Scrapbooking For Beginners – Five Design Tips For Beginner Scrapbookers
Scrapbooking is all about creativity. But, as with any creative pursuit, there are always rules to follow which make the difference between a page you can be proud of and one that ‘doesn’t quite work’.
Here are 5 design tips/rules to keep in mind when creating your pages to ensure your pages always look amazing:
1. Your Photos Should Be The Focus
Every page needs a single focus and while it sounds obvious to say it, when you’re scrapping it has to be your photos.
Once you have done your rough layout take a step back, close your eyes then open them again. What hits you first with your page? If it’s not the photos then whatever it is is overpowering the real subject.
2. Uneven Numbers Work Best
When items are displayed in even numbers it almost ‘splits’ where our eyes look first. By choosing uneven numbers of photos, embellishments etc our eye is drawn to the central item. So, if you’re working with two photos try to position them so that they appear as one ie: next to each other or add a third element to balance things out.
3. Make Your Title Stand Out
One easy way to make your title stand out is to put the main word in large, upper and lower case lettering then fit a subheading right underneath it in capitals. The length of both pieces of text should be the same. It’s a little design trick that works on many things.
4. Use Triangles
No, I don’t mean draw triangles on your pages (although you can do that if you wish of course!) but use photos or embellishments in a triangle pattern. Why this works is that it draws your eyes from one element to the next, plus also adheres to rule #2 regarding uneven numbers.
5. Ensure Your Subject is Looking the Right Way
Make sure any photos you use have the subject looking the correct way ie: into the page. There is something very off putting about seeing a scrapping page where the photo subject is staring off the edge of the page!
- How to Come Up With Scrapbook Page Titles From Quotes, Famous Lines, Lyrics and More
Making the connections
Discovering a movie title, a line from a song, a well-known phrase, or a lesser-known and eloquent line of poetry that connects your photos to their story is always satisfying. The following are ideas (and even a technique) for coming up with scrapbook titles that give your layouts extra punch.
Sometimes connections to well-know phrases are easy, as in “Soda-Pop Anniversary.” I made a page about my husband’s gift to me on our anniversary: a 12-pack of Diet Coke. Of course, the gift of a 12-pack of Diet Coke isn’t all that elegant and doesn’t sound all that special until I journaled about him biking to get it and carrying it home on his back. I wanted a fun title, so I played off the traditionally-recommended anniversary gifts (1st is paper, 2nd is cotton, 50th is crystal). This one just happened to be the “Soda-Pop Anniversary” in our house.
“Women Who Love Wool Too Much” is another fun scrapbook page title that was an easy connection to make. It features photos of my friends–women–knitting and yakking. We call our knitting group “Wild N Woolly.” Remembering the book “Women Who Love Too Much” gave me a twist that works for this page: “Women Who Love Wool Too Much.”
