TIP #1: Give your text room to breathe. If it’s in a box or other shape, allow some room around the edges. And, of course, keep all text at least 1/2-inch to the inside of the bleed/edge of project.
Oh dear, this text looks cramped! This is much better!
TIP #2: Make text line lengths attractive. Never leave a single word orphaned by itself on a line. That’s just lonely and sad (and it doesn’t look all that great either).
Poor sad and lonely word. Reunited—and it feels so good!
TIP #3: Use single, NOT DOUBLE, spaces between words. Despite what your typing teacher taught you, with digital text double spaces are NOT the way to go. Sorry, Mrs. Johnson.
That's a little too spaced out!
TIP #4: Carefully check you’re spelling and grammar. Watch words like “your” and “you’re.” (If you didn’t just catch the error in the first sentence, you may need to brush up on your grammar or ask a friend to proof read for you).
Nothing a little apostrophe and letter "e" can't fix!
TIP #5: Gently does it on the rounded corners. If you're rounding the corners on multiple elements on one page, use the same rounded corner setting on all the elements. Consistency with effects (rounded corners, shadows, borders) is a good thing.
Are these square, ovals or what? Consistent and subtle rounding.
TIP #6: Use your best photos. Not that we imagine you'd use your worst.
TIP #7: Make margins and spaces between elements even. Obviously, this doesn’t mean everything needs to be lined up in rows on your project, but where elements are lined up or grouped, keep the spaces between them even. (See the Tips and Tricks article for more instruction on how to easily align objects in Studio.)
Not that this is awful... but this does look more polished.
TIP #8: Avoid overcrowding the page. The more stuff you use, the more ordered it should be. In addition, don’t let the art you use take focus away from your photos. Scale them appropriately.
Sometimes less really is more!
TIP #9: Avoid using black borders around photos. If you use the border effect on photos, the color should be white or off-white. Trust us on this. Avoid using the border effect on photos to try create the look of a photo mat because it just doesn’t look right. Take the extra time to create separate photo mats out of paper and be sure to add a shadow effect to your photos. If you don’t believe it will look better, check out the examples below.
Black borders don't look quite right. White borders give photos a nice, retro, printed look.
Black "paper" mats behind the photos look fine!TIP #10: ABOVE ALL, MAKE YOUR PROJECT TELL YOUR STORY! Personalize.
Please note that we’ve called these design “tips.” They are not hard and fast rules that should never be broken. But generally, they will improve the overall look of your projects. Try a few and see what you think!
Ready for the pop quiz?Check out the two scrapbook pages below and make a list of all the design tips that were ignored in second one. Compare the two and decide for yourself if the overall look of the first page, designed according to our tips, is better. If not, please ignore the above article in its entirety!
