Font Selection: Setting Tone

Creating a scrapbook layout involves interweaving many elements to create one final picture. One of those elements is type. When using a font or any form of type such as chipboard and letter stickers, your choice of font for your layout makes a powerful difference. Your choice sets a tone and creates a mood.

Any font, even a simple letter of it, can evoke different emotions. Here are some examples:

• A letter that flows and curves creates a soft feeling.
• A letter that is angular and straight creates a clean and professional feeling.
• A letter that is whimsical creates a lighthearted feeling.
• A letter that is elegant creates a sophisticated feeling.
• A letter that mimics a time period creates that time period's feeling.

The content of the font and the purpose of your layout should drive your font choice. When choosing a font, consider the feeling you intend to convey. If you are using the phrase "Happy Birthday," what tone are you trying to convey? Is it a serious day? Is it a lighthearted day? Is it a soft, fuzzy memory? Is it an old memory? Note how each of these fonts changes the feeling of one phrase.

Choose your fonts based on the emotion it evokes so it matches your layout.

Font choices can be influenced by subject matter. If you wish to convey the feeling of a certain country or time period, you may chose a font from that country. For example, Baskerville looks old English and Bodoni looks Italian. On the other hand, you may chose to use a modern font such as Minion for a modern layout. A font from a certain time period, like Trajan, would give the feeling of the Roman era.

At times it is good to use more than one font in a title. Using two fonts can reflect a difference or juxtaposition in mood. It can also provide a clean look or make the text more clear. In this layout, I used two fonts for the title and a more basic font for the journaling.

When considering fonts there are two place to use a font: text and title. Never use a fancy, hard-to-read font for text. Stick to clean, legible fonts. Using an appealing but useable font for text will make the layout more attractive and readable.

While you will not want to use a fancy text for journaling, it is perfectly fine to use a journaling-type font for a title. In this layout, I used the same legible font (Arial) for both the title and the journaling.

Research shows that font choices affect a person's reaction to your work. If font is going to play an important part in your layout, then use a font style that will give the full desired impact.

Layout Supplies:

• Katie Pertiet: Soft Breeze green paper; Jouets red paper
• Jesse Edwards: Clean and Serene Solids; In the Moment paper, Title Lines
• Ali Edwards: Stacked Dates
• Pattie Knox: Have a Heart Felt Vol. 02 and Brad Bonanza 2
• http://www.designerdigitals.com
• Fonts: King Arthur, Century Gothic and Garamond

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