Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Scrapbooking Tips for Design

1. Designate your focal point, first thing, by choosing your layout's main photograph. Ask yourself, "Where do I want the viewer's attention to be drawn first?" Then you can choose your supplementary, supporting photographs, if appropriate.

2. Group accents and small embellishments in groups of three or five. Aesthetically, we are drawn to groupings that contain an odd number of items.

3. Place related accents close in proximity so the eye processes them as one unit.

4. Create a triangle on the page, placing photos or embellishments at each of the triangle's three points. Our eyes like that, too.

5. Create sections in multiples of two. Two sections or four sections are more aesthetically pleasing to our eyes than 3 or 5 sections.

6. Apply the "Rule of Thirds." Think of your page as a grid, divided into thirds horizontally and vertically. Place your focal point on one of the convergences of these lines.

7. Maintain balance with the size of your elements. Consider both the size and complexity of your page elements as you distribute them in your layout.

8. Achieve a natural sense of flow by placing the photographs so that the eyes of your subjects turn toward the center of the page - or toward your focal point.

9. Use repetition. Repeat shapes, textures, sizes, colors, or other attributes.

10. Sketch your favorite layouts in books and scrapbooking magazines. Try to determine which design principles are at work to create such visual appeal and work to incorporate those principles into your own layouts.

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