Designing a Digital Scrapbook Collection: From Idea to Release

Designers all have different ways they approach a project or collection. Some like to start with papers, others with elements, and some prefer to begin by picking colors or a theme. For me, it always starts with the illustrations. Being a big part of what I create, my illustrations pretty much dictate the theme, colors, and overall vibe of a collection.

Where the Inspiration Begins

How do I decide what to illustrate? Most of the time, the inspiration comes from simply wanting to draw something in the moment. Sometimes, I’m in the mood to create a chicken; other times, I want to bring a cryptid monster to life. Once I decide what character I want to create, I think about how it can apply to a scrapbook theme. I enjoy taking things a bit out of the box and playing with puns. For example, my Believe in Yourself collection stemmed from my love of aliens, UFOs, and cats. I had always wanted to illustrate them, and when I finally took the plunge, I decided to make it about self-belief rather than just space or extraterrestrials. This allowed the collection to resonate with anyone at any time in their life—a fun way to document personal stories and memories.

Bringing the Collection to Life

Once I have a solid concept with illustrations, I move on to colors that complement the characters and the vibe of the collection. After finalizing the theme, colors, and overall concept, I dive into the creative process.

1. Illustrations First
   • I start by creating the characters and other non-dimensional elements. These set the mood and bring the collection to life.
2. Patterned Papers
   • My second favorite part of the process! I love designing a mix of staple patterns alongside theme-specific designs. My goal is to balance versatility with fun, ensuring the papers can be used for a variety of projects.
3. Pocket Cards
   • I design a single pack that includes a mix of journaling cards and decorative cards for titles or layering. I ensure there’s a balance between functionality and aesthetic appeal.
4. 6×8 and Traveler’s Notebook (TN) Papers
   • These papers align with the style of the pocket cards, offering a variety of designs that help build an album while remaining versatile for one-off projects.
5. Alphas
   • I create a set of three alphas, ensuring they can be used individually or mixed for a fun, unique title style. Their design naturally evolves from the overall theme and style of the collection.

The Final Steps

Once all parts of the collection are created, I move into the technical side of things:

• Preparing print-friendly files for those who love to print their digital items.
• Creating preview images to showcase the collection.

And just like that, the collection is complete! It’s a long but rewarding process—except maybe the previewing part (but that’s a story for another time!).

Through this process, each collection takes on a life of its own, reflecting my passions and creativity while offering scrapbookers unique ways to document their memories.