009 Margins and Templates

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What do these two scrapbook pages have in common?

Good guess! Yes, they use the exact same template. Other than that they share very little in common, however they would both feel right at home in the same scrapbook because the scrapbooker kept a page template in mind during the creation of each page.

A margin is an area of space that serves as a buffer zone around text, photos or other graphic elements that gives your page balance and uniformity. The most obvious margins are the on the outside of the page but you will also find margins in boxes with text or images. Margins are used to make text line length more readable and to keep the different pages elements from bumping into one another. Margins make the information on the page easier to understand at a glance.

The top margin is usually the shallowest margin with the left and right margin equal and the bottom slightly larger to stabilize the page. The bottom margin makes the page feel balanced and optically centered. The outside edges(for edges) often are an average of the top and bottom margin.

Grids are the patterns found in layouts and are the underlying structure of the page. Each page should be based upon a grid to create a uniform presentation of order and coherence throughout the book.

Individual shapes in the grid are called frames. Use one frame or a combination of frames to hold your content.

Columns are frames that subdivide the page into vertical sections. Getting the column width right for text is tricky because if your column is too wide or too narrow the text is hard to read.

Rows are frames that subdivide the page into horizontal sections.

The space between columns or between pages are referred to as gutters. Margins between pages are sometimes refereed to as back margins. These back margins should be less than the outside margins. Make both back margins slightly larger than half of one foredge. White Space refers to any area on the page that doesn't contain image or text, but it doesn't always have to be "white". While you want your layout to feel open and inviting, but you don't want it to look incomplete. Space is as important in printing as rests are in music.

Notice the "white space" above and to the left of the beach glass below. White space can even be sand colored.

Notice the photo that is "cheating in the margin" your eye is drawn into this photo and the photo pushes your eye into the headline, with the help of the arrow shaped beach glass. Your eye can pick out the most subtle "cheats" quickly. Use them!

Tips on Margins and Guides

• Find a design you like and map out it's unique template
• Make headlines stand out by allowing the headline to cheat into the margin.
• Use tracing paper flapped over your scrapbook page to check to make sure items on the page are lining up on the margins.
• A good design foundation might be hiding in the worst layout
• Give images or text of importance more margin area than normal.
• Try using other shapes, triangles, circles, hearts, stars for fun grids.
• Drop caps that extend into the margin draw you eye to the beginning of the copy.
• Don't be afraid to use footers for page numbering and other relevant information.

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