Pink Persimmon Tutorial - Card Design Basics #1

"Just the Basics" Card Design Tutorial by Judi Andersen When creating cards I find that I often fall back on the reliable and easy design of centering the focal image on the cardfront and that can produce really beautiful cards, but sometimes we want to do something a little different. So if you are going to stray away from centering your focal image on your card I hope that these guidelines will help a little. And remember, they are just guidelines so they may not fit every situation. In the end you get to be the judge of what looks best!
#1 CARD DIVISION (aka DON’T DIVIDE THINGS IN HALF):
When laying out your elements on your card it can help to think of the card as a blank canvas that you divide into two or three sections. Actually, there is a formula in the art world called the Golden Mean or Golden Ratio which helps you divide your canvas into an asymmetrical layout that is more pleasing to the eye. Stay with me, no formulas will be given here and I promise you will not need a calculator! Its just a card, right! Perfection is NOT required. A lot of people do this asymmetrical balance intuitively, but maybe it’s nice to know that the Art Masters of the Renaissance agree with you! (If you really want to know more about the Golden Ratio and its origin you can look it up on Wikipedia to find more info).
Card (4.25” x 5.5“) divided into thirds comes very close to Golden Ratio	Card (4.25” x 5.5“) showing Golden Ratio at approx 2.1” and 3.35”
Ok, so now all we’ve done is divide the card into two or three pleasingly balanced sections. Place your elements in these sections. Really, this is a fancy way to avoid cutting your card exactly in half. Let’s say you are using a narrow ribbon for example, and you put it in the middle of the card, (dividing the card in half) as shown in this card sample:

It might look more pleasing to just move it in either direction as shown in this example:

If you are using a wide ribbon and put it in the middle, that can work nicely as it becomes one of the ‘thirds’, like this (Or that section can be a contrasting paper as well)


#2 THREE'S COMPANY
When you are placing elements on your card, it’s often nicer to use an odd number rather than an even number. Odd numbers are somehow more pleasing to the eye than even numbers.
Card with two mushrooms	Card with three mushrooms
There are times when using 2 elements can be balanced by a 3^rd different element. Or - 2 elements in one place on your card can be balanced by 2 elements on another section of the card...and sometimes 2 elements can be balanced by blank space that becomes a third “element”.
Card with two mushrooms and blank space creating the third element
And of course there are going to be times when two or four just looks better and we can’t explain why! So you can see that this suggestion may not fit every situation.

#3 GROUP ITEMS TOGETHER
One way to create a nice looking design is to group your embellishments together, having them overlap each other. This leads the eye around your design, going smoothly from one embellishment or design element to the next, keeping your card recipient looking at your lovely work.
Card with items separate	Card with items overlapping
If you are feeling stuck for a layout, there are many wonderful Card Sketch Challenge blogs that are a fabulous way to jump start some great designs for your cards. Here are just a few: www.cardpositioningsystems.blogspot.com www.caardvarks.blogspot.com www.2sketches4you.blogspot.com www.triplethesketch.blogspot.com www.pencillines.com (scrapbooking challenges but can used for cards) I’m sure there are lots more card sketch challenge sites out there, so let us know and we will add them to the list! I’ll be adding more Guidelines and Helpful Hints in the future. Actually when I go back and look at my card designs, I see that I need to review my own rules! So I’ll do that and you can let me know if you have any thoughts on these guidelines.

Watch for "Just the Basics" PART 2 coming soon!