Welcome another edition of Make a Page Monday. This week, we document the recent Halloween festivities, Zielske-style.
(Click on the image to see larger in a new window)
SIZE/MODE: 8.5 x 11 digital scrapbook page.
THE STORY: At the end of Halloween night, I had a sinking feeling that somehow I'd missed something. Turns out I missed getting a shot of Cole in his costume. What? But, but…I'm a scrapbooker! Oh, this was bad. Very bad indeed. Every year since that imp was born (beginning with his very first costume, a pumpkin at 3 months of age) I have never missed a shot of him on Halloween, even the year he was so sick he only made it to one house before calling it a night. This year? I failed. I got nothin'. I keep asking him if he'll just put the Anakin Skywalker get up back on, for some retroactive documentation. So far? No deal. There's always cash bribes, right?
THE JOURNALING: Can you see what’s wrong with this collection of Halloween photos? I believe it marks the first year that lacks zero visual documentation of a one Coleman Asher Zielske. What? No pics on Halloween? No pics of the $60 Anakin Skywalker costume he hounded me to get him for two solid months? Well, never mind that. This was, after all, a year of stellar dress ups. Dan, capitalizing on the scads of construction plastic in our house, went as everybody’s favorite serial killer, Dexter. Aidan, went as everybody’s favorite, kooky, fashion trail blazing Icelandic pop singer, Bjork. And me? Well, I think you know the drill. So maybe there’s no proof Cole was even there. You know what they say though…it’s really just about the memories, right?
Let's break down the design goodness of this page, Coleman Asher's absence not withstanding.
1. Symmetrical Balance: Slice it and dice it and you will find a solid, even-steven balance to this design. A grouping of 4 equal-sized photos placed over a same-width journaling block creates a solid block of visual content.
2. Unity: All of the primary content of this design is grouped together via placement and proximity. All photos have a direct relationship to each other, as well as to the journaling below and the line of text above. When elements are placed with such strong physical relationships on a page, the unity of the design is enhanced. The content literally hangs together.
3. Repetition: Square shapes are repeated in this design (the photos); color (orange); fonts (all type is Archer); and the spaces between photos and around all elements are repeated.
4. Framing White Space: There is it is again: that framing white space. I'm such a firm believer that open space makes every single design breathe just a little bit easier, thereby creating a more welcoming invitation to the viewer.
Here is a basic sketch you can download to keep in your scrapbooking files. The sketches are on 8.5 x 11 paper for easy printing. A 12 x 12 sketch option is included. Click on the green link below the image to download a high resolution PDF file.
digital cardstock—Just Linens No. 01 (Michelle Martin)
digital stamp—Spooky Sentiments Brushes and Stamps (Cathy Zielske)
font—Archer
software—Adobe InDesign
(Note: I designed this digital page using Adobe Indesign. Sometimes, when I know I'm keeping the design simple, I'll opt to create using this program that I'm so familiar with due to my work as a graphic designer. There are things that are much easier in Photoshop, and things that are easier in InDesign. For example, making the dotted frame around the entire page is controlled by a simple menu item in InDesign. I still haven't figured out how to do it using PS.)
Questions? Comments? Leave them today and I'll do my best to answer.
