Advanced Photo Book Design for More Artistry—SO Creative

Advanced Photo Book Design: Downloadable Replay  |  6 Sessions  |  Adobe Photoshop CC  |  Compatible with Photoshop & Elements

Advanced Photo Book Design: There comes a point when just photos and stories on a digital scrapbooking page stop being enough. The memories underneath them are bigger, more vibrant, and far more interesting than any combination of images and words could capture alone. That is where the artistry steps in — transforming a page into a vivid visual recollection of memory that captures not just what happened, but how it actually felt.

That is exactly what SO Creative is about. Specifically, it is a deeply immersive, advanced photo book design experience — six sessions of techniques, storytelling strategies, and creative approaches that will transform the way you think about, plan, and produce a themed memory-keeping album (of your choice) from blank canvas to print.

In other words, this is not just another class. It is a complete creative project — and by the end of it, you will have a finished photo book that tells a story worth keeping with creative personality.

Who Is Advanced Photo Book Design SO Creative For?

This class is designed for the digital scrapbooker or storyteller who is ready to move beyond the basics and invest in advanced photo book design. It is a wonderful fit if any of the following resonate with you:

• Creating a themed photo book — around a person, place, season, or story — is something you have been putting off for far too long
• If a template-free, double-page design approach feels exciting in theory but overwhelming in practice
• Telling richer, more meaningful stories with your photos is something you know you need to learn
• More in-depth design thinking — composition, hierarchy, embellishment, and type — is the natural next step in your creative growth
• Above all, you are ready to stop playing it safe — and do something epically creative with your memories instead.

Consequently, if you have ever looked at a fabulously curated memory-keeping album and thought “I want to make something like that” — this is the class that shows you exactly how.

What You Will Learn with Advanced Photo Book Design

Across six intriguing sessions, SO Creative covers the full spectrum of basic to advanced photo book design — from the very first planning decision all the way through to printing your finished album. Each session builds naturally on the last, so that by the time you reach the final replay, you have not just learned a set of techniques — you have completed a project.

Session 1 — Getting Started: Design Foundations & the Freestyle Double Page Process

Everything you need to begin your project with confidence, including:

• A brand new Planning Backwards approach for mapping your project before you begin
• Two simple strategies for scheduling and calculating your creative success
• My personal 5-step Freestyle Double Page design process — from blank canvas to completion, without templates
• Foundations of visually pleasing layout design, including composition, focal points, and cohesion
• Guidance for choosing images and digital elements for better storytelling
• 34 sketch designs to guide your photo placement, plus a bonus photo book-ready template
• The how and why of embellishment — including what “Russian Dolls” and “Mind The Gap” have to do with scrapbooking

Session 2 — Designing with Prompts: Storytelling Strategies

Furthermore, this session introduces the power of word prompts as a creative tool, covering:

• Why prompts are essential — and how to use and modify the 24 included in this class
• Approaches for memory recollection and making meaningful connections in your storytelling
• A 7-step process for moving from prompt to finished layout
• How to apply these techniques specifically to landscape and travel pages

Session 3 — Creative Page Building & Clever Embellishment

In addition, this session explores the more intuitive, whimsical side of advanced photo book design:

• Using the “Yin and Yang” concept in your storytelling and page design
• How creative tension elevates your artistry — and 7 ways to apply it
• Eight core ideas for clever embellishment, with specific lists for characters, scenes, and scenarios
• Choosing digital supplies that genuinely support your photos rather than compete with them
• Page deconstructs and bonus guidance for establishing which stories are most worth telling

Session 4 — Applying SO Creative Concepts to Any Theme

Moreover, this bonus session demonstrates just how versatile these advanced photo book design approaches really are:

• Applying SO Creative concepts to landscape and travel pages
• Extensive layout examples from the Anna Aspnes Designs Creative Team
• Thoughtful perspectives on “the morality of storytelling” and how to approach challenging experiences with care

Session 5 — Creative Storytelling with Words & Type

Additionally, this session is dedicated entirely to the art of words on the page:

• 11 ways to play with type — from statement titles to handwriting integration
• Simple type rules of thumb, font selection considerations, and the emotional weight of font choices
• Text on a path, skewed and distorted titles, outlined text, and using spacing for better design
• Using layer styles to build dimensional embellishments around your words

Session 6 — Project Completion & Printing Your Finished Album

Finally, the last session brings everything together:

• Ideas for creating your own custom photo book cover
• More project page deconstructs and bonus techniques
• A complete guide to taking your project from screen to print
• Closing thoughts and clear next steps for your ongoing memory-keeping practice

FREE 24 Word Prompts — A Class Within an Advanced Photo Book Design Class

One of the most beloved elements of SO Creative is the set of 24 carefully curated word prompts included with your purchase. Together, these prompts form a complete storytelling toolkit — each one designed to spark a memory, guide your imagery, and inspire a page worth making.

Each prompt includes:

• A full word definition with meaning and creative directions
• 3 alternative words to expand your thinking
• 5 title ideas, 1 quote suggestion, and 5 story starters
• 3 inspiration layouts using the prompt — by Anna and two Creative Team members
• Layout notes, a product suggestion, and technique ideas for photo, word, and embellishment
• Bonus images and downloads to inspire your pages

Everything Included in Your Purchase

• 6 session downloadable replays — watch at your own pace, pause, rewind, and revisit anytime
• 24 word prompts in PDF format — a complete storytelling resource you will return to again and again
• 72 layout inspirations — free, to spark your own pages throughout the project
• Written content supporting every approach and technique demonstration

All techniques are demonstrated in Adobe Photoshop CC and work beautifully in Photoshop Elements too.

The Extractions, Scrapbook More Creatively, and Multiplier Blueprint classes are not required but will expand your knowledge and complement this project beautifully.

Memory keeping is so much more than photos in an album — it is proof that your life happened, that the people you love were here, and that every ordinary moment was worth holding onto. With SO Creative, advanced photo book design becomes the most meaningful creative practice you have ever committed to. Let’s make the magic happen.

Additional Resources:

• Start Digital Scrapbook Classes: Which Classes Should You Take First?
• Digital Scrapbooking Journey Evolved: 25 Years of Memories
• Digital Scrapbooking Supplies by Anna Aspnes Designs
• Blurb Photo Book Printing