Exploring styles: Clash of the patterns

As you know, I haven't quite found my style yet. This happens when you are afflicted with the Shiny Object Syndrome. *LOL* But I do know that I love patterned papers. They are my go-to supply when I feel uninspired. They just make me happy. Last month, we explored the minimalist style. Shall we explore the clash of the patterns today? *winks*

Vary the visual weight of the patterns.

In design, visual weight relates to how heavy elements in a design are, relative to each other. Darker colours tend to be heavier so we tend use them in small doses. They are great for creating visual contrast and drawing attention to important elements. 

In this layout, the black from the men's suits and the scallop border are used to keep the focus on the photos. The colourful polka-dotted paper, with the small patterns and lighter colours, takes up less visual weight and is used to break up the "heaviness" of the red houndstooth paper. The buttons and paper blooms add small doses of colour to create interest.

Use textures to soften a pattern.

Here the background paper was really loud and bright. Adding some lace helped to tone it down and soften the pattern. Adding elements of different textures like the pearls and buttons help to create visual harmony.

Keep to the same colour family.

It is easy to mix and match patterns within the same colour family. I mixed several collections of American Crafts and Pebbles patterned papers in this layout. 




Keep patterns within a visual triangle.

Here I mixed patterned papers from 4 different paper manufacturers. The background woodgrain patterned paper is subtle and serves as "white space".  The black bow and the two stamped images form a visual triangle where the bulk of the patterns are.

So, what do you think? Do you like mixing patterns? Let me know in the comments section. :)