The Collage

photo courtesy Rex Hicks Flickr

What do you think of when you first hear the word "collage"? Maybe you think of a disorganized collection of random photographs — that's what I first thought of.

But collages come in all forms and some might be considered an art form in and of themselves, like the example above. This kind of collage is created using a software program called Adobe Photoshop, which allows the artist to layer images and effects on top of one another. 

What makes one collage visually appealing and the next disorderly can be hard to pin down. There are various design elements like making use of lines, shapes, textures and type that can help a designer to create an attractive piece. But there is also no shortage of beautiful images where rules have been clearly broken.

There is, however, an element present in all the best collages. Storytelling.

Above photos courtesy: http://psd.fanextra.com/articles/40-fantastically-grungy-retro-collages/