To this point, we’ve covered three principles of design: Emphasis, Repetition, and Alignment. Today’s lesson is about Contrast.
about contrast
When one element is different from another, there is contrast. The bigger the differences, the greater the contrast. Greater (i.e., obvious) contrast is what you’re after to make better page designs.
We all routinely scan our surroundings – even when we focus on a spot, we eventually change our field of vision. As we make this change, we do a quick scan of the environment, unconsciously looking for elements that stand out—elements that contrast. Think of the hunting lion looking for that movement or bit color that identifies prey.
A good way to see what stands out on a page is to look at a small version of it, and squint your eyes. If you’re working with a paper page, put it on the floor and stand on a chair above it. If you’re working with a digital page, zoom out so that you’ve got a small version on screen. What stands out? What catches your eye?
On “It’s a Train,” the word “train” is the most dominant image. Its large size, dark value, and bold color all contribute to its ability to catch the eye. Two more spots of this same color and value (though of smaller size) also stand out. Combined, those three points draw the eye around the page. This is a “visual triangle.” We’ll talk more about “flow” in a future lesson.
why contrast works
Incorporating contrast strengthens your page design:
- It adds visual interest (especially if you use big, eye-catching contrasts).
- It’s how you get variety (think back to Lesson #3: Repetitions (with variety)). Be careful, though, not to add so much contrast that the page becomes confusing.
- It gives the eye a starting point by providing emphasis (think back to Lesson #2: Emphasis).
- It lets you establish relative importance between elements. Use it to make smaller or lighter elements recede while helping other elements take center stage.
- It gives you a way to guide the viewer’s eye through the page (from one eye-catching point to the next). Be sure that all of the contrasts you include are in support of one another and exist in a hierarchy, themselves.
The first contrast I establish on all of my scrapbook pages is one that makes the photos “pop.” On “Airborne” the white of the snow contrasts strongly with the dark blue page canvas. The canvas recedes while the photos come forward, and are, thus,emphasized.
start here
When you begin laying out a scrapbook page, these are the easiest contrasts to think about incorporating.
size
When one element is an OBVIOUSLY different size from the others, it stands one. Two things two note:
1) It’s not always about being BIGGER . . . it’s about being DIFFERENT. Thus, an element smaller than the rest can stand out as much as an element that’s bigger.
2) Make the difference OBVIOUS. Don’t go just part way.
The photo on “Roots” is small relative to the 12”x12” canvas upon which it sits –especially given the generous white space surrounding it. It, thus, becomes a strong focal point.
The image of the bull coming into the top left corner or “The Challenges of Today” is eye-catching for several reasons. The top left corner of any page is a key location for any of us who read books starting in that spot and moving left to right and down the page. The bull is a compelling image, and it is sized large. Other contrasts include: the variety of fonts and sizes in the title; the juxtaposition of patterned paper next to solids; the landscape orientation of the focal point photo next to several portrait-oriented supporting photos; the larger size of the focal point photo as well as its rendering in color while the supporting photos have very little color.
value
Differences in in lightness and darkness will draw the eye. Take a look at “It’s a Train,” above. The papers and photo frame are light blues, while all of the gold elements are very dark. Color and value combine to make the contrast.
There are a variety of peach-colors on “You Use Too Many Dishes” and their value differences create the contrast that gives the page pizzazz. The dark title stands out agains the pale canvas and grey patterned papers. The dishes in the photo stand out, as do the very dark-almost red-embellishments of a crocheted flower and tag at top left.
color
Some color schemes have more inherent contrast than others. Complementary colors (those that sit directly across from one another on the color wheel) will contrast more strongly than “analogous” colors (those that sit next to one another on the color wheel). Again, take a look at “It’s a Train!” above – blue and gold are complementary, and, thus, contrast strongly. Note, though, that you can take advantage of “value” differences to make shades ofthe same color contrast (take a look at “Airborne” above and how the light blue sky in the top right photo contrasts with the dark blue canvas).
In a triadic color scheme, three colors sit equidistant from one another on a color wheel—like the orange, green, and blue in “Fiords”—and there is contrast between them. The value differences will affect the amount of contrast. Here I used primarily pale values that keep the paper contrasts from overwhelming the photos — which really have the darkest values, and, thus, pop.
type
Incorporating differences in type is an easy way to get contrast onto the page—especially when you combine differences in type with differences in color, value, and size.
The titlework on “If You Build It” combines small script with the chunky serif font for “build it.” Additionally the small script is black and printed (or rubbed directly on)to the page while the serif alphas are made of green foam that has lots of dimension and size.
Contrasts are at the heart of what makes a page “pop” and draw the eye. Take a look at your pages – surely you’ve been incorporating contrasts. What are you go-to techniques? Mine are usually a good mat or frame for my photo and a high-contrast title. Tell me about yours.
P.S. Look for Lesson #6 in your inbox in about 4 days!
P.P.S. Did you find this page via Twitter or a link from a friend? This lesson is the fifth lesson in a 12-part course called “Where Scrapbooking Ideas Come From”. Click here to start receiving all of the lessons—it’s free! Of course, if it’s not for you, you can unsubscribe with just a couple of clicks. And I’ll never rent or share your information with anyone.)
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Hi Debbie, Thank you for all the time you have spent to create these lessons, very very helpful.. I am saving them in a folder for future reference as well.
I have not incorporated a go-to technique before – but from now on i shall.
my thanks
Glenys
Debbi, I thank you for another interesting and learning session. I appreciate the reinforcement of known design tips that I have not utilized to the fullest, but am now determined to carry through. I definitely will have to print each lesson, and keep them handy beside my computer.
You are both very welcome. I’m working on getting all of these lessons into a pdf that you can read on your computer or ipad or that you can print and bind.
I love the first thing in the article about placing the physical page on the floor or zooming out if you’re on the computer to get a different perspective. It really helps you focus on the whole rather than individual parts.
You put so much work into these lessons and though I haven’t had time to read the whole thing now I am also saving it for later reading…I only get moments at a time on-line. THANK YOU!! Very much appreciated.
I like to leave lots of white space around a photo for contrast. I’ll also often do contrasty titles.
Another great lesson – I really find the Los exampples very useful
Thank you Debbie
Thank you for the lessons Debbie. For me any new learning is a real commitment to something that I first have to decide to like, enough so that I actually divide some of my time to do. Building on your cool suggestions and examples, I have put together as a scrap bookie beginner, an idea or two that tend to meld what I understand so far of scrap booking techniques together to help me express a current art interest, something which I will whimsically call: “Three-dimensional guy stuff art” for lack of a more politically or gender correct term. I have several bright and successful “regular-guy” buddies with a lot of interesting talents, who often benefit from little “visuals” cobbled together somehow, to help show occasional ideas they kick about amongst one another. Mostly well worn out telephone book and magazine pages etc. For almost all of them, and it seems typical in this tech-crazy age, reading any traditional lengths of text in manuals and actual books, regardless of how interesting the technical information they may benefit from for doing so is, doesn’t seem to come to them as easy as it does to me. So now I “Picture them” with two and three-dimensional multi-colored and textured items “scrapped together” to help illustrate ideas etc. to them, and they in turn bounce the “stuff” off one another what we occasionally need and want to communicate. This is sometimes done rather casually and in a relaxed manner over a few frosty mugs of suds. One of my buddies here in Az, now very seriously into rock hounding and lapidary work, has his fond memories of work-his actually building professional race cars he reflects on. His many memories of all aspects of design, building and racing are I sense, those that could be much easier explained to the rest of us nuts and bolts nerds with “Big guys scrap booking” (Woof-woof! if you will). And it much better allows most of “da guys” to also understand people like him and also types like me, an artist with fairly diverse interests… (most often necessity driven) ranging from when I had once been injured and wheelchair bound (for a while there) and used to make my own “coloring pages” and greeting cards, embellishing them with lettering and images in calligraphy, then peddle ‘em all over L.A. to also learning the process of lost wax casting (small jewelry etc.) and building on using those skills, coupled with drawings (including multiple colored overlaid transparencies) to also design and cast difficult to replace machinery, automotive, and rare toy parts. (I tend to go off and “out there” at times with the artistic license thing) Your scrap booking lessons are boss… they make for an excellent method of recording otherwise more difficult ideas and plans that may be formulated and presented to others. I actually think that (sounds weird, but please follow me here… I begrudgingly studied the real old-school drafting discipline for six long years~) the “Eye-popping three-dimensional addendum’s” which I plan to accompany a couple of my preliminary sketches and thereafter actual mechanical drawings, will really help me illustrate a couple of fairly complex ideas I actually want to advance to patent. The best feature I like about a physical scrap book of compiled ideas and plans, is that I actually have far more “choices on sharing” what I want to with others. I usually like to have complete control of my work product, as it represents a lot of effort and time, and it’s nice to have the option of not storing such personal and valuable information on a computer if I so wish. I love this thing called scrap-booking! Thom Trybus.
You are so welcome. I, too, love this thing called scrapbooking!
Debbi, thank you so much for all the wonderful lessons you have provided. I look forward to being able to get into them in more depth as time allows but have also placed them in a folder for future reference.
As I am a relatively new scrapbooker I have very easily been discouraged due to my limited creativity, but you have now opened up a whole new world of design techniques so that I will never be stumped again.
I look forward to your future editions.
Lyn
You are so welcome – hope you find time to scrapbook soon.
I am so enjoying these lessons. It is a lot to keep in mind, but I am sure it will all stay in my brain somehow.
I have a good sense of design, but your lessons will help me to be more aware of how to create my pages.
Thanks so much!