Today's Tip - Rule of Thirds

Like all visual arts, scrapbooking is based on some basic design principles such as:

• The Visual Triangle;
• Repetition;
• The Rule of Thirds; and,
• The Rule of Odds.

The rule of thirds makes use of a natural tendency of the human eye to be more strongly drawn towards certain parts of an image.  Imagine it as an imaginary tic-tac-toe board (grid) drawn across an image to break it into nine equal squares. The four points where these lines intersect are strongest focal points. The lines themselves are the second strongest focal points.


To use the rule of thirds you need to imagine the grid on your layout and work from these points and lines.  Which point, or line, you place your subject on does matter. While any of the points/lines will add emphasis to your subject, some are stronger than others.


When an object is alone in an image, the strongest position is the left hand line. An exception to this is for cultures where information is read right to left, in those cases the right hand line will be strongest.