Many of our readers have asked for help with page titles so I (Katie) am excited to share some of my favorite ideas with you today. I actually enjoy thinking up titles for my layouts and it usually isn’t too difficult for me to do so. For those of you who fear this task, I want to assure you that it will get easier with a few simple tricks and a little practice.

I have to admit that I haven’t always included a title on every page, but in looking back through my own gallery I have come to realize that it does put an important finishing touch on a layout. Ideally, the job of the title is to draw the viewer in to make them want to learn more about what you are showing them.

Van photos from istockphoto High Fidelity kit by Cori Gammon,
Title-ography Graphic Titles by Shawna Clingerman,

I love big bold titles as an attention getter. Don’t you want to know why these vans are “rockin”? The title is a good introduction to the story told through photographs and journaling. You can read my full journaling here if you are interested.

The title doesn’t have to be a huge focal point of the page. Sometimes, it is more like a finishing touch.

Shabby Princess Giggle Box, Bree Clarkson template, LD elementary font

The title is what pulls this layout together. The embellishment buttons describe fun and silliness. The picture is a goofy one, and the journaling is about my silly daughter. The title helps the viewer center in on the theme of the page. The page would look unfinished without it.

The real challenge for many scrappers is coming up with a title, especially for event pages like birthdays or vacations. It is easy to just slap the word “birthday” on a page and call it done. With a little extra thought, you can make the page more interesting. Instead of going for the obvious title, use a little creativity to catch the viewer’s attention.

Darcy Baldwin Template, Anne DeJong Ribbon, Papers by Katie the Scrapbook Lady, fonts are Textura Traced by Fontologie and Century Gothic

I could have easily titled this layout “Jazz Game”, but I tried to convey the excitement of a really unusual Jazz game experience. We actually got to meet coaches and players and had our pictures taken with them. It was a once in a lifetime experience! (You can read my journaling here if you are interested. I brainstormed about the uses of the word “Jazz” and once I thought of being “jazzed”, it all just clicked!

Ali Edwards layered template,”Treemendous” from After Five Designs. Fonts are Hootie and CK Good Day.

This photo just makes me giggle, and I love the memory behind it. We were doing some Christmas shopping at IKEA and we arrived before the store was officially open so we had to wait for them to drop the rope. My husband had the idea to pose as if waiting for the start of a race and our kids were completely willing to play along! Instead of counting down to a race with “Ready, Set, Go!” I used the title “Ready, Set, Shop!” to introduce the scene.

There are times when your title can and should be straightforward. I personally like to title at least the introductory layout of a vacation (if there are more pages than a 2 page spread) with the name of the location visited. After all, that is the subject of the layout!

Template by Janet Phillips, Papery flowers by Anne DeJong, Papers by Katie the Scrapbook Lady,Animal Kingdom graphic from internet.

There really is no reason to title this layout about our trip to the Animal Kingdom with any other witty phrase. The page is simply about the Animal Kingdom park and that is enough to engage the audience.

School pages are another topic where titles can be fairly basic. If you are doing a layout about your son’s 1st grade school experience, it’s perfectly ok to title it “First Grade”.

Back 2 School by Mari Koegelenberg and Melissa Wilson. Template by Ali Edwards. Font is CK journaling.

If you are doing several pages about 1st grade though, you will want to get a little more creative. Think about what the individual page (or 2 page spread) is about and use that as inspiration for your title.

Back 2 School by Mari Koegelenberg and Melissa Wilson. Template by Janet Phillips. Fonts are Fontologie Printing Primer and CK journaling.

When you are scrapping multiple layouts for one event or topic, it’s helpful to think of your beginning page title as the title of a book, and the subsequent pages as chapter titles within that book.

There are many ways to add titles to a scrapbook page to make it more meaningful and interesting. I have developed a few tips and tricks that help me when I need to

Katie’s list of Ten Terrific Title Tips:

1. Start simple. If your page is about an event, a vacation, or a special occasion, consider using the built in title that is already inherent in the page. Tell the “where” or the “what” of the layout.
2. Write your journaling first, or at least think about what you plan to say. Often the title comes to me after I write down the thoughts I want to share. Sometimes you can simply repeat one of the sentences of your journaling or take a few key words from what you have written to use as a page title.
3. Explain the page as if you weren’t going to give any other explanation. Even if you weren’t going to add any other journaling, would it be clear what your page is about? Can you add a title that would make the subject obvious?
4. Imagine your page hanging in an art gallery. What would it be titled? Would it make sense to the viewer?
5. Imagine your page as a book, or a chapter in a book. What would the title be? Would you want to read more based on that title?
6. Hand the page to someone else. Give your layout to a spouse, a child, or a friend and ask them for title ideas. You might be surprised at what they come up with!
7. Give it some time. Sometimes, I just have to put the page away for awhile if I’m stumped for ideas. When I come back to it with a fresh start, I often think of something I missed before.
8. Borrow an idea. Look through online galleries. Browse title ideas at sites like scrapbook.com or two peas.
9. Use catch-phrases, song titles, or quotes to inspire a title. Be careful to explain the meaning through your journaling though, as future generations might not catch the reference to a song popular in our time.
10. Have fun! It’s a scrapbook page, so don’t make yourself miserable trying to come up with the world’s most amazing title. Just be yourself and say what you would tell a friend who was looking at the page with you.

P.S. THANKS to Amy for taking time to comment in Janet’s post yesterday!  She just won a $10 GC to Janet’s store at SSD!

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