10 Creative Techniques for Titling Your Layouts

Posted by Aaron aka Sir Scrapalot on Aug 12, 2010 | View Comments

What do you think is the most challenging part of creating a layout?  Recently I asked this question to thepeople on my Facebook Fan Page, and I was surprised by the responses.  An overwhelming number of people commented that adding a title to their layout was the most challenging aspect of creating a layout.  For some, it may be about putting a title together and making it look good, and others seem to have difficulty choosing what the title for their layouts should be.  Today, I want to share with you the 10 ways I choose a title for my layout.  Check out my techniques after the jump…

10 Creative Techniques for Titling Your Layouts

1. Title the Story – some of the layouts I do tell an actual story.  Often, when I have a layout like this, I’ll come up with a title for the story.  In my layout “Baby Gaga’, I told the story of how my 4yo asked to be called Baby Gaga from now on.  From that story, I chose the title to reflect what happens in the story.
2. Address the Subject(s) – Often, when I am doing a layout that doesn’t have a story behind it, I’ll take that opportunity to say something to the subject or subjects of the layout.  In my case, this is most often me telling my two daughters something that I feel or think about.  In my layout “Believe in Yourself” I took that statement, and in the journaling expressed to my daughters that that was one thing I wanted them always to remember.  By making the statement “Believe in Yourself” the title, I put more “weight” into the message.
3. Repetition – Sometimes, the best way to create a title is to repeat something.  It could be a word, a phrase, or even a name.  By creating repetition in the title, you are able to direct the attention to whatever you are repeating.  In the layout “Fireworks, Fireworks, Fireworks!” you’ll notice that by repeating the word fireworks and increasing the size of the lettering each time, I am able to express the anticipation that my daughters felt for the fireworks to begin.
4. Quotes – Sometimes, when a quote particularly speaks to you, you can use it to create a layout.  In the layout “The Only Flower” I actually started with the quote (thanks to the SSD challenges!), and then picked a picture and kit to go with the quote.  What I am left with is a layout that expresses a personal emotion (remember, I used the quote because it spoke to me) as well as a layout that could work as a piece of art for my home.  
5. Word Art – Lately, many designers have been including word art in their kits.  This is perfect pre-made title work!  If I am working with a kit that has a piece of word art I especially like, I’ll use that word art for the title of my layout and pick the pictures to go along with it.  In my layout “Sweet As Sugar” I took the word art from Jennifer Barrette’s Fresh Squeezed kit and used it to title the layout I was doing with the kit.  
6. An Adjective + The Subject’s Name – This is by far the technique I use for titling my layouts the most.  I often take the name of the daughter in the layout, and come up with an adjective that matches their personality and sometimes the layout.  In the layout “Curious Keira” I chose to use the adjective curious to describe my daughter, and coupled it with a picture of her investigating something.  A variation of this technique is to not use the subject’s name, and just use the adjective.  I used that technique in my recent layout about my niece, “Adorable.”  
7. Song Title – Sometimes the perfect title for my layouts can be found in songs I like.  Usually, I pick a song that matches the story I want to tell in the layout or the feeling I want to express, and I use the title of the song as the title of the page.  Sometimes, if the song is really special to me, I’ll use the lyrics as the journaling.  I did this in my layout “All You Need.”  
8. Online Inspiration – I find inspiration online all the time for all the projects I am working on.  One site that I especially like for inspirational titles and journaling is the Philosophy website.  Now I know, it’s a beauty product website, but if you read the titles of their products and then the journaling that goes along with it, you’re sure to find some titles and journaling you want to use on your layouts.  I used this technique in the “Amazing Grace” layout.
9. Different Languages – Now I am not fluent in any language other than English.  I do, however, know enough words in a few different languages that I can use on my layouts.  Often I’ll use the words that mean “love,” as you can see in the layout “Amor.”  Adding a different language for your title can be an unexpected twist in the your layouts.
10. Events – It’s not often that I do a layout from a specific event.  That’s just not the type of scrapper I am.  However, when I do scrap events, I tend to just use the title of the event as the title of the page.  Pretty straightforward, but it works with the layout I am creating.  I used this technique in my layout “Easter.”  

I hope that these 10 techniques will be helpful to you when you are creating your layouts.  They are part of my “Scrapper’s Toolbox.”  Do you have any special techniques for choosing the title of your layouts?  How do you decide what title will work?  Let us know in the comments below!