July 23, 2008
Do You Scrapbook to the Left or the Right?
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No it’s not a political question.
I was browsing through my scrapbook albums the other day, as you do. And I suddenly realised that in most of my scrapbook layouts I tend to position my photo towards the left side of the page.
And when I started to think a bit more about it, I realised that my first instinct is always to do that.
Obviously some photos pretty much dictate whether they should be placed on the right or the left. You don’t want your subject looking off into the space outside your layout. But for all the photos that are, shall we say, ambivalent, I tend to design the layout with them on the left.
In fact I can remember occasions where I have made a deliberate effort to design my scrapbook layout with the photo on the right side, just to try to even things up a bit.
And although I can certainly do it. I find it’s much more comfortable for me to design to the left side of the layout.
Now it just so happens that I am left handed. Yep, a south-paw, a molly-dooker, a cack-hander.
So I wondered if this has something to do with it.
Do you find that you tend to scrapbook to either the right or the left when you design your layouts? And if you do, does it correspond with whichever hand you favour?
Maybe this is a potential area for research. I wonder if I could apply for a Government grant????
PS. Credits to Thao Cosgrove for her gorgeous Art Journal Kit. A longstanding favourite of mine
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7 Responses to “Do You Scrapbook to the Left or the Right?”
Interesting question! I am right handed and in looking through my gallery, I would have to say that I also have a lot of photos on the left (if they are single-photo layouts or page 1 of a 2 pager) but I do have a lot on the right as well, placement often being determined by the direction the subject faces as you mentioned. However, a lot of my layouts start from templates so that could say that a lot of templates are designed with the photo on the left, though I often flip my templates to suit my photos! Perhaps it has something to do with the way we read from left to right? In layouts with two or three photos, I often group them with the largest on the left as if starting a sentence with a capital letter!
By DreamScrapper on Jul 24, 2008
That’s an interesting point Dreamscrapper. I hadn’t considered the reading from right to left thing before. I wonder if that’s why my comfort zone is to the left and not because I am left handed. I look forward to reading what other scrapbookers think about this.
karoochs last blog post..Do You Scrapbook to the Left or the Right?
By karooch on Jul 24, 2008
I read from left to right so I usually set up my page accordingly.
By Laura on Jul 24, 2008
Definitely a right hand side person here. Most of my layouts start with the pic on the right. After I realize that I’m doing the same thing again, I change the position of the picture. It’s hard though as I often “see” the finished layout in my mind and I have to start thinking again when I move the pic to the left.
Working at a newspaper - and after doing some marketing courses - I’ve learned that it’s best to put the important subject on the right side of the paper. Whether it’s an item in a catalogue that you want to sell well or the ads in a newspaper.
Scientific research showed that a majority of people always read the right page of a magazine first, then switch to the left page. When looking at a page the Z direction is most frequently used by readers.
Does this mean that my scrapbooking is scientific? Well, not consciously anyway
Antoinettes last blog post..Building Blocks Freebie
By Antoinette on Jul 26, 2008
I can’t make up my mind if it’s because i read from right to left or because ‘m left handed that I prefer the left for my photos Laura.
And now it turns out there’s a whole bunch of science behind this that I had no idea about. Thanks a lot for sharing some of the professional ’secrets’ Antoinette. I’ll never just slap my photo down unthinkingly again.
By karooch on Jul 27, 2008
What an interesting question, I am also a south paw, but I tend to favour the main pic etc on the right. Like Antoinette I have a background in newspapers and advertising and the right hand pages at the front of the paper have higher prices. I was trained to put the main focus of the ad in the right or in the classic Z. Next time you pick up a paper or magazine see which side you are drawn to when just ‘flicking through’
Again a great question
Jennifer
By Jennifer on Jul 29, 2008
Yes I do look at the right side of a magazine first Jennifer, But I always thought that was because I flick with my left hand, from the back rather than the front. I never realised it was universal.
By karooch on Jul 29, 2008