Planning and Design

Designing your display will be much easier if, before you put saw and paintbrush to wood, you take the time to design your display on paper. Develop a plot plan of your yard which includes accurate placement of the house, gardens and other landscape features. The choice of display areas will be influenced by the existing landscape. Incorporating your design into the landscape will result in a more attractive whole. Work in sections until the entire display is complete.

As you plan your design, keep these basic design principles in mind:

• Unity is obtained through the consistent use of elements (cutout size, color, style, etc.) to obtain a pleasing display. Objects should blend together to form a consistent whole.

• Scale or proportion refers to the size of an object in relation to it surroundings. The size of the cut out in relation to other cutouts, and the surrounding landscape must be considered. A small cutout will be lost is a huge expanse of lawn. Likewise, a huge cutout can appear out of scale in relation to the house.

• Balance refers to the equilibrium or equality of objects in your design. Symmetrical balance occurs when one side of an object is the mirror of the other. Asymmetrical balance is more difficult to maintain, but occurs when different items on each side create a visual balance.

• Color can best be explained using a color wheel. Primary colors are red blue and yellow. Secondary colors are orange, green and violet. These are combinations of the primary colors.

  Tint is a lighter value of a color and is accomplished by adding white to a pure color. Shade is a dark value and is accomplished by adding black to a pure color. Black white and gray are neutral colors that can be used with any color.

  Colors can be combined into color schemes for use on your cutouts. Monochromatic color schemes consist of different tints or shades of the same color. Analogous color schemes use colors that are adjacent to each other on the color wheel. Complementary color schemes use colors that are opposite of each other on the color wheel.

  Choice of color can change the visual perspective of an object. Warm colors or bright colors will advance and item toward the viewer and are best for foreground objects. Cool colors and deep shades will recede into the background and are best for background item.

• A vignette is s pleasing display of items that become a self-contained picture. Designing your display with vignettes allows your display to grow in a coherent manner over time. It also allows you to convey a your story. Have a backdrop such as a wall, house or landscape to build depth into your display, arrange items to draw viewers into the display. Each vignette should have a focal point that draws the eye. Clustering items together into vignettes will make a more effective display than random items scattered across the landscape. Vignettes should flow from one to the next, constant in feeling. Focal points in your vignettes capture the eye and separate individual vignettes to better tell your story.

• Transition is the movement of your display and is obtained by the logical arrangement of objects across the yard. Vignettes tell individual stories which move in logical order across the display. Rhythm is achieved when your display creates a feeling of motion through the design area

• Simplicity goes hand-in-hand with repetition and is achieved with the elimination of unnecessary detail. Too much detail creates confusion.