Page Layout: Make It Engaging - Wandering Leaves Studio

How do I create a pleasing page layout?

This is a question that I see often from beginners who are tentative about getting out there with their nature journal. They do a few pages and they’re really unhappy with the way it comes out.

There’s no pre-planning involved.

Are you ready to start creating Nature Journal pages with a little forethought? Here are a few basic rules that you can follow to help you create pages you’ll love.

Page Layout Using The Golden Ratio

The first rule that we should pay attention to is Fibonacci sequence. The Fibonacci sequence is a mathematical formula that defines the shape and the pattern of everything that we see in nature, including people. Since we see these patterns in our everyday existence, it’s very pleasing to our eye.

Almost everything in nature follows the mathematical formula of the Fibonacci sequence

The Fibonacci sequence is a complex mathematical formula but artists, photographers, and graphic designers use what’s called the ‘Golden Ratio’.

‘The Golden Ratio’ is a simplified version of the Fibonacci sequence that we can use as Nature Journalers to get that ‘pleasing to the eye’ effect. Simply divide your rectangular page into nine equal sections; three by three.

Any place where those lines intersect is a great place to put a focal point. You should, in general, avoid putting anything smack dab in the center of a page. That center positioning tends to create kind of a dead spot in your page.

Instead, what you want is to create little pockets of interest in multiple different spaces on your page. Placing your sketches and text blocks on the line intersections or even stretching them along the lines will give you the kind of interesting Nature Journal page you’re trying to create.

Little pockets of interest sit on the lines — nothing sits exactly in the center of the page

Face the Center

Here’s another compositional thing that you should think about. Say you’re drawing a bird and you’ve decided to put him on the left hand side of your page. He should be facing forward or to the right — the center. Why? When you have faces, whether it’s a person, a bird, or even a flower facing into the center of your page, they’re seen as part of that page.

To our brains, it appears as though they’re looking at the rest of the page — and enticing the viewer to do the same. They lead your eye to bounce around between different elements, back and forth and stay on the page. If, however, you have them facing outwards away from the page, it leads the viewer’s eye off of the page — following their gaze to see what they’re looking at! (We are curious by nature!) You want to avoid that most of the time unless you are trying to create a specific look for that page.

‘Faces’ face the center of the page! See how your eye bounces back and forth between the birds?

Odd Numbers

An oddity about the way our brain perceives things: we are especially pleased with things that are arranged in odd numbers! We are particularly fond of things that come in threes.

Use this to your advantage when planning your page layout! Arrange the sketches on your page in groups of 3 or 5.

Our brains are really pleased with elements in groups of 3

Using the Triangle in Your Page Layout

Another compositional trick to keep your eye bouncing around the page: triangular placement. In other words, put your main page components in a triangular arrangement around your page. If you’re using the magic of 3 elements on a page, you’ve automatically got a triangle!

The sketches should all face the center of the page. Bonus points if your sketches kind of face each other in a diagonal arrangement. This causes your eye to bounce around the page, taking in every detail.

The Importance of Negative Space

Last but not least, let’s take a quick look at negative space. Negative space is a place or places on your page where there are no words, and no pictures. It’s a resting place; a spot for your eyes to take a break for just a second. It should be carefully placed so that it doesn’t cause your eye to bounce right off the page! Without negative space, your eyes and brain quickly become overwhelmed. The viewer isn’t sure where to look! Negative space can be a very powerful element on your page — make sure to include some.

Don’t crowd your images too closely — a bit of negative space creates a resting spot for they eye.

Phew! That’s quite a bit of information to absorb! Don’t let the overwhelm get the better of you. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel yourself. Inspiration for page layouts is everywhere!

Finding Inspiration for Page Layouts

Look to the graphic designers and artists who’ve already done the heavy lifting for you! In other words, pick up some magazines, copy the way they have words and pictures laid out on their pages. They know what they’re doing. They know how to make your eyes bounce around the page. Check out a few graphic novels (modern-day comic books) from your local library to see how they pair pictures and words together.

Creating dynamic, engaging Nature Journal pages is within your reach! Choose to incorporate one or two of these compositional rules on your pages and make them pop!

New to Nature Journaling? Grab your Free copy of my Quick-Start Guide to Nature Journaling from the Freebies Library!

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