Flow...We Made It

Good morning everyone!  We made it...that is we made it through our series on design principles.  This is the last post where we will be dealing with Flow (remember our acronym ECBARF).  I have enjoyed writing this series and hope that something here has helped you in journey to create layouts that you and your family can treasure for years to come.

OK lets jump right in there.  What is flow?  Flow is really the combination of emphasis, contrast, balance, alignment, and repetition.  It is the concept of all these design theories working together to create a layout that captures the eyes, guides it through your designs and to be honest...pleases the eye.  Since we have already touched on each one of the individual theories I thought it might be a good idea to take a layout from the Sugar Pie's PDP Gallery and point out how a layout achieves flow.

Our example is this gem from Ulrikaulrika.  When I saw this in the gallery I was very taken with it. But after thinking about it terms of ECBARF it made the concepts mesh together in my mind.

Emphasis:  In this layout both the title and photo are emphasized.  The size of the photo and the contrasting alpha colors help draw your attention, or emphasizes these 'pieces' of the design.  Also note now Ulrikaulrika's element placement draws additional attention to her photo.

Contrast:  As mentioned in the emphasis section the contrasting alpha colors help catch your eye and add emphasis...see how these two concepts go hand-in-hand.  But that is not the only example of contrast.  Notice how the bright blue paper really sets off the design...it pops behind the photo and against the background paper.  Don't be afraid of color...sometimes that extra splash is all you need to take a layout from good to AWESOME!  Oh and I almost forgot take note of how Ulrikaulrika has combined different fonts for a bit more contrast;)

Balance:  Moving on to balance now.  This layout is weighted to one side but that does not mean that it cannot be balanced.  In fact it is balanced using vertical balance.  Even though the photo is a bit wider than the blue paper block note how the orange asterisk element is used to bring the layout back in to balance.

Alignment:  When you glance at this layout you immediately notice that for the most part it is center aligned.  The journaling, blue paper block, and photo and elements work together to achieve alignment.

Repetition:  Ulrikaulrika uses color and shape repetition in this design.  Both her photo and paper blocks are rectangular.  Her use of stitching on both these peices adds a bit more rectangular shape repetition.  She also repeats element types with the buttons 'securing' the photo to the page.

Flow:  Lets talk about how the eye flows through this layout and why.

• Z-Flow:  Ulrikaulrika uses a visual triangle to move your eye through her photo by way of the button elements.  This is probably the first thing your eye did when you glanced at the layout.  Don't ask me why...just except it and move on;)  Seriously everything that I have read says that it is a tendency of the eye to follow the triangle.
• Next you probably picked up on the title of the layout...the colors grab your attention (contrast).  
• Then your eye drifts lower to the journaling. 
• Alignment and balance help control how the eye roams too...the key parts of this particular design are constructed in such a way to keep you focused.

I hope this discussion helps some and that if you have read all the posts in this series you are a bit more comfortable with your style, design, and are even more psyched about scrapping!  I'll be back soon with more tips, tricks, and some great Sneak Peeks;)  And don't forget to cast your vote on the Designiversary Kit contest!  Here is a quick look at the color swatches you can vote on!

Build, Destroy, Repeat Collab by Sugar Pie Scraps & Connie Prince

Repetition...Sometimes Repeating Yourself Is A Good Thing

Hi everyone...Casey back again to pick back up on our design principles blog series.  We are now on R of the ECBARF acronym.  R stands for repetition.  If you are like me you find yourself repeating what you say way too much...whether it is No to the little one or just about anything to the husband I repeat...a lot.  While this is rather aggravating in conversations it is a unifying principle in scrapbook design.  Repetition of shapes, colors, lines and the like in layouts help provide a cohesive appearance.

There are several ways to incorporate repetition into layouts.  You can repeat shapes, colors, elements, and even motif.  Take a look at how scrappers have used Sugar Pie Scraps designs to create layouts that use repetition...

Ok lets look at this layout from lnewhouse.  Notice how the blue color is repeated numerous times but there are lots of other colors mixed in too to break the repetition up a bit.  The blue tone is repeated in the alpha, elements and papers and yet is not overpowering or boring.  Notice also how the green button, red paper punch, and blue paper punch are repeated...creating several visual triangles that lead the eye and also provide unity via repetition!  What a great layout that showcases Sugar Pie and Connie Prince's great collab Build, Destroy, Repeat.

Moving on to this lovely layout from Bobbie76.  Look at how she repeats the purple hues but also adds hints of green so the purples are not overpowering or like we said earlier...boring.  She has also used several rectangles providing shape repetition. Check out the five paper rectangles...some are narrow, some are wider.  Her ribbons give two more and then three rectangular photos and three rectangular frames.  Wow that is a lot of shape repetition but doesn't it look great!!  Also check out how she uses the purple flowers...all this works together to create one beautiful finished product!  

From purple girlie to bright and boyish!  nof007750 also creates awesome layouts that use the design theory of repetition.  Take this this one for example.  Note her repetition of orange and yellow...the striped paper, blocks and ribbon.  There is also shape repetition present...her shape of choice was also the rectangle...her photo, title paper, striped bottom paper, blue background paper, and the green and orange blocks are all examples of shape repetition.  The angles are different for some elements but the shape is the same...pretty crafty...muwhahaha!

OK lets talk about one more type of repetition...thematic or motif.  This can be achieved by using elements and colors that correspond with the subject you are scrapping.  For this lets look at beckyroy's layout Hunter's First Snow.  Her photos of the little one out in the snow are awesome and notice how she continues that cold outside theme with the heavy coat, mitten, hat, and snow flake elements.  This use of theme or motif is also repetition...not overpowering...but way awesome!  She also repeats shapes via her photos and the color scheme repeats the brown and blue tone with splashes of yellow.  A beautiful layout that is another great example of repetition and Sugar Pie Scraps awesome products.  

To read a more in depth discussion of repetition in design be sure to check out the Digi Files blog.  And to see the products used in these layouts and more from Sugar Pie check out her Polka Dot Plum store.  Until next time...happy scrapping!

Left, Right, Center...whats the big deal about alignement?

Hi everyone Casey here with another post in the design principles series.  This week we are on A.  A in the ECBARF acronym stands for alignment.  We all know what this means probably.  We use it when we type a letter, position trinkets on a shelf, or stack towels in our linen closets.  Do we want to align things on the left, right, center or justified?  Oh the possibilities.  Well in scrapbooking the principles are pretty much the same.  Let's dig a little deeper...

Alignment has two primary purposes in scrapbooking:  to create order and to create visual connections between elements.  When I first read this over at thedailydigi.com I was rather confused.  I wondered how alignment choices could create any of these things.  I had always thought that alignment was something that only came into play when typing journaling...not placing elements or photos.  But after considering the rest of the article it made much more sense.  

When thinking about alignment it is helpful to establish a 'hard line'.  A 'hard line' is one that is emphasized strongly via your placement of photos, elements, journaling, etc.  In my Moments in the Car layout notice that the strongest or most defined line is the one to the left of the large photo. Almost every piece of my layout is matched to that line.   While it is the 'strongest' it is not the only alignment line present.  Notice how each of the paper blocks are aligned in a grid pattern and how I left aligned my text to correspond with the initial 'hard' line.

OK so establishing a conscious line that you want to emphasize is important when setting up your alignment scheme...but how does alignment create visual connections and order?  Here is where we get a little deep.  Alignment helps define whitespace.  Whitespace is the area or areas of our layouts that are not occupied by photos or elements.  So in my layout there is quite a bit of whitespace...it just happens to be white this time;)  Now look at the second graphic with the alignment lines shown...see how they almost mark off the whitespace regions...almost like margins on a piece of notebook paper.  Thus alignment can help provide structure or order to your design.  A neat way to help you get started on this new path toward alignment is to use ruler guides.  In PSE you can click on the left or upper ruler and drag guides down...these guides are excellent tools to help you build aligned layouts.

Now how to create visual connections between elements?  When elements are arranged with alignment in mind they seem to flow better.  In other words the eye follows a path to each piece of the layout.  Notice how ScrappinDuck used alignment to unify her layout...although the layout is fun and has a free/scattered look if you look closely you can see the alignment lines...your eye follows left to right first and then settles on the center...the adorable photo.  So visual connections were made that pulled you through her design.  

There are lots of different alignment types you can use centered, horizontal, vertical, and various combinations.  Remember that you can start anywhere on your layout...don't be tempted to always start in the center.  Below are a few more examples of layouts that use alignment to create gorgeous unified layouts.  Oh and by the way they also use Sugar Pie Scraps' products;)

Scrapper:  beckyroy

Layout:  2/16 All About Me

Sugar Pie Scraps' Product:  My Love Kit

  

Scrapper:  Kristi8004

Layout: Sledding

Sugar Pie Scraps' Product:  Snow Sledding & Sweets Kit

     

Scrapper:  vwesley

Layout:  Waiting for Christmas

Sugar Pie Scraps' Product:  Glittery Christmas Kit

    

Scrapper:  tomosia

Layout:  Loyal

Sugar Pie Scraps' Product:  My Love Kit

One caution though...don't be so caught up in trying to use alignment that your design becomes too rigid.  It is OK to break alignment when you want...as long as it pleases the eye and makes you happy!  Remember that at the end of the day technical designs theory is a good foundation but our main purpose as scrappers is to capture moments...so don't let alignment stress you.  Keep scrapping and all these fun things will come...in time and with practice.  Here is some homework...browse galleries look at how other scrappers are using alignment and maybe scrap-lift a layout.  You might find that incorporating this design principle is easier than you think.  For a more in depth discussion of alignment be sure to check out Debbie Hodge's great article over at the dailydigi.com.

Find Your Balance

Hi everyone Casey here.  I hope everyone is having a great week and enjoying that today is hump day...now the slow descent to another glorious weekend!  Since we normally have a little crafting time on those lovely weekends I thought it was a good idea to go ahead and discuss balance.  If you remember we are going through the design acronym ECBARF.   Thus far we have touched on Emphasis and Contrast...click the links to check those posts.

Balance...ah that elusive state where our lives and check books are in a state of calm and proportion.  Well, there are things we can do to make balance not so elusive...in our scrapping.  Have you ever completed a layout and just thought something was off?  When you looked at it did your eye not snap to the focal point or did your elements and photos look our of place?  Well, there is a chance that the layout could have been out of balance.  I find this the most challenging design element to implement into my layouts.  

So let's discuss what balance means and how to incorporate this principle into scrapping.  First off let's think about balance in terms of you and I.  When we are in balance we can walk, run, function without tipping to one side or falling...well most of us can I seem to be an exception...I'm such a klutz (off point).  With that in mind balance means nearly the exact same thing in scrapping.  A balanced layout is one that is pleasing to the eye and flows well.  

To talk about balance in scrapping one has to think about a couple of different things.  For a more in depth discussion of each one of these topics and for more example layouts please click on over to the Daily-Digi's Balance post.  But for now let's get the Cliffs Notes Version.

I'm afraid that in school I was not the best math student...this extended into algebra and geometry.  So when I first started reading about the X and Y axis in balance I started having flashbacks...but no worries it is not that bad!  I had rather think about balance from the perspective of recess...like in terms of a see-saw.  When two children of equal weigh use a see-saw it is balanced out and works pretty well.  But let's say I get on the see-saw, at 5' 10" and 145 pounds I don't think my see-saw would work so good with say a third grader.  The same olds true for your layouts.  If the layout has more heavily 'weighted' elements, photos, etc to one side or the other the balance is thrown off kilter.  So we have to use our balancing knowledge to distribute the 'weight' of our elements, photos, etc more equally.  There are several ways to do this.  Below is a discussion of the different methods used to incorporate balance and great example layouts using Sugar Pie Scraps products.

Horizontal Balance:  This design by enu0828 is a great layout to demonstrate horizontal balance.  For a moment envision a see-saw under the layout photos and elements.  Do you think the see-saw would work well or would there be one side significantly 'heavier' than the other?  Because the elements and photos have similar sizes and visual 'weight' the layout has horizontal balance.  (Kit:  Thankfulness by SPS)

Vertical Balance_  Vertical balance is identical to horizontal balance...just turn it on it's side.  For instance take a look at greengrrl's Pudding layout.  Imagine the layout sliced down the middle of the element and photo cluster...would you have two equal parts?  Pretty close I think and what a cute layout!      (Kit:  Its Potty Time Girl by SPS)

Radial Balance:  OK how many of you have ever watched the ripple effect...you know where you drop a droplet of water into a pot or sink and it causes ripples to radiate out from the center.  Ahhh...this can happen in scrapping too!  The great thing is it can work for squares and rectangles not just circles. Take a look at lnewhouse's layout IHeartU...imagine the ripple effect...pretty cool huh?  Notice how your eye comes back to the center of the layout and her gorgeous photos...that is balance and emphasis working hand-in-hand. (Kit: My Sugar Pie by SPS)

Alright now we need to talk about the kinds of balance we can use.

Symmetrical:  Back to geometry when something is symmetrical it means that it is the same on both sides.  For example, a circle when folded in half is identical on each side of the crease.  Whether the fold is top to bottom or side to side the outcome is the same...identical halves.  Symmetrical balance is the same.  Look at this layout by SugarPie...again imagine folding the layout...is it symmetrical?  Crystal's elements are weighted similarly, and placed in balance.  (Kit:  Glittery Christmas by SPS)

Asymmetrical:  Now the more tricky topic...asymmetrical balance.  Asymmetrical means that a shape or objet is not the same on both sides.  Remember those really cute dresses and skirts from a few years back...with asymmetrical or handkerchief hems...well that is the idea...they were jagged thus asymmetrical.  How does one use asymmetry to achieve balance?  Take a look at beckroy's layout.  Notice how there is an element cluster in the upper right corner and then her main element and photo cluster.  The distribution of the 'parts' of her layout adds weight to the various elements that brings the layout into balance.  While the upper right cluster is smaller the distance away from the 'main' cluster and the use of whitespace helps add weight and balance.  (Kit:  My Love by SPS)

I hope you are able to take the information in this post and apply it to your layouts.  Until next time...happy scrapping.  Be sure to check in often as I continue this series...next up alignment.

Contrast...that little something that makes a big difference!

Hi everyone...Casey here with the next installment in my ECBARF series.  Remember that ECBARF is the acronym used to signify the major design concepts we use in scrapping.  Last week we covered E for emphasis so this week we tackle the big C.  C represents contrast...and contrast is the term used to describe how an element stands out against it's surroundings.  Contrast makes certain pieces of a layout pop and adds overall visual interest.  


Contrast is something we have to be careful with...too much and our layouts can become overly busy or confusing to the eye...not enough and we are left boring and blah.  Finding the happy medium takes practice.  So to help you along your digi-scrapping journey I have included several examples of layouts (using SPS digi-kits;) that used contrast well and a description as to how contrast was used.  Oh and don't forget to read a more in-dpeth discussion of contrast you can click on over to the Daily-Digi.  

CrazyKiera used several contrasting methods in this layout.  Notice how her title is done in a more beefy font than her journaling.  This draws the eye to the title and adds visual interest.  Also notice how she has used the lighter white paper for the wave shape.  The shape and color draw the eye and adds a bright splash...contrasting against the darker paper used and the other rectangular shapes.  Last but not least her use of the aqua colored ribbon amidst the element cluster adds a another bright splash of color and a touch more contrast as well.

nof007750 created this cute layout!  Take a look at how creative her title is.  Her use of a different font, font color, and size all add contrast and grab your attention.  This is a great way to add interest...what a cute layout. 

melissavt designed a bright fun layout that is simple yet gorgeous.  She uses contrast by combining a black and white photo with color pics.  This is a great technique when working with multiple images.

shawnbear  created a darling layout using shape contrast.  Notice that her photos are all cropped in rectangular shapes and that the page borders are squares.  Both of these shapes have hard edges/angles and are repeated throughout the layout.  This repetition provides cohesion but she incorporates contrast via the scalloped circle paper.  The eye is immediately drawn to this area and helps you focus on her title and photos.

beckyroy also uses shape contrast.  Notice how she uses the circle in the background with all the other rectangles and squares.  She also uses contrasting colors throughout the layout...but this is not overpowering because she kept busy patterns to a minimum.  She also used the great alpha to grab your attention...the black and yellow lettering really pops when you first look at the layout.

I hope you enjoyed this post and that it helped explain the concept of contrast.  Be sure to keep an eye out for my next post on balance.  Until next time...happy scrapping!

Where To Start...When You Are New?

Hi All! 

Casey here a new member of the Blog Team here at SPS.  I am really excited to be here and look forward to sharing various thoughts, tips, and goodies with you.  So let's get started...

When I first started scrapping back in 2009 I knew nothing about scrapping or design.  I simply knew that I loved taking photos, I had a brand new baby, and I wanted to preserve our family memories.  So through the magic of the Internet I found digital scrapping.  I had no natural talent or training period so this new hobby was a bit daunting.   So in the back of my mind I thought that this hobby would probably not last...and yet here we are in 2011 and I am more addicted than ever.  So as I thought about a topic for today's post I wondered what would I have wanted to read as a new scrapper...what would have helped me get a good start.  As I do random posts here I will discuss the concepts held in the acronym ECBARF.  You can read an awesome series of articles at The Daily Digi that covers in great depth this topic as well...

The letters stand for Emphasis, Contrast, Balance, Alignment, Repetition, and Flow.  When applied in scrapping each one of these principles can help improve your designs.  So we will tackle the first letter E or Emphasis in this post.  When I sit down to do a layout I normally have the goal of telling a story...how I relate that story is the fun part...what do I want to emphasize in order to really make the layout pop and make my story come alive?  Normally I emphasize either my photos, title, or journaling...the three main components of most layouts.  Take a look at these example layouts made with SPS digital kits.  And read more about how to add emphasis at the Daily Digi.

Title Emphasis--Notice how sidsymarie uses a large title and bold color to allow her title to pop against the other darker colors of her layout!  And don't forget to look at that little cutie too;)

Journaling Emphasis--Take a look at how lnewhouse focuses your attention to the journaling on this layout.  Her use of the adorable red heart and wrapped text is wonderful.  By the way her photos are WOW too!

Photo Emphasis--Penny's layout is an awesome example of how to emphasize your photo(s). Your eye is immediately drawn to her large photo and the simple embellishments and journaling make this layout beautiful.

I hope that you enjoyed this post and be on the look out for the next post where we will talk about C...Contrast.  Until then happy scrapping!