I would say this way: Yes, it is possible to change skin_settings.design_bgcolor when ever you want but the question is what you want to achieve with it. This is like changing any other variable set(a,123);
If you want that some element (layer/hotspot) that is already using "old" value be updated I think you have to set their attributes again with new values. Maybe updatescreen() or invalidatescreen() could do this too, not sure. Check this.
Umalo