Color challenge

Some layouts are challenging because of their content; some for design. Others present color challenges.

I came upon these two photos and wanted to put them on the same page since they represent a time in Daughter's life when she was seemingly on the phone all the time. (Those of you with teenagers can understand this!) But the plaid couch and the periwinkle t-shirt in Photo #1 plus the brown tones in Photo #2 presented a major color issue. Sometimes the easiest solution is to re-print the photos in black and white, but time is of the essence for me these days, so I decided to try to make the colors work.

In addition to the color problem, one photo was vertical and one was horizontal, presenting a small design challenge.

My first step was to cut both photos to 4x4, which eliminated the design issue and also helped a little bit with the color issue, since most of the maroon pillow in Photo #1 was now gone.

Next, I looked for a color scheme which would somehow link the two photos. One approach I often use in challenging color situations is to rely on neutrals, as I did here with the dark brown background and white mat. I chose two other colors (olive and periwinkle) to work with the brown and represent both photos.

I chose a simple block design in order to incorporate punched circles in two shades of olive and dark brown which tie the color scheme together.

Gosh, life would be so much easier if people would choose clothing to match their surroundings!