The Secret to Great Planner Design
“What’s the secret to great planner design?”
This question came to me recently from one of my newsletter subscribers (shout out to those of you who found me from there today!), and I was immediately inspired to respond.
As a long-time planner designer, this is absolutely one of my favorite questions — and I knew I had to share the goods with you, too.
Below, I’m sharing my four tips for what makes a planner design truly GREAT.
Read on to elevate your custom planner and really stand out in the market with a profitable, functional, and beautiful design approach.
01. Define Your Purpose
Start from the beginning by asking yourself this question: who is this planner for?
Students with loads of classwork, sorority meetings, and internship hours to keep track of?
Those looking to achieve a goal like weight loss or advancing their career?
Busy moms juggling their families alongside work and a social life?
The purpose of your planner will dictate the design.
For example, a planner designed to support nurses might need an undated design that’s flexible and doesn’t necessarily follow a traditional weekly schedule.
By first defining who it’s for, you’ll be able to create a unique layout that supports your specific audience and fits their needs first and foremost.
02. Keep it Simple
You want your user to be able to live and breathe through your planner design.
And the simpler you keep your design, the easier it is for them to customize the planning experience to make it truly work for them.
Note: this doesn’t necessarily apply to planners designed to showcase a very specific style, such as custom artwork or graphics that achieve a desired aesthetic.
But in general, simple design allows for higher functionality for a wider range of people within your audience.
More complex designs tend to be more constricting and less flexible from a user experience standpoint.
03. Set Up Your Design with Structure and Flexibility
Many planners feature a list of time slots that allows the user to keep track of appointments, meetings, etc. on a very detailed level.
For some planner users, this is a great and highly used feature.
But for others, it may be considered wasted space.
Likewise, a very structured daily or weekly planning experience that includes columns and boxes throughout might not work well for someone who just needs a simple daily planning system with flexible space usage.
On the flip side, if you’re creating a specific goal or routine system that follows a specific process or planning philosophy, this structure may be necessary and a part of your secret sauce.
Be mindful of who you’re designing for and what their needs are in the planner layout.
04. Make it Unique
I say this all the time: please don’t copy another planner design that’s already on the market.
You are unique and so is your audience.
So it’s imperative that you make it a priority to create a unique planner design that supports your audience and is a reflection of your specific brand, philosophy, and aesthetics.
A more unique planner design means more interest and ultimately, more sales.
Now that your creative juices are flowing, what other questions do you have for me? Click here to reach out or scroll below to grab some free goods designed to support you in your planner journey.
Have you been feeling inspired and ready to kick off the design process for your own custom planner?
I created a guide featuring 5 things your day planner MUST include . . . and it’s available now at the link below.