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It is the colors, the design, the layering...what?
All my cards seem to be blah and when I look in the gallary, I see cards that scream LOOK AT ME! but I can't figure out what it is that makes them so special.
So, in your opinion, what makes a card really stand out?
__________________ Jeannie God still answers prayers and does miracles!
Ok, this much I know--spit does not make a card stand out.
Uh huh! Uh huh! It does! It does! It's a variation on the Splatter Paint Technique.:mrgreen: And depending on the liquid, you could also have a scented card:o
My favorite POP card...balloons...:rolleyes:
Seriously, Jeannie, what is it that attracts you to certain cards? Is it the colors used? The techniques? The layers? The attachments? The amount of effort spent (the more thought that is put into the card: matching theme with colors, embellishments, etc. without adding stuff just to add stuff)? Attach one of your cards and tell us why you don't think it pops... Most of the time it's just perception.
I think it's different things for different people. I know that sounds like a cop-out answer but it's true! A really clean and simple design might jump off the page for someone and yet do nothing at all for the next person to come along. You might be able to appreciate the time and effort that's gone into a really tricked-out card but if you don't like multi-layers and lots of bling then ultimately, the card still won't really make a connection with you.
I do think the way a card is presented can really make it stand out in the gallery though. You could take the same card and present it two different ways and it would look totally different. For example, I tend to prefer a card that has been photographed rather than scanned. I think it's because if you have a card in your home, it isn't flat and it isn't floating in a sea of nothingness, it's in the context of other objects in your home. I know that not everyone has the equipment to be able to do that though and I'd rather see a carefully scanned card than a fuzzily photographed one if that's what the choice comes to.
The "x factor" is really hard to pin down though! Can you maybe show us an example of something you think really stands out and maybe we can exercise ourselves and try to pin down the x factor on that one?
Great thread Jeannie, as I'd love to know some answers from folks as well. I know different things pop for different folks, but what pops for you?
What currently pops a card for me is a toss up between two things, both together make it stand out that much more:
1. Layout. Since I'm layout challenged most times, a striking and clean layout really stand out for me.
2. Colors that pop. All in all, I think a contrasting color behind the focal image is what stands a card out to my eye. For example, a card that has a dark layer behind a light layer seems to catch my eye, along with a clean design.
Lots of eye candy does attract my attention, but it's not necessarily something I'd try, kwim?
Anyway, I'll look forward to other opinions on what makes a card stand out to them.
To the OP, what makes a card stand out for you? Don't know? Check your favorites and see what the common denominator is.
It is the colors, the design, the layering...what?
All my cards seem to be blah and when I look in the gallary, I see cards that scream LOOK AT ME! but I can't figure out what it is that makes them so special.
So, in your opinion, what makes a card really stand out?
Oh Jeannie I totally agree. I must have spent 3 hours redesigning a card for a challenge. I added stuff, DH thought it looked too fussy and not my style. I took all the added extras off and suddenly I felt like it was too blah. I am sure that if I looked at your beautiful creations they would all stand out as they are not my own!
In my honest opinion though, I think there seems to be a trend with overembellishing. Now really, if you need a flat rate box just to send out a card, then your card is too heavy. (JK!)
What pops out at me are the details, but not just including the embellis. It's the DP she chose, the way she colored the image, that perfect bling right where it should be. The card should make sense and have great balance overall, know what I mean? The type of card that you wanna say, "DANG IT! Why didn't I think of that?" There are some cards in the gallery that I agree are just breathtaking.
I love cards with clean bold lines that make the images POP and then have just the right details or embellishments added. That's my 'quick' answer, I look forward to thinking on this and reading everyone's answers. Great thread!
I love cards with clean bold lines that make the images POP and then have just the right details or embellishments added. That's my 'quick' answer, I look forward to thinking on this and reading everyone's answers. Great thread!
Cindy - I agree with you - clean and simple is what I like best. Love your blog!
Personally I'm a big fan of color combo and layout. Layout's are usually what will draw me to a particular card and then if the color combo is pleasing, "bonus"!! I'm not a big fan bling. A little is good but too much really is too overwhelming for me. There is a splitcoast stamper who makes beautiful cards that I love. Her colors and layouts are amazing and get a ton of views but the cards are so darn busy with layers and add-ons that I usually pass up looking at them. Of course this is just me.
__________________ Elise--Proud fanclub member and mother of 3 beautiful furry children!!!
My first response to what makes a card "pop" is color. Colors that complement eachother and contrasting colors. Sometimes, if your colors don't contrast enough and the color aspect seems "blah" to you, try adding a layer or element of white or black or a much stronger saturation of color to make them "pop." You will see some threads here about favorite color combinations, esp. SU. You also could check out the color wheel. I'll try to locate a link to a color combination site that lets you experiment online.
I do have to say that probably the first thing I notice about a card is the main image ~ first, I notice it if it's a subject that naturally appeals to me; then, if it is nicely colored. A good image will always catch my eye, and whether I continue past the thumbnail is probably determined by the color combination, use of DP, and a pleasant layout.
It really is so many different things ~ and I don't know if a card really has to "pop" for it to be interesting to me.
Although I do like some of the more elaborate cards you see here, I am becoming a huge fan of the perfectly executed CAS (clean and simple) card. Interesting techniques will attract my attention, too. To combine those two elements would make a card really POP for me!
ETA: ITA with Joanne with respect to photography. I MUCH prefer to see photographed cards than scanned. Scanning seems to really diminish the overall appearance and makes cards seem flat and washed out.
As an example, I selected Ballet Blue and Old Olive, and then clicked on "search." An interesting combination it came up with was to add Night of Navy which I doubt I would have come up with on my own. So if I had a blah card with the BB and OO, I might try to add a back layer of NoN and had a little more "pop." At the least, it's a fun way to experiment with different colors.
1. Colors that pop, or stand out against each other.
2. Lines that are supposed to be straight, are. Margins are lined up. Embellishments are "grounded', as opposed to just floating around. I also like to see grouped embellishments, as opposed to a few small embellies just thrown here and there.
3. A really outstanding main image. I like to mat the main image in a way that will make it stand out as the main feature of the card. I like my cards to have one main focal point, as opposed to a bunch of little items that compete with each other.I think Nesties are a good way to to mat your main image to make it stand out.
4. If there is not enough contrast, ink the edges. It will make things pop.
Contrast makes a card POP! but contrast quickly turns clashy... bling doesn't fix a bad card, only draws more attention to it...
To understand why you can instantly recognize a good card yet you have no idea how to get there yourself you need to check out a book or two from the library on basic graphic design and layout. Our eyes and mind see it, but without RECOGNIZING what the good elements are we will never be able to re-produce it.
In my high school journalism class I was the graphic designer and in charge of making the whole paper look good. I would train each new batch of students on the elements of good design. we had a formulae that has never failed me, both in graphic design and in cardmaking DUMB-V
First, Hold your card at arm's length and squint at it. then you see the parts, not the details. Then go over each element of good design
D: Design. or overall design, format, size- the technical stuff
U: Unity. Do all the parts go together, not always match, but at least go together? This is why we care so much about color and patterns.
M: Movement. What is the first element that catches your eye? then where does your eye go from there? do you get lost and it all blends together? if the flow is wrong or the main thing doesn't stand out then it's poorly designed. Ribbon or stripes pull your eye in the direction they travel, so a ribbon should be strategically placed so that it pulls the eye into your most important element (then people tie a bow to really give a focal point).
Sentiments are read from left to right, so your eye naturally travels from left to right. when it reaches the right, it should be pulled back into the top of the card somehow, and from there, back into the middle, or in an endless loop. This makes you look longer at the card, and if you spent an hour making it you darn well want someone to look at it longer than 5 seconds!!
(see V.)
In scrapbooking, this is why you don't want your photos looking off the page, people follow the direction of eyes and if the eyes look right off the page then you lose your audience. Same with stamps of things that have eyes. If the art is looking in a direction, then try putting your sentiment in that direction. In a composition, the stamp is looking at something within itself.
take for instance, the Hanna stamp where she is placing a star on top of a christmas tree. Hanna is looking at the star, her arm is out holding the star, then if you put the tree under her hand you have a loop Hanna, Arm, Star, tree, back to hanna. If you have no tree, then put your sentiment near the star, then your hanna pulls you into the sentiment. No tree, then you have one other element down in the empty space under the sentiment and next to hanna to balance the image. Don't make the last element too big or contrasty, this upsets the balance:
B: balance. Each color, each bling, each patterned paper has a visual weight. Dark things are heavier than light. Contrasty patterns are stronger and heavier than subtle patterns. Your most important element usually stands out because it has the most contrast. When you add a ribbon that is the same color as your background paper the ribbon is lost because it has no weight of it's own. Too many high contrast papers and your image gets muddy and unbalanced. Start simple- one solid, one pattern, one bling or punch and one stamped image/sentiment. see how these work with each other. Bling, like a big ole sparkly something thrown on, will have a lot of weight- like a black hole it sucks your attention in and then you loose the important part of the card. That's why the little rows of tiny blings look so much better than one big, horking rhinestone.
In design, classy things are visually stable, conveying long lasting. So a classy sympathy card should be heavy on the bottom, since it's visually more stable. A fun, whimsical card can be light and airy, but slightly top heavy. Trendy, urban things tend towards heavy on top. this is a whole branch of study...
V: Variety this is making it interesting. this is the bling, the ribbon, the pop-dots. This is what makes you want to keep looking. You will tread the fine line between variety and balance. The GOOD cardmakers have practiced enough that they can instinctively know what the balance is.
Beginners should err on the side of plain. A simple card always looks classy. Too many patterned cardstocks without understanding how they balance each other will just look tacky and busy. You can always dress up a plain card, but it's harder to mute out a bad one. For a rule of thumb, use only 3 elements- or elements in odd numbers. 3, 5, 7. But make only 3 elements important. Repeating elements, like 3 circles in a row, become one visual element because your eye groups them together.
As you can see, there is a lot to study. You can learn it on your own, you don't need a design degree, but the first step is recognizing what the parts are that add up to a good design HTH
Great post! I am really impressed that you took the time to type out all that you did. I somtimes hold my artwork (cards, scrapbook pages) out and squint at it when I am having a problem of something "clicking." Glad to know that I am not just being strange.
BTW I think the colors of something is part of what makes it pop for me. Colors that go together/ complement each other. Especially if there are either shades of color or one of the colors are dark.
__________________ Stamp to Spend: allotted: $592.10; spent $543.76remaining $48.34MY BLOG"Blessed is the man..." Ps. 1:1
I like cards that really accentuate the stamp(s)....after all we're stampers right (smiles)? I enjoy looking at cards that have either an elegant 2 tone layout and/or beautiful 4 to 5 color swatch. I also find that some cards provoke an emotion/reaction (like a smile, or an ahhhhh)....others just seem to sit on the paper with no expression at all. Also a card that tells a story, or gives some sort of encouragement (life is a bit challenging at times) will stay in my mind for hours.
Now....hell if I know how to make those things happen but that is what makes a card stand out to me.
My friend cuts out all of the main images and I think that makes a great difference. Each of her cards is a work of art. She also uses a lot of detail in her designs.
Embellishments! Embellishments! Embellishments! The more I mature in my rubberstamping the more I add to the card. A piece of ribbon here. A button there. Some stickles on top. Now there are so many different embellishments you can use. It all adds up to a great looking card! Just look at your card and ask yourself, "What else could I add to this to make it look better?"
Jeanie-I took a peek at your cards and the gallery and thought that they were very nice- they are well done and well photographed.
Thanks for the compliment. I looked at all the cards in my Favorites album and they really don't have anything in common! LOL I guess that is why I am so confused on what makes one stand out when compared to another.
I think I am somewhat drawn to details. I love the layered look, but not to the excess.
It has been great reading everyone's response. This is interesting.
__________________ Jeannie God still answers prayers and does miracles!
What makes a card really stand out?
