What Is a Collage? A Beginner's Guide to Every Style
Photo collage, paper collage, digital, mixed media — a clear breakdown of every collage type, a short history, and a glossary to get you started.
A collage is a piece of art made by combining different materials — photos, paper, fabric, text, textures — into a single composition. The word comes from the French coller, meaning “to glue,” and that’s still the heart of it: you take separate things and bring them together into something new.
Collage is one of the most accessible art forms. You don’t need to draw. You don’t need expensive supplies. You just need materials you care about and a surface to arrange them on — whether that’s a sheet of cardstock or a screen on your phone.
Types of collage
There’s no single way to make a collage. Over the past century, the form has branched into several distinct styles, each with its own feel and purpose.
Photo collage
A photo collage arranges multiple photographs into a single layout — usually in a grid, a freeform scatter, or an overlapping stack. This is the most popular type of collage today, and the one most people think of first.
Photo collages are perfect for gifts, milestones, and memory-keeping. A birthday collage for your mom, a baby’s first year timeline, a travel memory board — all of these are photo collages at heart.
Good for: Birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, travel memories, social media Try it: How to Make a Photo Collage
Digital collage
A digital collage is made entirely on a screen — using a phone app, tablet, or computer. Instead of scissors and glue, you use grids, templates, stickers, and editing tools to arrange images, text, and decorative elements.
Digital collage has exploded in popularity because it’s fast, forgiving (undo exists), and instantly shareable. Most of the collages people post on Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok are digital collages.
Good for: Social media, mood boards, quick gifts, aesthetic expression Try it: Aesthetic Mood Board Collage or Aesthetic Photo Dump Collage
Paper collage
A paper collage is the original — physical materials cut, torn, and glued onto a surface. Magazine clippings, printed photos, ticket stubs, dried flowers, handwritten notes, postage stamps, fabric scraps. The texture is part of the art.
Paper collage feels different from digital. The edges are imperfect. The layers have real depth. There’s something about the physicality — the sound of scissors, the smell of glue — that makes the finished piece feel more personal.
Good for: Scrapbooks, greeting cards, art projects, gifts that need a physical presence Try it: Valentine’s Love Letter Collage or Vintage Wedding Collage — both work beautifully as printed paper collages
Mixed media collage
Mixed media collage combines different types of materials in a single piece — photos alongside hand-drawn elements, printed text over painted backgrounds, digital images layered with physical textures. The whole point is that the materials don’t match, and that contrast creates visual interest.
Good for: Art projects, creative expression, when you want something that feels layered and handmade Try it: Graduation Memory Board
A very short history of collage
Collage as a recognized art form began around 1912, when Pablo Picasso glued a piece of oilcloth onto a painting and Georges Braque started incorporating newspaper clippings into his work. They called it papier collé — pasted paper.
But the impulse is much older. People have been arranging found materials into decorative compositions for centuries — Victorian scrapbooks, Japanese chigiri-e (torn paper art), folk art from every culture.
What changed in the 20th century was intention: collage became a way to question what “art” could be made from. Dadaists like Hannah Höch used collage to critique politics and media. Pop artists like Richard Hamilton used it to remix consumer culture. Every generation finds new materials and new meaning.
Today, the smartphone in your pocket is the most powerful collage tool ever made. The tradition continues — just with different scissors.
Photo collage vs. digital collage vs. paper collage
People often ask which type is “best.” The honest answer: it depends on what you’re making it for.
| Photo collage | Digital collage | Paper collage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Materials | Photographs (printed or digital) | Images, text, stickers on a screen | Physical paper, photos, ephemera |
| Tools needed | Collage app or printed photos + surface | Phone, tablet, or computer | Scissors, glue, surface |
| Time | 10–30 minutes | 10–30 minutes | 30–90 minutes |
| Best for | Gifts, milestones, memory-keeping | Social media, mood boards, quick sharing | Scrapbooks, art, physical gifts |
| Feel | Personal, organized | Modern, shareable | Tactile, handmade |
Many collages blur these lines. A digital collage printed on cardstock becomes a paper collage. A paper collage photographed and shared online becomes digital. Don’t worry about categories — just start making. If you want to explore the different aesthetic directions a collage can take, our How to Choose a Collage Style guide breaks down five distinct styles.
How to make your first collage
The simplest path from “I’ve never made a collage” to “I just made a collage”:
- Pick a purpose — a gift for someone, a memory board, a mood board for yourself
- Gather 4–8 photos that share a feeling (not necessarily a subject)
- Choose a layout — a simple grid is the easiest starting point
- Arrange, crop, and adjust until the photos feel like they belong together
- Add one or two decorations — a title, a date, a sticker — and stop before it feels cluttered
- Save and share at full resolution
For a detailed walkthrough, read our How to Make a Photo Collage guide. Or jump straight into a recipe — each one walks you through a specific creative vision step by step.
Collage glossary
A few terms you’ll encounter as you explore collage:
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Grid | A structured layout with defined cells for each photo |
| Freestyle | A blank canvas where you place elements anywhere |
| Template | A pre-designed layout with placeholder slots and decorations |
| Magic Cutout | A tool that isolates a subject from its background |
| Mood board | A collage focused on evoking a feeling rather than telling a specific story |
| Scrapbook style | A collage that mimics the layered, decorated feel of a physical scrapbook |
| Collage board | A display board (physical or digital) that arranges images and materials in a freeform layout |
| Mixed media | Combining different material types (photos, drawings, text, textures) in one piece |
Start here
If you’re new to collage, these three recipes are the best places to start:
- Aesthetic Mood Board Collage — The simplest recipe. 4–6 photos, minimal decoration, beautiful result.
- Pet Photo Collage — Low pressure, high fun. Hard to mess up.
- Birthday Collage for Mom — A gift recipe with clear steps. You’ll have something meaningful in 15 minutes.
Browse all our collage recipes to find one that matches what you want to make.