How to Make a Photo Board

Making a photo board can be an exciting and educational process, as the creator gets to tell a story using photos. Photo boards can be used in various contexts, including a personal bedroom, a college dorm, an office or a library. While the photo board can display anything from groups of people to presenting the outcome of an event, it can also sum up a theme.

Step 1 – Choose a Theme

Decide on a theme for the photo board. If the photo board is for a personal bedroom or college dorm, the photo board may display a collection of photos taken during high school or prom. It can serve as a memory photo board. If the photo board is meant as a theme, pictures of forests, lakes and animals may be more appropriate for a library or scholarly setting.

Choose the theme and select the supplies that will match the theme. For example, if the photo board will be an environment theme, choose colors that reflect nature such as greens, blue and yellow. Choosing red, pink and purple for an environmental theme photo board may not convey the same theme, unless it is a photo board for environmental flowers.

Step 2 – Gather Photos

Locate the pictures that will be used for the photo board. The photos can be personal photos taken on family vacations or pictures found on the internet. They can also be older pictures stored away or digital pictures from the computer.

Take copies of older photos for the photo board, as older photos may be fragile and tear. If the photos are digital or currently stored on the computer, print them out using a color printer. If the photos are developed and taken for the purpose of the photo board, cut and trim the photos so they suit the photo board.

Step 3 – Prepare the Photo Board

Prepare the photo board by taking an old bulletin board and removing everything that is on it. When the board is completely clean, cover it with wrapping paper using scissors to cut where appropriate. If the bulletin board has a border, measure the inside of it to make the wrapping fit inside the border.

Cover the bulletin board completely with wrapping paper and tape the ends down on the backside of the board, if it does not have a border. Use double-stick tape to connect the wrapping paper to the photo board, despite the method chosen.

Step 4 – Design the Lay-Out

Place the photos out on a table and start designing the photo layout of the photo board. Decide where the pictures will be attached on the board. If the photo board is large and needs to contain several events or themes, break the layout up into categories. For example, family vacations could go in one corner and birthdays in another.

Arrange and rearrange the photos, creating several layouts before attaching the photos to the photo board. Constant rearranging can reveal new looks and possibilities and may even create more space for more photos.

Step 5 – Assemble the Photo Board

Pin the photos to the photo board once a lay-out has been decided. Attach the photos to the photo board using push pins in the corners of the photos. Overlap corners and areas of the photos that do not add anything to the overall story or theme of the photo board and to save space.

To add more personality to the photo board after the pictures have been attached, add embellishments to the photo board, including stickers, ribbons, receipts and ticket stubs that reflect the events on the photo board. Adding these details can help tell a story.