3 Steps to a Picture-less Layout

When I scrapbook, I almost always start with the pictures. But what do you do when you don’t have pictures for a story you want to scrapbook? Even in this day of cell phone cameras that are never out of our hands or pockets, some things happen so quickly we don’t get pictures. My kids say and do some hilarious stuff that I want to record, so even though a picture is how I usually start a layout, I decided that I needed to find a way to scrapbook without one. Here are my three steps to create a picture-less layoutt:

1. Start with choosing a focal point. 

Every page needs a clear starting point. Our eyes are naturally drawn to pictures, so those are usually where we start. We spend time studying the pictures before we read the journaling. When you aren’t using pictures, pick something else for the eye to focus on first – a title, a piece of word art, etc.

In my example, I used a phrase from the story. This is something that my family says all the time, ever since my three-year-old mistakenly ate a spoonful of salt, thinking it was sugar. “Not ‘da suga’, Mama!” means “That was not what I expected!” in our household.

2. Make the focal point stand out.

Once you’ve picked your focus, the trick is making it the focus. Size, placement, and color are three great ways to pull the eye in. Again, we naturally look at the biggest element with the most differences first. Use that to your advantage:

– Make the quote the biggest part of the page.

– Use a fancy font or a different color.

– Use alphas for one wor

– Add a style to give it texture or depth. Anything to make it stand out!

3. Let everything else be in the background.

Let all of the other text elements take a step back. Pick a simple, easy-to-read font and a neutral color. Use a smaller point size. All of these things make it clear to someone looking at the page what you intended them to see first, second, third.

Challenge yourself today to create a picture-less layout . I would love to see how you do without a photo and make quotes the main feature of your page! And, of course, don’t forget to post your layout in the Scrap Girls Gallery!

Article written by Anna Mansfield