I am going to order a sample album from Artefect Studios. This is my first album design, and I want it to look good because I will be showing this to clients. So any comments would be GREAT!

It is in order here:
http://flickr.com/photos/creativelychallen...57605942274882/

I am no album design genius so take it with a grain of salt..

What is your goal with this album? To show a variety of work? Personally, I don't think that this is the way to do it. I could be off base, but the first thing I kind of feel with your album is "Nice images.. but I don't GET it".. The album doesn't tell me anything.

What I have is a regular photo album with 4x6 slots that I have printed out a large variety of sessions, and then I have a wedding album. I also plan on doing some cute mini bridal albums as well. I personally find it much more harmonious to have one storyline in an album, perhaps like a sample wedding album, a sample sign-in book, and then a bunch of prints of some of your favorite images.

If I was a potential client, a full storyline album would be far more impact to me. You know? I also feel like the way the album is laid out is a little disjointed for my taste. Maybe a little busy. Again, that may come down to personal taste.

I think asking what you want the album to convey is a big one. I can also give you feedback on the various layouts, but this post is already long enough..

The point of it is not a flow but to show clients a variety and what album design is. These are not popular or typical in this area and they want to see a variety of things. Eventually I hope to get a wedding, engagment, etc. one individually for each different aspect but this is just a free album to see how Artefect is and for clients to see what album design in. Does that explain better? It's to market to all of my different clients. I can show them the different seniors if they are a senior client, the different engagements for engagement, the bridal if they want bridal, or the weddings if they are a wedding client.

Good start, Heather. Considering the page layouts themselves (not the sequence or the story they're telling - or not), I think you could bring more focus to the images in the layouts by giving them some more space...(white or other light color) space around each image. I see several pages where you got 3 or 4 images arranged together with no borders and no space between them. That's useful sometimes in a 'filmstrip' kind of sequence such as a bride and groom walking through the park...but, in this case, it's not especially a good visual trip for me.

Thanks I will go back and give some space. I was kind of torn. I kept adding space then not adding space, the going through it again. I guess I need space :-D

Hi Heather,

I think have a nice start to a really good idea! I think , though, that even with this kink of concept you need some kind of consistency. I would try to pull it together with either a consistent tone, or a design element.

Keep in mind, if you are introducing a new concept, you may want to keep it simple so that people understand that their book will have a consistency to it.

Try to keep to what you know will look best with most events or a style that you would like to focus on. Too much diversity might be confusing, rather than show a range of capability.

Hope that helps.

Well said I think that is part of what I wanted to communicate as well. Perhaps a similar design aesthetic across all the pages will help?

Any idea what kind of theme I could carry? I full understand what you guys are saying but I don't have any clue what to use to carry it out.

I added some more space and stuff do they look better?