How to Design a Scrapbook Page Layout
Scrapbooking Ideas for Wedding, Baby, and Graduation Albums
Aug 21, 2009
Scrapbook page layouts sometimes aren't easy to come by. It's easy to get stumped when staring at a blank page with a handful of photos. Regardless of what type of scrapbooking album this is, the easiest way to break a creative barrier is to use a systematic method: choose a theme, pick colors, then arrange photos, title, and journaling.
Choose a Subject for the Scrapbooking Page
Every page needs to have a theme and a title, so the photos chosen for each page must have a common thread between them. The best and most important scrapbooking tip is to let the photos guide the direction of the scrapbook: if there are not good photos to back up a theme, it won't look good on paper.
Choose a Main Color for the Scrapbook Page
Most scrapbookers like their albums to be diverse and varied, so the best way to start designing a scrapbook page is to flip through the previous pages to see what colors have recently been used. Choose one that hasn't been used in a while and use it as the main background color for the page. (Make sure that the color look alright with the photos planned for that page before starting!)
Pick Two Complementary Colors for the Scrapbooking Page Layout
A great scrapbook page includes three colors, as long as one paper "marries" the colors together by featuring all of them in one pattern. (In the example below, the three colors are blue, white, and brown. Notice how the blue paper features a brown pattern, and the brown paper has white stripes.) To make the scrapbook album as visually interesting as possible, try to use busy patterns coupled with textured solids.
Determine the Layout of Pictures in the Scrapbook Page
Now that at least three pieces of scrapbooking paper in various colors and patterns have been chosen, set them aside and study the photos for a moment. Try setting them on the main-colored piece of scrapbook paper and re-arranging them until they seem to "flow." When they fit together just right, most scrapbookers can see it and know that they've got their layout.
Choose a Place for the Page's Theme or Title
Though the most obvious place for the title is the upper left, the title of a scrapbook page can be anywhere. Add visual interest to the scrapbook album by varying the placement of the title. It can be in the middle of the paper, run up either side of the page, or even in an L shape across two sides of the paper.
Making Decisions about Journaling
Not every scrapbooking page needs journaling. In general, add journaling only if it will add to the story told by the pictures on the page. If a journal entry will be included on the page, it also needs to be assigned a place on the scrapbook page along with the pictures and title.
Add Mats and Embellishments to the Scrapbooking Page
After all the elements of the page are set out to satisfaction, it's time to mat the photos, add embellishments for texture and visual interest, and finally glue it all together. The result will be a finely crafted scrapbook page layout that fits perfectly in the scrapbook album.
Scrapbooks are a highly visual medium, so it just makes sense to let photos and colors guide the design of a scrapbook page layout. Start with colors and progress to arranging the elements on the page, but never glue anything down until the layout is complete.
For scrapbooking tips on how to make a keepsake album for a child, please read "Scrapbooking Baby's 1st Year and Beyond."
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