Welcome to the last of my four die-cut designs for men. All four cards have been designed around a common theme using simple die-cut shapes but they all use various different aspects of design theory. If you look back over the month at each of the cards I have posted on the last four Monday then you can see some of the usual card design principles such as the use of colour, or the placement of elements. But this card is a little different.
On first look at this design it might look a little discordant, but it still works and there is still a design harmony in this project. One of my favourite design tools that I use regularly for my card making is reflected colour. Repeat a colour or the shade and tone of a colour in several places on a card brings harmony to a design. You probably use it yourself regularly, without even realising that you are doing it, it is a very popular design tool.
But I’ve not repeated the colours for this design. However, I have used a repeat, it just isn’t an immediately obvious one. Look again and you will start to see repeated motifs, which is another great design tool that many of us use again and again. The geometric shapes with the diamond pattern, the chevron and the star; the repeated circle motif of the dots, rounded rectangle corners and the die-cut disc of the star. If you really look you start to see them.
Obviously it helps using a paper pack where a designer has already curated the colours and motifs so that they will work well together but don’t be afraid to utilise that work that someone else has already done and play with it in your own design work. Build your confidence using paper packs and then you will start seeing design elements everywhere and start curating your own colour combos and design motifs.
If you have missed the other three cards in this series than you can find them by clicking on the pictures below.
Card designing is fun isn’t it?
So what design theory tools do you find yourself using again and again in your cardmaking?
Kim
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