8 Tips for Timeless Album Design
above images by Megan Travis Photography
Hey guys! Melissa Jill here! I remember the first album I designed myself. It was 2004 and my client had asked for an album. I had never even created a sample album at that point so EVERYTHING was new to me. But I figured, how hard could it be? I'll just whip one up. Haha! Poor little naive me. Three months, ten headaches, and a dozen workflow issues later, I had my first album done. It turned out to be much more challenging than I had initially anticipated. And being that I was new to albums, I was dealing with a HUGE learning curve. Since then I have learned so much about the album design and sales process, and that's one of the main reasons I'm sharing this series of tips -- to help others who may be facing this learning curve for the first time themselves.
I remember looking back at that very first album years later in my client's home and cringing at a few of my choices. Namely, I thought it would be fun to make a collage of overlapping and tilted images for a reception spread. You know...because receptions are wild and crazy, the design should be as well? Yikes! Major regret on that design choice. There were a number of other design trends that I succumbed to in that first design that are SO entirely outdated now. Which makes me sad, because wedding albums need to last generations without looking outdated. Of all things, a wedding album should be timeless.
Today I'm going to share some timeless design tips that we at Align adhere to, and that I would recommend to any of you out there who are designing your albums in house. I hope I don't step on any toes or hurt any feelings, but there are also a few outdated trends that I'd like to call out as well. I learned my lesson the hard way by regretting my design choices, and I want to encourage you all to keep your designs clean and timeless so you don't experience this same sense of regret years from now.
So let's start by ripping the bandaid off first. The outdated trends to steer clear of are:
1. Using images as backgrounds
2. Making images opaque
3. Excessive overlapping of images
All of these trends clutter up your design and don't allow your images to stand apart and be appreciated as art. Your images themselves are interesting. You don't need to make your design overly complex to create a beautiful album. Let the images shine and tell the story for you. As a side note, even though we don't recommend any of the above design choices as being ideal, Align can absolutely design albums with these specifications. The most important thing to us is that you and your clients are happy. And we strive to customize our designs to fit your unique preferences. Just select the "Styled" design option and put your preferences in the comments section of your order form.
Now for the positive tips. Here is what TO DO if you want your albums to be beautiful and remain timeless for generations to come.
#1 -- Use restraint and don't clutter up your spreads with too many images. The fewer images per spread, the more importance you give them.
Hey guys! Melissa Jill here! I remember the first album I designed myself. It was 2004 and my client had asked for an album. I had never even created a sample album at that point so EVERYTHING was new to me. But I figured, how hard could it be? I'll just whip one up. Haha! Poor little naive me. Three months, ten headaches, and a dozen workflow issues later, I had my first album done. It turned out to be much more challenging than I had initially anticipated. And being that I was new to albums, I was dealing with a HUGE learning curve. Since then I have learned so much about the album design and sales process, and that's one of the main reasons I'm sharing this series of tips -- to help others who may be facing this learning curve for the first time themselves.
I remember looking back at that very first album years later in my client's home and cringing at a few of my choices. Namely, I thought it would be fun to make a collage of overlapping and tilted images for a reception spread. You know...because receptions are wild and crazy, the design should be as well? Yikes! Major regret on that design choice. There were a number of other design trends that I succumbed to in that first design that are SO entirely outdated now. Which makes me sad, because wedding albums need to last generations without looking outdated. Of all things, a wedding album should be timeless.
Today I'm going to share some timeless design tips that we at Align adhere to, and that I would recommend to any of you out there who are designing your albums in house. I hope I don't step on any toes or hurt any feelings, but there are also a few outdated trends that I'd like to call out as well. I learned my lesson the hard way by regretting my design choices, and I want to encourage you all to keep your designs clean and timeless so you don't experience this same sense of regret years from now.
So let's start by ripping the bandaid off first. The outdated trends to steer clear of are:
1. Using images as backgrounds
2. Making images opaque
3. Excessive overlapping of images
All of these trends clutter up your design and don't allow your images to stand apart and be appreciated as art. Your images themselves are interesting. You don't need to make your design overly complex to create a beautiful album. Let the images shine and tell the story for you. As a side note, even though we don't recommend any of the above design choices as being ideal, Align can absolutely design albums with these specifications. The most important thing to us is that you and your clients are happy. And we strive to customize our designs to fit your unique preferences. Just select the "Styled" design option and put your preferences in the comments section of your order form.
Now for the positive tips. Here is what TO DO if you want your albums to be beautiful and remain timeless for generations to come.
#1 -- Use restraint and don't clutter up your spreads with too many images. The fewer images per spread, the more importance you give them.
above images by Candace Berry Photography
#2 -- If you do use a lot of images on a given page, make sure to use a structured layout that makes it easy for your eye to "read" what is going on.
#2 -- If you do use a lot of images on a given page, make sure to use a structured layout that makes it easy for your eye to "read" what is going on.
above images by Maggie Harkov Photography
#3 -- We prefer white backgrounds, but if you'd like to use some color on your album spreads, makes sure to pull the color from the photographs that are used on the spread to keep everything cohesive.
#3 -- We prefer white backgrounds, but if you'd like to use some color on your album spreads, makes sure to pull the color from the photographs that are used on the spread to keep everything cohesive.
above images by Amelia Soper Photography
#4 -- Much like matting for a framed photo, using negative space is a great way to draw attention and importance to an image. Don't feel the need to fill every white space.
#4 -- Much like matting for a framed photo, using negative space is a great way to draw attention and importance to an image. Don't feel the need to fill every white space.
above images by Hello Love Photography
#5 -- Make your favorite image the focal point of the spread. Duh, the best images should be given the most real estate.
#5 -- Make your favorite image the focal point of the spread. Duh, the best images should be given the most real estate.
above images by Megan Alvarez Photography
#6 -- Group your images by location so that each spread tells a cohesive story. This is a great thing to keep in mind when you are shooting too. Taking a number of different photos in each location will make for a great album design!
#6 -- Group your images by location so that each spread tells a cohesive story. This is a great thing to keep in mind when you are shooting too. Taking a number of different photos in each location will make for a great album design!
above images by Leezett Photography
#7 -- Think about the color story you are telling on each spread. If there is too much going on color-wise, think about separating competing images onto separate spreads, or putting some of the images in black and white.
#7 -- Think about the color story you are telling on each spread. If there is too much going on color-wise, think about separating competing images onto separate spreads, or putting some of the images in black and white.
above images by Katelyn James Photography
#8 -- Help your design to tell a story by including a number of scene-setting spreads that set the scene for what is to come. This is another great tip to keep in mind for when you are shooting! It's not only wedding detail photographs that help make a design beautiful, think about how you can take detail shots of the location and venue to help tell the story of the day.
#8 -- Help your design to tell a story by including a number of scene-setting spreads that set the scene for what is to come. This is another great tip to keep in mind for when you are shooting! It's not only wedding detail photographs that help make a design beautiful, think about how you can take detail shots of the location and venue to help tell the story of the day.
above images by Leezett Photography
I hope you've found these tips and examples helpful!
----------> If you are overwhelmed with design and want to give outsourcing a try, click here to find out more about the design styles that Align offers. We have 3 standard design styles but can definitely customize to meet most needs, so don't hesitate to send us examples of designs you like and let us know what your preferences are, and we will design to those specifications. After you take a look at our design styles to find out which one would work best for you, click here to sign up for an account with Align. When you do so, we'll send you a free welcome gift -- our "Top 10 Most Popular Album Companies" Resource List. That way you can find out which album printing & binding companies are the most popular among photographers who use Align, and more importantly, WHY.
I hope you've found these tips and examples helpful!
----------> If you are overwhelmed with design and want to give outsourcing a try, click here to find out more about the design styles that Align offers. We have 3 standard design styles but can definitely customize to meet most needs, so don't hesitate to send us examples of designs you like and let us know what your preferences are, and we will design to those specifications. After you take a look at our design styles to find out which one would work best for you, click here to sign up for an account with Align. When you do so, we'll send you a free welcome gift -- our "Top 10 Most Popular Album Companies" Resource List. That way you can find out which album printing & binding companies are the most popular among photographers who use Align, and more importantly, WHY.
If you already have an existing Align account and want a copy of this resource guide, you're welcome to email us for a copy.
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Blog post written by: Melissa Jill
Blog post written by: Melissa Jill
Beautiful Harbor Engagement by Hello Love
We adore this album design featuring a Newport, Rhode Island engagement session by Casey Harrison of Hello Love Photography. Casey is based in the seaside town of Newburyport, Massachusetts but shoots weddings and events throughout the whole New England area. We love the romantic charm of her photography style! If you do too, you should check out some of her other albums we've previously featured on our blog!
Here are some of our favorite spreads from this engagement album:
Here are some of our favorite spreads from this engagement album:
Click through the slideshow below to view the whole album design!
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Design by: Michelle (View More) // Design style: Simple (View More) // Blog post written by: Denise
Design by: Michelle (View More) // Design style: Simple (View More) // Blog post written by: Denise
Romantic Seaside Wedding by Hello Love Photography
The fabulous Casey Harrison of Hello Love Photography is based out of Boston, Massachusetts and has been featured on our blog a number of times before. We love her work and I wanted to highlight another of her gorgeous designs today. This seaside wedding has a laid back charm and soft color palette, and the design allows the story to unfold seamlessly.
Here are a few of my favorite spreads:
Here are a few of my favorite spreads:
Stellar work once again Casey!
Take a look at the full design below:
Take a look at the full design below:
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Design by: Michelle (View More) // Design style: Classic (View More) // Blog post written by: Melissa Jill
Design by: Michelle (View More) // Design style: Classic (View More) // Blog post written by: Melissa Jill
Charming Cambridge Wedding by Hello Love Photography
Today, I'm so excited to share another design we love with photography by the talented Casey Harrison of Hello Love Photography. Casey is based out of Boston, Massechusetts and we featured another of her beautiful wedding album designs awhile back. This particular wedding appeals to me so much because it has both an old-fashion charm and a timeless quality to it. And Casey's photography just sucks you in.
There is so much about this design that I love, but here are a few of my favorite spreads:
There is so much about this design that I love, but here are a few of my favorite spreads:
Great work Casey! Thanks for allowing us to see your gorgeous work and design your albums!
Click through below to see the full design:
Click through below to see the full design:
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Design by: Michelle (View More) // Design style: Classic (View More) // Blog post written by: Melissa Jill
Design by: Michelle (View More) // Design style: Classic (View More) // Blog post written by: Melissa Jill
Fire breathing reception by Hello Love Photography
Today, I'm so excited to share another recent favorite design with you. Casey Harrison of Hello Love Photography is a talented photographer based out of Boston, Massechusetts who specializes in weddings. And you can tell from this album design, that this wedding in particular, was a special one. The ceremony was followed by the guests surprising the couple with a flash mob and the reception came complete with fire breathing dancers.
There is so much about this design that I love that it was hard to pick a favorite spread. But I'm a sucker for a good detail spread and couldn't resist highlighting this one:
There is so much about this design that I love that it was hard to pick a favorite spread. But I'm a sucker for a good detail spread and couldn't resist highlighting this one:
You'll have to click below to see the full design, including a spread dedicated to fire breathing. Love it! Great work Casey! Thanks for allowing us to see your gorgeous work and design your albums!
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Design by: Andrea (View More) // Design style: Classic (View More) // Blog post written by: Melissa Jill
Design by: Andrea (View More) // Design style: Classic (View More) // Blog post written by: Melissa Jill
