A Designer Eye for Scrapbooking

Much scrapbooking information is based on individual temperaments. Very organized, melancholy temperaments may detail each step of the process for you. More sanguine individuals may urge you to “just have fun” and be surprised with the exciting results.

The best approach for you, however, may be to develop a designer eye for scrapbooking. Bring to your scrapbooking a desire for clean, clear pages that communicate in easy fashion.

Designer Eye Outlook

A designer eye for scrapbooking will use every available idea to develop that clean, communicative page. Here are five to get you started.

1. Scale: A designer eye for scrapbooking will consider the scale of objects on each page, just as an interior or film designer balances scale. Too much large furniture “shrinks” a room and makes it look cluttered. A designer eye for scrapbooking sees that too many large objects shrink and clutter a page. Balance small and large items on each page.

2. Flow: If you ever enlisted the services of an interior designer, you will have heard about flow patterns in a room. People should be able to move through the room smoothly, without bumping into things. A designer eye for scrapbooking considers the flow pattern of each page. Is there smooth movement from one object to another? Is every object tied into the movement, or do some jut out like odd tables that just don’t “fit” and threaten to trip you?

3. Pattern Variety: A designer eye for scrapbooking will incorporate variety in the patterns used. Plain backgrounds will, like plain walls, offset a heavily detailed photo. A plaid background may be varied by a plain frame around a photo, and perhaps a touch of ribbon or lace.

4. Contrast: Similar to the above, yet different when judged by a designer eye for scrapbooking, contrast allows you to spotlight objects. For example, using a color wheel - available at a paint store or online - you might place contrasting colors on a page to give it more life. If you choose a royal blue from your color wheel, look opposite that blue to see which member of the orange family makes a bright contrast.

5. Theme Cycles: Good public speakers know that audiences listen longer to speeches that cycle from humor to pathos and back. A designer eye for scrapbooking senses that themes must cycle in the same way. A humorous page or two will be followed by a serious photo, a romantic photo, or a tragic photo. Then, lest the viewer turn away, the next page will feature a lighter emotion again.

Some believe that a designer eye for scrapbooking is, at least to some degree, an innate skill. Others believe that anyone can pick it up, given enough time, practice, and determination.

Which ever is true, most agree that a designer eye for scrapbooking results in beautiful, dynamic scrapbooks that have eye appeal, and help the viewer navigate treasured memories smoothly.