1. A method comprising: grouping graphical user interface objects into object groups; defining an arrangement for a plurality of the object groups, each object group corresponding to at least one relationship in the arrangement, the arrangement corresponding to a hierarchy among the object groups to provide the at least one relationship, the at least one relationship comprising at least one of an overlapping relationship, a disjoint relationship, a one-to-one relationship, and an n-to-one relationship; assigning a graphic pattern to each of the at least one relationship, the graphic pattern assigned to each relationship being distinct from the graphic patterns assigned to each other relationship in the arrangement; defining a graphical structure for each object; defining a background region for each object group based on the graphic pattern assigned to the at least one relationship corresponding to the object group; and generating the graphical user interface, the graphical user interface comprising: a first two of the background regions that are concurrently displayed in the graphical user interface and that do not overlap with each other, each of the first two of the background regions comprising one or more graphical structures representing related objects; and a second two of the background regions that are concurrently displayed in the graphical user interface and that do overlap with each other, each of the second two of the background regions lacking a border that comprises a distinct graphical pattern differing from the graphic pattern assigned to the background region, such that a visual transition between the overlapping background regions is defined by a change between the graphic patterns assigned to each of the second two of the background regions.