Behind the Design Weekly Series: Digitizing Sketches & Designing Planner Template in Affinity Publisher | Episode 5
Welcome back, The Pink Ink® community! This is Behind the Design, a weekly series for aspiring entrepreneurs and creatives where we document the process of building a digital planner business from scratch. We’re following Claudia, a student of The Pink Ink’s Digital Planner Academy®, and we welcome you to implement her weekly strategies alongside her.
Last week, Claudia focused on sketching out her planner pages and creating an outline that provided a structured, overarching view. She used the Concepts App to create page outlines and started using Affinity Publisher for the technical process of designing the planner, which included a general outline of individual pages.
This week, Claudia is getting clear on layouts, designs, and aesthetics, making sure that her ideas are cohesive and will work for her audience. She’s also getting inspired through her surroundings and finding ways to integrate her personality and personal experiences into the planner. Let’s see what she’s up to!
This Week’s Goal
As we touched upon last week, one of the biggest benefits of selling digital planners is the freedom and flexibility. Claudia has been staying in rural Germany and this week, she took a side trip to Hamburg, where she was inspired by the art and new sights.
In Germany, Claudia picked up alcohol-inks as a way of creative expression. This led to a brilliant idea of using the alcohol-ink artwork within the planner since she’s targeting artistic, multi-passionate individuals. She’s going to use Procreate to help out with this, so we’ll check back next week on how it’s going.
Her goal for this week is to continue forming the structure of the planner and to hone in on the elements that will be integrated in, such as the alcohol-inks idea. She’s choosing aesthetics and beginning to tangibly create the designs. A lot changed during her meeting with Shay, so let’s take a look.
If you’re following along on the design journey, we recommend finding a community to support and guide you along the way. Our Digital Planner Academy® offers great resources, mentors, and peers to fill in the gaps on your own planner. You’re not alone in this process!
This Week’s Accomplishment
Claudia spent a lot of time going through the lessons in module two and module three in the Digital Planner Design Mastery. She’s focusing on Affinity Publisher instead of Keynote and reflecting on the lessons in the DPDM course. She’s gotten through module two and is now working through module three, which covers layouts, colors, types of pages, and more.
Claudia’s weekly call with Shay was very productive and she watched the planner evolve throughout the meeting as they shared ideas and advice. Considering this was only the first draft, it was understandable that changes were made. If you’re on the second, third, or even fourth draft of your planner, you’re not alone! It’s meant to improve over time.
The aesthetic and color palette changed to create a cleaner and easy-to-follow layout. Claudia mentions feeling grateful that she had an expert eye on the digital planner design. Finding a mentor or professional support can make a huge difference in the aesthetics and visual appearance of your planner, so we recommend getting involved in a community such as the Digital Planner Academy®.
Takeaway
In the video, Claudia says, “whenever you have the opportunity to be inspired, whether it’s big or small, go for it because there are so many ideas that can grow from finding things around you to give you new energy.” She encourages us to find inspiration wherever we can, so take time for yourself and change the scenery as you work on the design process.
Another lesson learned from this episode was to create a clean design that’s easy on the eye, ensuring your audience will enjoy the aesthetics and want to spend time with the planner. Make sure that each element is purposeful and streamlined.
Remember how Claudia is using alcohol-ink artwork in her planner for artists? You should consider your target audience as you implement ideas. If the users are creatives, you can add colors and fun styles, whereas if the users are professionals, you may want something more clear and straightforward. It’s up to you as the creative design of your personal planner!
As you follow along with Claudia in the design process, we encourage you to reach out for support and guidance from The Pink Ink community. Our mentors from the Digital Planner Academy® are here to cheer you on with each step! To keep up-to-date with Behind the Design, sign up for announcements and our newsletter. We’ll see you next week!
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About The Pink Ink®
At The Pink Ink®, we’ve turned our own digital planner business into a successful enterprise that now teaches others to do the same. Shay established The Pink Ink® in 2018 as one of the first digital planner sellers on Etsy and grew it to help aspiring designers to create, launch, and market their planners to create passive income and diversify revenue streams. Within 2 weeks, her store made its first sale, and within 2 months, it covered Shay’s full-time income!
With our experience and knowledge, we want to watch others reach financial freedom in their own lives and experience the benefits of running an online shop for themselves and loved ones. To read our full story, check out The Pink Ink’s About Us page.
About The Digital Planner Academy® Hybrid Program
The Digital Planner Academy Hybrid Program is designed to teach other entrepreneurs and aspiring business owners how to create their own digital planners through design software and real-world advice from mentors. We walk students through the process of creating and selling their own digital product from beginning to end with a goal of helping you reach financial freedom.
Every year, we do updates on our customers’ needs and shifts in online business. In 2023, we turned this into a hybrid program where you not only get access to video lessons, but you also receive 1:1 feedback and support from The Pink Ink® team, whether for general support, design ideas, or initial launch.
If you’re ready to get started in building your digital planner business, check out our blog The Digital Planner Academy® Program - the Best Online Course for Aspiring Digital Planner Business Owners and follow along with our weekly Behind the Design series.
The Purpose of This Weekly Series
What exactly is Behind the Design and why did we create it?
Shay was once an aspiring business owner, so she understands the stressful process of building a company from the ground up. Especially as one of the first in her niche, Shay paved the way for other business owners and picked up valuable skills that she now shares with others. She hopes to ignite creativity and help others do the same.
The best way to accomplish this is by demonstrating how it’s done through a step-by-step process– and what better way than to watch an entrepreneur reach success in real-time? There’s potential challenges that lie in the path of any creative individual – it’s inevitable – but it’s important to overcome these obstacles. Following another designer provides motivation to overcome these challenges, practical guidance and advice, and realistic steps and expectations.
Getting started is often the hardest part, but it’s never too late. In fact, now’s the perfect time! Take this opportunity to take the first step and build your business alongside Claudia. You’ll learn so much through this process, and you’ll reap the rewards of hard work and dedication. Let’s take that first leap together!
Join Us on an Adventure
With a goal to empower individuals to unlock their true creative potential like Claudia is doing, The Pink Ink® team is excited to see where this series leads. We invite you to join us on this exciting adventure and take grasp of the unique opportunity provided. With Claudia and The Pink Ink® members at your side, you have the tools and support to achieve success.
To stay up to date with each piece of the series, you can sign up to receive weekly email updates. We’re looking forward to the insights and creativity that each week offers, and we’re excited to welcome you into our community!