Test Your Skills 1
Test Your Skills
Want to sharpen your design skills? Try taking our quiz to see if you can spot common mistakes often seen in scrapbook galleries! Use the Design No-no’s PDF checklist to help in your search.
Take the Quiz
Using the list in the No Nos pdf, can you find three Design No-no’s in the page below? (Answers at bottom)
SHOW ANSWERS
- Photos: Photos are too dark
Explanation: Nearly every photo that comes out of your camera, whether it’s an iPhone or an expensive DSLR, could use a little tweak. Always survey your photos to see if they could use a little brightening up. - Type: Journaling that’s too large
Explanation: The erroneous font size is 26 pts. A good journaling font size is between 10 and 12 pts. If you want people to be able to read your journaling on the web, copy and paste it in the description of your uploaded image. - Paper: Paper or elements from different color families
Explanation: These three papers coordinate nicely with themselves, but that’s where it ends. They do not match the colors in the photos, the background paper, or the rest of the elements. They are from a different kit and a different color family. Try using paper that contains only one or two complementing colors. - (BONUS) Type: Shadows on journaling
Explanation: It’s always bad practice to put a shadow behind journaling. If your journaling needs to stand out more, try changing the color of the type or putting a plain paper square behind it.
Here’s the above scrapbook page with all the no-no’s fixed.
Credits: Epic: Games Boys Play
- Page by Jen White
- Photos: Jen White
- Epic by JBStudio, Stitches by Susie Roberts
- Fonts: DJB All the Cool Chicks
Quiz #2: An Eye for Design
Design Question 1: Focal Point
After watching the finishing touches video for the uneven grid, which of the three indicators mentioned are being used to determine the focal photo?
Possible Answer
When the focal point (photos) contains more than one photo, you can use indicators to set the focal photo apart from the others.
The most common ways to indicate the focal photo is to:
- Mat one of the photos,
- tip one of the photos, or
- pair one of the photos up in close proximity to the title, journaling, and elements.
In this case, the focal photo is indicated by the latter of the three ways.
Design Question 2: Flow
The flow in an uneven grid design is often indicated by the photos. Use your finger to trace the flow line of this page.
- Of the common design flows, which one did you use?
- Do the elements, title, and journaling of this page support the determined flow?
Possible Answers
You might have been tempted to use a stair step shape to mark the flow, but that is not an acceptable path. Instead look at the general direction the parts of the page are taking. The flow of this page is a diagonal line.
Notice how the title and journaling of the page are snuggled up the design and how the element cluster helps to draw your eye to the end of the flow.
Design Question 3: Repetition
Most of the design types mentioned in this class benefit from the use of repetition. How many things can you find repeated on this page? Make a quick list on a scrap of paper and check your answers with mine.
Show Answer
Possible Answers
- The brown stitches are repeated.
- The red patterned paper is repeated.
- The rectangle shape is repeated.
- The pawn in the element cluster also appears in the photos.
- The color red is in the papers and the EPIC word strip.
Brought to you by Jen White
