Have you noticed the “big” trend in paper crafting? I’m talking about all those oversized accents on scrapbook pages— supersized page titles and monograms, jumbo journaling and extra-big embellishments.
The great news for retailers? This trend provides a perfect opportunity to educate your customers. After all, we’ve been used to using tiny touches as accents for so long. Now’s your chance to talk about guidelines for adding impact to a page.
Not sure what those guidelines are? Never fear! This month Shauna Berglund-Immel takes the “big elements” challenge and shares her designer tips and tricks.
Christmas Memories
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“Using big elements on a page is such a trend right now,” says Shauna, whose layout features an oversized file folder with journaling tucked inside. “If you’re teaching a class or doing a demo, there are four main design points you’ll want to share: Uneven numbers, arrangement, variation and contrast.”
Uneven Numbers. While Shauna’s layout has a lot going on visually, the page doesn’t feel crowded or overloaded. Why? Because there’s an uneven number of large focal items: Two photos and one file folder.
The solution? Overlapping elements not only fits everything on to your page, it also adds visual appeal. Shauna tucked her journaling into the file folder, then overlapped both onto an empty area of her photo. The alphabet tiles slightly overlap the top and bottom of the photos to keep a consistent look.
Size Variation. Notice how Shauna’s file folder is a different size than her photos? “I didn’t want all three large elements to be the same size,” says Shauna, “I needed some variety in size, so I enlarged my two photos to 5”x7" so they’re not dominated by the file folder.” An alternative is to group several smaller pictures on one photo mat to make it appear as one large element, or to make the embellishment the largest item on the page.
Contrast. Make your large embellishment stand out with a few smaller embellishments for contrast. “I mixed large alphabet tiles with small ones, lowercase with uppercase. The difference in size and scale adds character and visual interest to the titles and both contrast the size of the file folder,” says Shauna.
Shauna’s Supplies:
- Paper Pizazz® Busy Scrapper's Solution Christmas Papers
- Vintage Embellish-abilities™
- ivory cardstock
- Tim Holtz Walnut Stain Distress Ink
- Hero Arts® Printer's Type alphabet stamps
Hot Off The Press researches the craft industry and other markets for the latest trends—so you don’t have to! Visit the Trend of the Month column in each issue of Independents Only to keep up on the trends that affect your business.
