Double Page Layout Discussion

Every month each design team member makes at least one double page layout with the kit. One of the great things about Scrapdango kits is that there are always at two sheets of at least one paper, so it is easy to make double page layouts.

I think most people find double page layouts challenging though. I know I do! so I thought I would share a little about how I create my two page layouts.

I always start by choosing a group of photos where I have several photos that I want to put on one page. Then I look at whether they are vertical or horizontal, or some combination of the two. Then I start sketching!

I can't make a double page layout without a sketch. Working with a premade sketch - like pagemaps - makes things easy, but sometimes it's problematic if you dont have the right photos. So I often make my own sketches.

I usually go for blocks of photos, so I try to arrange the photos in a balanced way, so that not all the vertical and all the horizontal are next to each other. Another thing I often do, is size one of the other, to fit in amongst the others. So for the page below, I resized the horizontal photos, so that two of them together, and a little space in between, ended up being the same size as the verticals.

Once I have found a good configuration for the photos, I think about the rest of the space. I usually try to add something to contrast with the photo block's, well, blockiness. So for the layout below, I added a big circle on one side, and whitespace on the other. Then make room for a title and journaling - sometimes that requires reworking the sketch a little.

Finally, work with the sketch that you have made, just like you would work with a premade sketch - which usually means, some tweaking. Since I planned the sketch around my photos, it usually means less tweaking than using a premade sketch, but this layout is a good example of how some adjustments still need to be made.

I had originally put the two horizontal photos in the middle, but when I laid them out on the papers, I realized that I would have to cut them in half, and there was no good place to cut them that wouldnt totally mess up the photos. so I moved them. Then , I had forgotten a title in my sketch, so I moved the other three down to make room for the title.