Clean, crisp, minimal layouts
 

Let's talk about these. I am a major layerer and clusterer (love those made up words) and I do really love that style but, I have major envy over the artists that can create beautiful simple, minimalistic layouts. I have tried doing them many times but always fail miserably. I just can not stop putting layers on. It is like it physically pains me to not to do it.

So, I was wondering a few things:
My fellow artists who do lots of layering, are you able to do the minimalist layout here and there to?
And for everyone, link me up to a few of your fave minimalist layouts so I can drool on them. ;)

I love this one by totallyme11
https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com...ta/500/264.jpg

I wish I could do this - I think it looks amazing - but I can't stay away from the elements part of a kit :D

This is about as minimal as I can go....

https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com...ited-2-web.jpg

I generally keep mine pretty simple

https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com...-girls-web.jpg

https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com...00/war-web.jpg

https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com...od-day-web.jpg

Hmmm I struggle with them. I'm not sure if I've done a page like that lol. I'm going to check through my gallery when I'm on the laptop soon.

I struggle with them too, NeeNee. I don't try very often, because I just know it's not my strong suit. I sure do drool over the layouts that other gals do, though. One thing that helps me sometimes is to use a template from Janet. They are very clean and simple and are a good way to get the photos and papers on in a pleasing way. And, then you can just add a few little touches.

Yeah, looking back over all my LOs, I think I'm pretty incapable of minimal. BUT, some of my favorite scrappers have a minimal style. But I think it can be very impactful and beautiful.

I think I'm capable of both... if I have a wonderful photo that I want to highlight without pulling attention away from it with all kinds of "stuff", then I go minimal. If I have several photos that tell a story then I tend to go more layered. Both styles catch my eye when going through galleries.

Sometimes though, I look at a layout and wonder where the heck the photo is because it's buried behind all kinds of stuff... and then I marvel at how the artist was able to layer all those layers so skillfully.

Here is a favorite minimalist of mine:
https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com...ton---2007.jpg

A few years ago I had a very minimalist style. But after I started layering more, there was no going back. I can look at other people's minimal layouts and be wowed by them, but when I try it it just looks plain.

I feel the exact same way as you, Nee Nee! I totally admire scrappers who can pull off minimalist. I, on the other hand, struggle big time with "editing" myself. Sometimes when I'm doing a LO, it's almost like a personal challenge to see how much of the kit I can include on my page! :p

I've found that the ONLY way I can come close to pulling off minimalist is with a template to guide me. Here's one I did recently that I liked...but could never in a million years done without the temp! ;)

https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com...Me_WEB_low.jpg

I can't do minimal. I've tried and it's always a FAIL. lol

I certainly wouldn't consider myself a minimalist scrapper, but I'm not a huge one or layering either. I actually find it harder to do a layout like yours than one super simple. That being said...I usually have a few layers though!!! Clustering is actually hard for me to do.

Some that are more of my minimal type pages:

https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com...tCandy_web.jpg

https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com...MyLife_web.jpg

https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com...eamer_web1.jpg

and this one is as minimal as I've ever done!!

http://www.the-lilypad.com/gallery/data/514/You_web.jpg

Those are gorgeous Debra!

i struggle. hard core...
they usually take me twice as long as a 'laura' layout.

here's some i've done though.
http://www.digishoptalk.com/gallery/...0/11-11-11.jpg

http://www.digishoptalk.com/gallery/...s-precious.jpg

http://www.digishoptalk.com/gallery/...-so-sweet4.jpg

http://www.digishoptalk.com/gallery/...uary-belle.jpg

i don't do them often though...

I love crisp and clean (I have always loved Cathy Z's style and her books), and I want desperately to do it, but I can't quite pull it off. I just like embellishments a bit too much; and when my layouts are too crisp and clean, they look naked to me. LOL.

However, I do think my layouts are photo and journal focused, in that, for the most part, I hope my embellishments don't take center stage and overwhelm the photos and the journaling.

I looked through my gallery, and here are the simplest layouts I can find in my SSD gallery, which aren't that minimal--
https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com...ed_for_web.jpg

https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com...rs_for_web.jpg

I've only made one.....and I think it's one of my favorites!! I wish I were able to do more like this!!!
https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com...ghtersweb1.jpg

What I consider minimal is not the same as what others consider minimal as I've found out along my digi journey. :) I cannot do the ultra cluster layouts at all, but I will throw in some mini clusters on layouts if I feel like it's appropriate.

I would consider this one minimal:
https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com...ewhitesofa.jpg

However, I would not consider this one minimal. Clean, yes. But I think others would think this was a simple layout as there are no clusters here and not much layering.
https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com...4-sundevil.jpg

I think what some consider simple/minimal is not what I see as minimal. For me minimal is pretty much photo focused with maybe some journaling, not much in the way of embellishment or layering. Here are a few of mine I think might fit that:

https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com..._word_2012.jpg

https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com...id_moments.jpg

https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com...y_mr_fixit.jpg

I use templates pretty much 100% of the time now so if I am looking to do simple I look for a cleaner template and if I want something more layered/clustery I look for that type of template. I finally just embraced that having the basic lines layed out for me for placement made me want to scrap more and I liked what I did more.

Oh definitely...everyone's idea of simple, minimal or clean isn't the same.

A really minimal layout to me is totally a CathyZ style. I LOVE hers...but I've never been able to achieve a look like that.

Laura...LOL...yes, those are totally minimal for you!! You're a cluster queen like Neenee!! Love them...so pretty!

Tracie...:wub: thank you!!

Neenee...do you mean minimal like this?

http://ozone.oscraps.com/gallery/dat...Love_you_F.jpg

or this?

http://ozone.oscraps.com/gallery/data/1192/70468263.jpg

(both layouts by timounette)

yeah...I can't do them. I need to take better photographs first, and second, I'd have to forget all about elements....only buy paper packs and maybe an element pack or two. That would be hard!!!

Im not a fan of minimalist type LO's. I think a lot of them are beautiful but it just bugs me to have all of that white space. I want the page FILLED- plain and simple.

I love mimimalistic LO's, but it is just not me. I struggle really hard so I had to give it up. It took me like forever to make a page. I love these 2 pages I created thou.

http://www.digishoptalk.com/gallery/..._Touch_SFW.jpg

http://www.digishoptalk.com/gallery/...hining_SFW.jpg

I'm definitely closer to clean and simple than clustering, but most of mine are somewhere in between. These areprobably two that are closest to clean & simple:
https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com...nate_Event.jpg


https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com..._j_465x600.jpg

Here's one from me that I think is the closest. I have a few others (but not with SSD products).

https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com...-Robot-Web.jpg

I can do it, I don't know that I am good at it though. This is one that I think of a minimal:

https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com...de_and_Joy.jpg

I love it, but I also love using lots of stuff. :)

Oh wow, these are some awesome pages. Swoon.

I see both as minimal actually.....To me, anything less than about 15 layers on the page is minimal. LOL Cuz I typically have about 75 layers or more on my pages. :p Let me take a quick look through my gallery....I am curious if I have ever loaded anything that I have attempted with this style.....

Yeah, I think I've done exactly one layout that could be considered minimilist. I don't dislike the look, I'm just too tempted by elements to stop myself! I really adore the layered/clustered look.

Ok, nope....nothing in my gallery.
These really are beautiful. I guess I appreciate them so much because I can't do them. I like a challenge but, this is one I have never been able to conquer. I think I will just keep drooling over them and let the artists who are good at them rock them out!

I struggle to do any clustering and I can guarantee if you see one in my gallery, I'm using a template. I simply cannot cluster. It is so foreign to me. Left to my own devices, I'd just use cardstock and fonts on every layout. I love the patterned paper and some elements (but not many) but I cannot use those things without some kind of guide.

Here's some fairly simple layouts from my gallery:

https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com...d_mybooboo.jpg

https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com...und_grampy.jpg

https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com...brightstar.jpg

This is what I think of as Cathy Z's look!

I can't do minimal, it's just impossible for me LOL!

Kim & Celeste are my minimal idols, they do some awesome stuff.

Here are a couple of mine:
https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com...72010-copy.jpg

https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com...010Nov-JBb.jpg

https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com...racemom-co.jpg

I really can not do them, but I am ok with that because it just does not appeal to me, for my pages. I can definitely appreciate the beauty of a minimalist page done by someone else, though.

This is me 100%, too.

So many pretty pages in this thread, though!

I have to chime in and say that I ADORE minimalist layouts. I too struggle making them. I don't think I have any that are minimalistic style cause I don't think I can pull it off. But I want, some day. :) These layouts shown on this thread are gorgeous!!!

I too am in the camp of not-quite-minimal but not-uber-layered either. I LOVE Cindy's templates because they have so many layers and cluster points but they take me forever too because I have such a hard time with getting everything balanced and such. Janet's templates are more my everyday style and although I know some people can use them and totally cluster them up, I usually end up with a few elements and am happy. I wish I was quicker at the clusters/layers and such but its not how my brain works I guess. But at the same time I can't have NO elements either! So I'm a middle man.

Here's one of my favorite minimalistic LOs:
https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com...ymcahomex2.jpg
https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com...d-home&cat=500

OK I just made this to test this out and it was way hard to not use a bunch of gorgeous elements in the kit (Julie's new kit by the way) and this is what I came up with. I have to say that I really do like it. I don't think I quite pulled it off as minimalistic, but, it's a start and I do like it. :)

https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com...on600.jpg?2225

This is me too. I'm notorious about once I use a kit, it goes onto my EHD to be forgotten, so I want to make USE of it. Just using a few items seems wasteful to me, but sometimes less can be exquisitely more! I guess since I'm not that great of a photographer, I tend to layer on the goodies to make it "pretty." I also have to remind myself that in the end, I'm doing this for ME. Whether or not my kids will dig that cluster 20 years from now doesn't really matter. If I like it, then that's all that matters.

Here's probably the last "minimal" layout I did and when I think of minimal I think of few elements, but even then I had to fill up my white space with paper:
https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com...le-Bwankie.jpg

Oh yes....Miss Kim and Celeste!! Two galleries I LOVE!!!

this is my kind of scrapping though would love to get into more clustery type layouts soon

https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com...n-the-sand.jpg

https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com.../two-ticks.jpg

I haven't scrapped or even been around in ages, life is nuts....but I scrap "small" when I do scrap. I can't scrap pages with big pictures or elements at all LOL

Here are some I've done

https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com.../sweetboy1.jpg

https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com...fallfamily.jpg

https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com...thatmatter.jpg

i'm mostly minimal. and i adore miss kim's gallery. i find her style so bold.

here are a few...
https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com..._live_here.jpg

https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com..._PORTFOLIO.jpg

https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com...a/511/lila.jpg

I have done some... they just take me FOREVER to complete for exactly the same reason... I think part of the key to making it outstanding is good photography... I LOVE CathyZ's clean magazine design style of scrapping... but I think part of what makes her pages stand out is the fact that her pictures are outstanding and she has such a great sense of design concepts... I took her design class and seriously LOVED it!!!

I also love Celeste's gallery :wub:


here's a few that I've done... again, they took me tons longer than my normal clustery stuff LOL
https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com...ily-13-600.jpg

https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com...unshineweb.jpg

I am a fairly eclectic scrapper (and designer LOL) but here are a few of my more minimal pages -

https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com...sisachoice.jpg

https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com...011_smores.jpg

https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com...leasterfun.jpg

I find that I do more and more minimalist pages - I still love layers, but I am changing more and more - I have not posted here in a while - but here are 2 more recent -

http://www.the-lilypad.com/gallery/d...-Love-you3.jpg


https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com...ever-love3.jpg

I LOVE Kim and Jaime but here are a few of mine
https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com...AbbyPeyton.jpg
https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com...AbbyPeyton.jpg

I think they are gorgeous but I just can't seem to stop adding stuff to my layout. :( I do love oogling them though!

^^ This is so me.. ;)

And THIS - this is amazing! Wow! Total minimal envy going on over here! If I tried this, it would just look like I never finished it.. Really beautiful work, Kim! :wub:

https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com...brightstar.jpg

These are as close as I come..

https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com...arry-on-sm.jpg

https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com...1-enjoy-sm.jpg
{not my fave ever, but I wanted to focus on the photo}

https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com...111-you_me.jpg
{I'd consider this one a stretch on the minimalistic scale.. but I tried.... :D)

i guess i'm the opposite. its hard for me to put on a ton of layers lol. here are a few of my pages

https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com...0/spring27.jpg

this one has a few more layers on it but still fairly simple
https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com.../631/YOU28.jpg

https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com.../sisters27.jpg

i have not been scrapping a lot lately. probably because i havent been taking photos either.