Old Paper Part 4
4th edition — by Patrick McNeil — Nov. 8, 2007
The Design Element
Today's presentation of the use of old paper is a bit of an extension of yesterdays article about the color brown. It seems as though these two topics go hand in hand. A few of the brown items from yesterday had some old paper in them, and of course nearly every single one on this article has brown (or at least tan) in it. In many ways the purpose of this style goes hand in hand with the purpose behind brown. This style gives off a down to earth, often gritty, and home grown sort of atmosphere. The style is casual and fun, and connects with us on a physical level.
One of the other primary styles associated with the use of old paper is the collage. Many of the sites inevitably end up with a collage motif working their way in. A prime example of this is the Team Greensite. It has that pieced together, semi scrapbook feel. It isn't over the top, but the overlapping and rough edges give it an assembled feel.
Another example of a mixing of elements is Vacation Retreat Management. This site mixes in a retro feel. In fact, the old paper is primarily used to help create this retro feel. It makes sense of course, old paper connecting with things of the past like an old letter you find in the attic at grandmas house.
It really is remarkable just how flexible this style is. It can easily be adapted to and used in a wide variety of sites. As always, overall unification of the design is of the utmost importance when dealing with such a visual element.
Sample Usage
Downloads
Links
A great source for a few free paper images:
Rare Books &
Special Collections
iStockPhoto is
a terrific source of nice paper images to work with, and you can get them
cheap.
Mayang free paper textures
Folded paper Photoshop brushes (excellent)
