Another Die-Cut Design For Men

Welcome to the last of my four die-cut designs for men. All four cards have been designed around a common theme using simple die-cut shapes but they all use various different aspects of design theory. If you look back over the month at each of the cards I have posted on the last four Monday then you can see some of the usual card design principles such as the use of colour, or the placement of elements. But this card is a little different.

On first look at this design it might look a little discordant, but it still works and there is still a design harmony in this project. One of my favourite design tools that I use regularly for my card making is reflected colour. Repeat a colour or the shade and tone of a colour in several places on a card brings harmony to a design. You probably use it yourself regularly, without even realising that you are doing it, it is a very popular design tool.

But I've not repeated the colours for this design. However, I have used a repeat, it just isn't an immediately obvious one. Look again and you will start to see repeated motifs, which is another great design tool that many of us use again and again. The geometric shapes with the diamond pattern, the chevron and the star; the repeated circle motif of the dots, rounded rectangle corners and the die-cut disc of the star. If you really look you start to see them.

Obviously it helps using a paper pack where a designer has already curated the colours and motifs so that they will work well together but don't be afraid to utilise that work that someone else has already done and play with it in your own design work. Build your confidence using paper packs and then you will start seeing design elements everywhere and start curating your own colour combos and design motifs.

If you have missed the other three cards in this series than you can find them by clicking on the pictures below.

Card designing is fun isn't it?

So what design theory tools do you find yourself using again and again in your cardmaking?

Kim





Come And Connect With Me:

YouTube

Instagram

My Shop

Join My Newsletter!

Facebook

Pinterest

Twitter

More Card Ideas For Men

Time for my third card in this card designs for men series. If you have missed it I have been posting a card designed for a man on Monday for the last two weeks, but, as I said in the first post of this series they really don't need to be designs just for men, you can use them for women too!

All the cards I've been sharing so far were made for the same commission, so there is a theme weaving these cards together into a set. The theme can be seen in the patterned paper I've used, so the colour palette, and they are all heavily using die-cut elements.

I use stars a lot in my cards. For me, stars in my cardmaking are a bit like hearts in my art journaling, they are my easy-go-to motif for finishing a design. No matter how much I try to break out of the star-using or heart-using rut I still return to them as design elements again and again.

They are one of my favourite elements, I actually have to stop myself using them as I use them so much, I just can't help myself! But I think they are particularly useful for this type of simple design, where I have not really used anything other than some die-cut shapes and patterned paper. For me I feel the stars give the card design some focus.

Actually, now I come to think about it I think circles are another one of my most over-used design elements in both my cardmaking and my art journalling!

So what are your easy-go-to motifs for your cardmaking or other creative projects? What shapes do you find yourself drawn towards over and over again?

Kim



Come And Connect With Me:

YouTube

Instagram

My Shop

Join My Newsletter!

Facebook

Pinterest

Twitter

Another Birthday Card Design For Men

If you happened by my blog last Monday I shared a male cards in my 'Die-cut Cards for Men' blog post, as well as my general anxiety about calling things either male or female! This week I have another share from the same set of cards that I made for a commission earlier in the year. It is also a male card, and I am still conflicted about calling it that but I do feel better by the fact that it again has the man in question's name on it, so I can't really call it anything else!

I've gone for a simple design again for this card, but well, I think that is the way I role, particularly when I am trying to get things done for deadlines! Also I quite like the challenge of designing with very few elements and when you have a 'busy' paper like the one I used for this range of cards, you can get away with letting the papers speak for themselves.

Die-cutting is perfect for this type of card and I've used a star die with the Stitched Rectangles from My Favorite Things Die-namics range. There is a little bit of dimension as I have used a thin foam pad to stick the shapes to the card front but I tried to keep it flat to keep the cost down for the client if they wanted to send it by post.

Come back next Monday for another male card in this range.

Kim




Come And Connect With Me:

YouTube

Instagram

My Shop

Join My Newsletter!

Facebook

Pinterest

Twitter

Die-cut Cards For Men

I often um and ah about labelling my card designs specifically for men or women. Cardmakers often talk about cards for men or cards for women, but I try to be a bit nebulous about it, if I can, when I share my makes. Because, well, I will be honest, I often LOVE cards that have supposedly been made with men in mind and sometimes I even love them more than some cards that are labeled for women. So, really, do we have to label them?

Although, having said that, this card is definitely a card for a male person, I mean look, it even has his name on it! I can't really get away with being nebulous about it. This is a man's card, made for a man by a women, so I'm still not really sure if a man likes it or what makes it a 'man's' card, but I like it and I hope that is enough!

And for any Marvel fans out there can you guess the superhero inspiration for the design for this one? Do you see it? I mean it is obvious right? Answers on a postcard to...

I do have some other cards for men using die-cuts, that I made for the same commission, to share with you over the next few weeks and again, I know they are for men as they have their names on them too!

So what makes a man's or a women's card for you? What sort of themes or colours do you go for or avoid when you design a card for a man or a women? Or perhaps I should ask what are your favourite cards that you receive and then let me know if you are male or female!

Oh and if you can't see which Marvel superhero, shout and I will let you know.

Catch you later.

Kim

Come And Connect With Me:

YouTube

Instagram

My Shop

Join My Newsletter!

Facebook

Pinterest

Twitter