While we see color everyday, not everyone realizes the impact of color and the impression it makes in our scrapbooking! Advertisers understand the magic of setting the mood by the color choices they use to tell their story. Once you understand a few basic color principles, you will be able to choose colors that set the tone for your projects.

You can communicate with color! Ask yourself “How did this event feel?” when beginning a layout.  Was it jubilant or somber. Also, consider the season or the location or event.  A common mistake many people do when scrapbooking is to choose colors based what is in the photo. While this may be a consideration it is not the only element to consider when choosing color. 

Warm colors convey excitement and energy. Such colors include: red, yellow, orange, pink, and neon colors. These colors are good for birthdays, parties, amusement parks, etc.

Cool colors convey serenity and are soothing. Such colors include: pastel pink, and powder blue, butter yellow, sage green, kaki, and lavendar. These colors are good for portrait pages, births, and landscape scenes.

Jewel tones convey a regal feel. Such colors include: emerald green, amethyst, ruby red, sapphire blue, gold, silver, and black. These colors are good for important events such as weddings, anniversaries, and heritage pages.

Remember that if you use layout colors that work well with each other, it will not matter what colors are in your photographs. In fact, photos really pop off the page when they layout colors are in contrast to the colors in the photos.

When using a color wheel you can select the coordinating colors adjacent to the color, the contrast across from the color or the compliments that run every other color, every two colors or every third color.  Lastly, monochromatic pages use varying shades of one color.  Keep these simple color principles in mind and you ill always are pleased with the results.