/tpbqzLn.jpg.

Not part of the suggestion but in addition to the above change, I think it might be worth considering to start the dock with a Slingshot launcher icon. I know it's against the policies that elementary has developed already but I really think it would be more convenient rather than less. Likewise, the dock may be ended with an app icon for "the computer" as a whole, which allows you to reboot or change users. In other words: full indicator integration in the dock. Most indicators could be moved into other app launchers/menu items. Could be worth a try.

My main point is the appearance of the unhidden dock though. Right now I have to paste a dock on my background image to make it look better. :/