Behind the Design Weekly Series: Advancing with Digital Planner Design in Affinity Publisher and Procreate app | Episode 6
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 finalized layouts, designs, and aesthetics, making sure that her ideas are cohesive and will work for her audience. She continued to form the structure of the planner and to hone in on the elements that will be integrated. Claudia even added in new ideas such as alcohol-ink art, perfect for her creative audience!
That leads us to this week, which will focus on the last stages of the design process, including utilizing Procreate and adjusting small details. Claudia continues to incorporate artistic elements with the addition of new paints. Join along with us as we learn inspiring methods and observe the process of a professional!
This Week’s Goal
We’re almost done with the planner! This week, Claudia is diving into the final stages of her Creative Flow 2024 Planner, a digital planner created for multi-passionate artists. In her weekly meeting with Shay, every detail was considered from abbreviation inconsistencies to color tone.
They also discussed the process of using Procreate for the cover pages of the months and overall planner. In the previous Behind the Design, we talked about the effect that watercolor art could have on the planner by adding a unique artistic element. Claudia found a way to create watercolor-textured paper in Procreate, which has really added to the planner.
Now that the planner is designed and the overall structure has been established, it’s important to make sure that each aspect is aligned and cohesive. The goal of this week is to simply make adjustments on any design that can or should be improved, so Claudia will be adding final touches to her designs.
This Week’s Accomplishment
When considering the smaller details of your planner, you’ll want to make sure that each component blends nicely. This means that page structures flow well, colors complement each other, and the hyperlinks all work. Claudia decided to add in hyperlinks this week to enhance the user experience of her planner.
She also continued with the alcohol-ink idea, and even took it a step further by experimenting with other types of watercolors and paints. In the BTD video, Claudia shows her new palette of blue and green liquid watercolor paints, which are a bit less harsh than the alcohol-inks. As she adds final touches to the design, the aesthetics are a reflection of Claudia herself.
She’s also starting to develop her add-on product, a 365 day digital journal that focuses on creative thought. Since Claudia has already done the upfront work for the 2024 planner, she can reuse the mood board and easily add onto it for the new journal. It shows that once you complete the initial designs and ideas, it saves time in future projects.
Takeaway
“Never be frustrated with your process, your design, or your creative process because it’s all part of the journey.” Some wise words from Claudia! It’s true though– remember that each person’s creative journey looks different. Lean into the process and take your time with each individual step. You’ll reach a result that aligns with your personality and character that way.
Especially in the world of digital planner design, there will be difficult moments that you may run into, whether that’s a technical skill like using Affinity Publisher or a creative aspect like brainstorming aesthetics. What matters is that you take your time, maintain patience, and truly enjoy the experience! You’ll thank yourself once you reach your end goal.
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!