Customer Reviews

The Scrapbook Designer's Workbook: Unlocking the Secrets to Great Page Design

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I'm a graphic designer, and when I started scrapbooking, I felt myself at a total loss as far as design in the "real world" - ie, 3d images, texture, etc. So I decided to re-educate myself on the principles of design with a specific focus on paper arts and mixed media. Since then, I have been gobbling up all the "design principle" books I can get my hands on, and was very excited about getting Kari Hansen's book. It seemed exactly what I was looking for- a course in design principles, geared towards scrapbooking.

The problem is that Hansen's philosophy is not very flexible. It seems like this book is really geared for scrapbookers who wish to be published rather than those of us looking to develop our own styles and techniques. Hansen makes it clear in the first few sections that she was on the submission team for a magazine and had very specific criteria for a "good" page. Things must be neat- no glue showing, NO mistakes. Journaling must be typed or done in a very very neat handwriting, NO spelling or grammar mistakes, practive several times before committing to the layout. Titles must be witty and clear to anyone seeing the page. All cutting must be precise, everything measured. All photos properly resized before putting together layouts- there mujst ALWAYS be a larger focal photo (not so good for those of us who scrap 4x6, or who don't have time to rezise all our photos planning for layouts...) No "hanging" embellishments, no empty space. Yikes!

I appreciate her vision, but found myself frequently intimidated by her "this is what makes a bad layout" writing style. Scrapbooking is supposed to be personal, and for those of us who have no interest in getting published, sometimes we do have a little glue going beyond the edge of a photo by accident, or some messy handwriting. Sometimes we don't have time to resize a photo to make it the spotlight of the page. Sometimes we can't redo an entire page because we made a mistake that no one will probably notice but us, and maybe Kari Hansen if she were to check out the page. To me, these aren't design principles, but sort of perfectionist details. I'm interested in color theory, and balancing my elements. I'm not interested in someone reminding me over and over that the little crinkle on the corner of my page makes it a bad page.

I appreciate the overview of design and color. It's wonderful, and Hansen knows her stuff. But there is too much focus in the early chapter on what makes a scrapbook page UNACCEPTABLE or boring, which I sort of find insulting. I'm not a perfect scrapper, and I'm trying to get better. I don't want a design book telling me some of the things I've done, or mistakes I've made in my pages thus far make them useless. I much prefer the warmer writing style of Ali Edwards (with her motto "IT IS OKAY") and many others who have written about the same topic.

As far as the layouts, as far as I can tell they are all by Hansen. They are used to demonstrated the ideas and lessons Hansen is writing about rather than to function as inspiration. So this isn't a great book for those who want some visual inspiration.

So I would absolutely recommend the book, but I would try and take it with a grain of salt. If you are a serious scrapper, looking to elevate your design to the next level or learn what it takes to get published, take note to EVERYTHING Hansen says. But if you are just trying to learn a more technical way of creating personal pages, learning balance, flow, color ideas, and information on typography, I would skim the Hansen's personal feelings on what makes a scrapbook "good" and pay close attention to her design lessons. Apply them to your own pages, but don't lose what makes your pages YOU. Glue smudges and all!

This book is well-organized and thorough. Explanations of the various principles are to the point without being too brief. It's all here, if you sit down and read it.

This is not a book that you would browse through to pick up a couple of ideas. It is meant to be read, page by page, chapter by chapter.

The book is divided into four sections: Introduction to Design, Elements of Design, Color, and Principles of Design. Introduction to Design is a good overview of the subject matter. Elements of Design contains discussions of line, shape & space; texture; and typography. Color covers color theory; value; color language; and color palettes. Principles of Design includes emphasis & focal point; proportion & scale; rhythm; balance; and unity.

Unlike an earlier reviewer, I found the "what not to do" examples very helpful, because there is always information about why it's bad and what to do to correct it. In fact, I would have liked to have had even more examples of this type.

The same previous reviewer is on target when she talks about the limitations for those who have only 4 x 6 photos to work with. But any book must limit its discussions, and that particular discussion, although it would have been valuable, was excluded. Also excluded was a discussion of using non-archival pieces, and how to handle that situation. Although the author recommends using various "found objects", she doesn't discuss the need for dealing with the pH issue. I hope she'll follow this excellent book up with another, discussing how to handle the various real-life problems within the constraints of good design principles.

I really appreciated that the author doesn't rely heavily on digital scrapbooking. I'm a hands-on, paper-and-glue person, and although I do use the computer from time to time, I am not at all interested in going digital to any significant degree. My computer use is just about the same as this author's.

This is a reference book I'll pick up again, and again, and again. I know I'll be returning to it to try to figure out why I don't like a layout I've just designed, and what I need to do to turn it into one I like. And I hope to see more from Ms. Hansen. She's a breath of fresh air in an industry that relies very heavily on trends.

Addendum, September 2009: Even though I haven't picked up this book in several months, I am still putting to use the explanation of design elements in all kinds of other projects, including stamping and jewelry design. I just wish I'd had it back in 2001 when I started stamping and was trying to improve my design skills. If you're trying to learn the basics of design, i.e. color, balance, rhythm, etc., it's all here, and this book would be of at least some use for people who don't do any scrapbooking. No regrets for this purchase!

I have to start with a disclaimer: the author and I view scrapbooking in a completely different way.

For me, scrapbooking is primarily a way of presenting photographs in a more pleasant and attractive way than just placing them on a white or black background. Any embellishments or non-photo material that I use is in support of the photo, not there to make an aesthetic statement.

For the author, scrapbooking is an art form. She is an artist. She uses the work of other artists for inspiration. She has a studio for her art. She has more materials (papers, ribbons, fabrics, etc.) than many craft stores. The photos are often little more than an element in her work.

For me, the cost of materials is a factor that I try to control and keep to a minimum. In the author's case, materials are the stock of her trade and, apparently, cost is not a factor.

For me, time to spend scrapbooking is limited to what is left over after meeting personal and professional obligations. This is a hobby, not a profession. I am happy with a page when I have gotten as many photographs on the page as gracefully as possible at minimum to moderate expenditure of time and money. I try to use as many photos as possible in each page because, to me, it's all about the photos. I am, in effect, making albums--nicely presented, with expanded captioning, and subtly accessorized--but photo albums.

For the author, this is her profession, so the time spent on each page is whatever that page requires until she is satisfied that it's perfect. Since the photographs are one more element that has to work together with the design of the page, pages with one or two photos only are the rule as the design seems to take precedence over the photographic content.

With two such different approaches, points of view, and budgets, it's a wonder that I still found that the book is worth seeing. It is a useful reference that demonstrates that there are different options for the same photo (as demonstrated in a chapter in which she used the same two photographs but presented it four different ways.) It explains color theory. Maybe that's something you don't think about everyday as you try to create a page, but it does explain why some pages work and others don't. There are countless techniques and elements that she uses that I might want to look into at some time (not all on the same page, but one here and another there.)

All in all, she has done a great job explaining and demonstrating her art. She is a good artist, no doubt. Other scrapbooking artists will find inspiration in her work. Non-artists, like me, can still find ideas and fascination in looking through her pages.

This book is THE BIBLE when it comes to learning about principles of design. Kari's layouts are beautiful, and the best part is that she explains why they work. The book shows you how the design process works, taking you step by step, from selecting the photos to the materials, until the page is done. I love when people take me by the hand and show me exactly how things are done, and in this book Kari does exactly that. There are also sections about texture, typography, color, proportion and scale, and many other elements of design. I have read it many times from cover to cover and each time find something else worth doing. After reading it, I've felt more confident with my layouts, and I can tell right away when something's not working and why. I highly recommend this book. Great investment!

Listen to the title. If you buy books to look at other scrapper's work, this isn't a good buy for you. I would go as far as to say that if you were taking Scrapbooking as a course in college, this would be perfect. It's not a waste of money, but throughout your entire collection of scrapping idea books, you would be able to find all the information in this book. The only real difference is she goes into great detail about it. The author does a phenominal job, its just isn't a real inspirational book.

Even if one is not a scrapbooker, this book is an excellent primer for the principles of design and color theory. The principles are very clearly explained and the examples are exceptional. For scrapbookers, this book is an inspiration, a must-have companion for any serious scrapbooker.

This book is an excellent first book to buy if you're interested in putting together good scrapbook pages. It has an outline of the process needed in page design, so that with this basic understanding, you can begin your own.

This book is a comprehensive tutorial in scrapbook design. Very easy to read and understand. It gives very specific and clear examples of each topic. Could actually be helpful to anyone doing a project involving elements of design. A fantastic reference book. One of the best I've seen !!!!!

I've read some critics on this book, saying that it was too firm on "how to scrapbook".

I think that's exactly the purpose of the book, teach some basic design rules to make a successful page.

If you like to make a page just following your instincts, then a designer's workbook is not the kind of book you are going to like most...

Yes, it's quite rigid. Yes, it's perfectionist.
If you want to produce a more "loose" page, than this book is not for you.

Nevertheless, this book is useful to, whatever your style, teach you how to make more equilibrate pages, considering the distribution of the photos, the colors, the textures, the lettering etc.

I found this book extremely useful for me, I use it all the time.
I recommend it if you want a more "professional" finish to your pages.

If you are a perfectionist, go ahead- you're gonna love it!!!

This book is very informative, has wonderful pictures and great ideas for someone looking to further their knowledge in scrap booking. I found it gave you the answers to the why you do something. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves to scrap book. Chris