Using Color Theory to Create Harmonious Digital Scrapbook Pages
I am obsessed with color. I have very strong reactions to different colors, some add lots of stress to my life and some are so pretty I want to eat them (and they probably aren't the colors you're thinking of*). As a designer I love working with different colors and putting them together to see how they look together. Some color combinations are a creativity super boost and some will instantly halt a project. Why this happens seems to be mostly some sort of color magic, although color theory does exist, so I thought I would take a minute to look into it for digital scrapbooking.
One of the fundamental concepts of color theory is the color wheel. The color wheel shows the relationships between different colors and is made up of three primary colors (red, blue, and yellow), three secondary colors (green, orange, and purple), and six tertiary colors (red-orange, yellow-orange, yellow-green, blue-green, blue-purple, and red-purple). Understanding the color wheel is crucial to creating harmonious scrapbook pages.
Color Schemes
There are several common color schemes that you can use in your digital scrapbook pages:
creating a sense of unity and often found in nature
When choosing colors for your digital scrapbook pages, consider the mood or theme you want to convey. Warm colors like red, orange, and yellow create a sense of energy and excitement, while cool colors like blue, green, and purple create a sense of calm and relaxation. You can also use color to highlight or contrast certain elements on your page.
Applying Colors
Once you've chosen your color scheme, it's time to apply it to your digital scrapbook page. You can use color in a variety of ways.
Once you've chosen your color scheme, it's time to apply it to your digital scrapbook page. You can use color in a variety of ways, such as matching the photo to the layout or matching the colors in the photos to the colors in the layout. Or you can scrapbook like me and just use whatever feels good. I hope a little color theory has maybe given you a clue about why you use certain colors more, or together. Let me know your color feelings below in the comments.
* Certain shades of blue really drive me crazy, in a bad way, and I don't like to be around them. This is a problem because it's a shade of blue that is very popular with most people and commonly found. Really bright colors, especially in certain combinations will make we want to eat whatever it is, even if it's on my computer.
Blog By
About Me
Hi There! I’m Marisa Lerin and you’ll see me around at DigitalScrapbook.com a lot. I started this site in 2010 soon after I discovered a new love in digital scrapbooking. DigitalScrapbook.com has gone through some significant changes since that time and it’s grown into this lovely community site you are seeing now. I am daily surprised by the turn of life’s events that has led me down this path. If you're new to the site, welcome! Here are a few tidbits about me that I hope will help you get to know me better!
I’m originally from Minnesota, USA, but spent a good chunk of my childhood living abroad (in Bolivia and Hong Kong). I returned to Minnesota to attend university, got married and then moved overseas again (Korea, then Jordan and 1 year of traveling). My designs are heavily influenced by these many nomadic years. I am currently back in the USA, now living in the great state of Oregon!
I have no official training for what I’m doing, since I decided very wisely (haha) to study physics in university. I am always learning new things about digital scrapbooking, and this community has been immensely helpful for that!
If I manage to stop digital scrapbooking you will probably find me watching TV, reading or baking. I also enjoy writing for the blog here at DigitalScrapbook.com where I talk about whatever happens to be catching my fancy at the moment.
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Recent Comments
I can tell when something is well done, but creating is a whole different ball game! This is very helpful - thank you!
Beautiful. I love color too!
very good
@Christina: I don't know if I like candy because it's brightly colored, or I like bright colors because it reminds me of candy.
Beautiful. I love color too! Thanks for sharing these lovely layouts.
Great post Thanks
I can't stop laughing at you wanting to eat colors. LOL Is it that they remind of brightly-colored candy? When I see pink, I think of bubblegum and cotton candy, and in turn it reminds me of my childhood and fun times at fairs.
I do love the monochromatic look. It's funny you mention relaxing colors, because that's how Jessica's kits always make feel: Homey and comfy. Rachel always uses bold, bright colors, which are fun, energetic, and playful. Your color choices make me feel happy and serene, and they always work so well together.
Matching the photo colors to a kit's colors is something I enjoy doing. I'll often choose a photo, then try to find a kit that has similar colors.
What great layouts showing all the colour combinations. Blue is my favourite colour in various shades and I will usually do a blue layout whenever there is a monochromatic challenge. Thank you for picking my layout too.
Thank you for this great information! I appreciate the time you spend to enlighten us each day. I love bright colors and really enjoy the things you put together.
More and more I crave bright colors in my own pages too. Experimenting with colors can get me out of a blue funk better than any drug over could. :)
Thank you Marisa for this little color excursion and your preferences.
Colors are waves of light that affect the soul.
I like the pure colors and especially all shades of red. Also white and black or black and white as a mix. What creates my inner defense are earthy colors and especially the olive. It's a military color and that means death to me. I've never had any olive-colored clothing in my life. From the blue I only like the light blue, royal blue and the petrol blue (tertiary colors) less the navy blue.