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These layout suggestion and layout re-do's were done as a part of Course 1, Lesson 8A, on Visual Weight. I invite you to be brave and participate by senidng me a layout. It is how I learned to grow in skills, with others giving me suggestions.

1. contrast - I can read your text well. The dark brown borders around your images contrast the brightness of the sun on the leaves in the photos well.

2. size - Your photos are large so as to keep the focal point. Your title is not too big to gain any overpowering visual weight.

3. color - the orange in the title is in three other places (strip of paper, border paper, and ribbon), so it does lead the eye around the layout. However, it is such a think block of orange that it does make the title grab a little bit of visual weight from the photos. It competes with it just a little bit. I think using the other principle of size and making the title just a tad smaller would help this big block of color grabbing weight.

4. shape - not applicable.

5. texture - the heart patterned paper is simple enough and the hearts are scattered enough that they are not a problem.

6. isolation - not applicable.

7. value - the block for "fall" actually has some value that is also grabbing some of the weight. Just making it a tad smaller, as said above, should fix it.

8. balance - I feel as if your layout is "too" balanced. That isn't wrong, but it can feel more artistic if you would drag all the photos and elements and bring them down so that the layout is more bottom weighted, with more blank space at the top. Blank space is a good thing that helps the eye. Instead of centering the title and the journaling so well (which you actually placed the things really well) in that blank space, consider moving and tucking them in close to the photos which would allow blank space in the bottom left. Of course, this might make things off balance and you'd be forced to "think outside the box" again on the placement of photos to adjust it. You did such a good job with the layout that I want to push you to learn and to think of other options so things are not so balanced.

Also, having three photos is always good. The rule of thirds is why it works. However, consider making one of the photos the focal photo so the three photos do not compete against each other. The other two photos would be "supporting" photos. It is best to have one photo as the focal photo and everything else in the layout supporting that photo. 

Just have a try at these recommendations and see if you like your results better or not. If not, then keep your original for your personal use, but do the suggestions as a learning experience. Let us know which you like better when you are done!

 

Copyright Cheryl Rutledge-Brennecke
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