Sign Language

Signs are everywhere. Some are helpful, some are useful, and some are just beautiful. We need signs for direction, but signs can also be a source of inspiration. Not sure how signs can inspire scrapbook pages? Read on for 5 ways signs can take your scrapping to a new level.

Beauty - Signs introduce us to new fonts. Perhaps you've never noticed the subtle detail or texture of the papyrus font until you see it larger than life on the billboard in front of the youth center. It is amazing the way that a font on a sign can convey a world of information with only one or two words. Fonts like Brush script convey a sense of formality, while fonts like Girls Are Weird convey a sense of fun and whimsy. Look up the next time you are at a traffic light and appreciate the power of the font, and think about the underlying message of your layout to get a sense of what type of font would best convey that message. Signs are poetry in motion!

Design - I love to draw inspiration from the colors of a sign. A sign's function is to draw your attention, just like a title's function is to draw your attention to a layout. The design of a sign and the way different fonts and subtitles are used in harmony can also stimulate your journaling creativity. You don't have to re-invite the wheel; the people who create signs have worked out the details for you. I love when a sign uses a lettering-technique I've never seen before.

Nostalgia - Perhaps you have a sign that holds a special memory. That memory deserves a place in your scrapbook. When I was little my grandmother would always take me to McDonald's after church for a happy meal. I have to be honest; I was never really thrilled about the food as much as seeing Ronald McDonald. I used to get so excited I would start chanting McDaaaawwwnaald's before we arrived. My grandmother still tells that story, and it is one of the things I love about her. Maybe you have fond memories of a restaurant that your family always visits, or how about the church sign where you were married, or your children got baptized?

Human signs - Why limit your self to signs made out of wood? Stretch your imagination and think about the human possibilities! How about a layout where you have someone in your family doing sign language? Examples include "the I-love-you" sign in sign language, or how about the "hang loose" or "thumbs up" or "o-k" sign? The creative options are endless!

Historically Accurate - Signs help record information. Your street sign is a part of your history. Getting a photo of your hotel on vacation or the billboard at the CKU convention center is proof positive that you were there. How amazing would it be to have a photo like that 50 years from now to compare the past to the present? Your scrapbooks deserve that piece of historical data for posterity.

Look at the signs around you to find a wealth of inspiration in fonts, design, and information. You just never know which ones might speak to you and help create your next scrapbook page.

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