Creating a fully custom journal doesn’t have to be complicated. Whether you need a fully designed book from scratch or just final refinements, we offer design services to support you at every stage. We work with businesses, startups, and individual creators to bring their notebook ideas to life. No matter your experience level, we offer the right level of support
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You Have A Concept For A Journal But No Design
We can provide design support, and create the artwork for your notebook from scratch. However designing a custom notebook requires more than just hands on page design. To ensure we produce the best possible product, and for everything to run smoothly, it’s important to address three key stages before moving on to the notebook design work. We can assist with each of these stages as needed. Here’s an overview of these stages and how we can help throughout the process.
1. Concept Development
The first step in creating your custom notebook is to clearly define the concept. This involves determining the purpose of the notebook, the target audience, and the overall theme or message you want to convey. While we can guide you through this stage, it is crucial that you have a solid understanding of what you want to achieve with your notebook. This stage is foundational and sets the direction for all subsequent design and production work.
2. Journal Structure and Content
Once the concept is established, the next step is to plan the structure and content of the notebook. This includes deciding on the number of pages, the layout of each page, and the type of content (e.g., text, images, prompts).
Page Layouts: We recommend using a tool like Google Slides to create a rough layout of each spread in the notebook. For example, if the notebook is 144 pages, you would create 72 slides, with each slide representing a two-page spread.
Content Outline: Begin by adding rough ideas of content, page layouts, and key elements. For more minimalist planners, this might include prompts or questions with plenty of space for user input.
Our product team is available to provide support during this stage, typically by workshopping your ideas over a series of calls. We can help at the beginning, middle, and end of the process to ensure that the journal structure aligns with your concept and is user-friendly.
3. Ensuring There Are Brand Guidelines
To create a cohesive and professional notebook design, it’s essential to have clear brand guidelines. These guidelines should include elements like logos, fonts, colors, and design styles that align with your brand identity. If you already have brand guidelines, we can easily adhere to them during the design process.
If you don’t have formal brand guidelines, a mood board is an excellent starting point. This can include images, fonts, colors, and styles that convey the desired look and feel of the notebook. Providing detailed visual references helps our designers understand your vision. If needed, our brand designer can develop a basic brand guideline based on your mood board and additional assets. The cost for this service typically ranges between £500 and £2,000, depending on the amount of work required.
4. Final Design Production
The final stage is where the bulk of the design work happens. Using the information and direction provided from the previous stages, our designers will create the final, print-ready artwork for your notebook. This involves creating 2 to 4 sample spreads that showcase different types of content within the notebook. After your feedback, we proceed to produce all the remaining designs.
Once all designs are completed, they go through one or more rounds of feedback to ensure they meet your expectations. The time required for this stage can vary from a few hours to a week, depending on the complexity of the designs and any additional elements like infographics or illustrations.
Design Services & Estimated Costs
We understand that every project is different, so costs will vary depending on complexity. Below is a general guide to help you estimate your design investment:
Basic Design Assistance → from £200
- Formatting and finalizing print-ready files
- Minor adjustments to layouts, colors, and typography
- Converting Canva files to professional design software
Full Custom Journal Design → £500 – £2,500
- Creating fully bespoke page layouts from scratch
- Developing structured content and journal flows
- Incorporating custom typography, illustrations, and branding elements