How to Make Your GoodNotes Look Aesthetic: Customization Tips

GoodNotes has gained a reputation for being one of the most flexible and creative digital note-taking apps available. With the ability to tailor your notes to fit any style or purpose, this tool can be transformed into a visual masterpiece. Here’s a comprehensive guide to making your GoodNotes look aesthetic and customized to reflect your personal or professional preferences.

1. Choosing the Right Color Palette

The choice of colors can significantly affect the overall look of your notes. By selecting cohesive color schemes, you create a unified appearance throughout your notes. Here are some common themes to consider:

• Pastel Tones: Light pinks, lavender, mint green, and soft blues are popular for creating a gentle, calming appearance. This palette is perfect for study notes or personal journals.

• Monochrome Minimalism: Using shades of black, grey, and white gives a modern, clean aesthetic that emphasizes simplicity and clarity.

• Bold and Bright Colors: If you want your notes to stand out or convey energy, choose vivid colors like neon pinks, deep blues, or fiery reds for highlights and headers​.

2. Incorporate Digital Stickers and Images

Adding stickers to your notes can make them more engaging and visually appealing. Digital stickers come in various themes, from floral and seasonal to geometric and whimsical designs. Here's how to integrate them effectively:

• Thematic Stickers: Match the stickers to the theme of your notes (e.g., botanical stickers for a nature study or retro graphics for creative brainstorming).

• Placement and Balance: Place stickers strategically at the corners or margins to avoid cluttering the main content. This ensures your notes remain clear and readable.

• Custom Stickers: Create custom stickers that include motivational quotes or icons specific to your subject matter for a personalized touch​.

3. Handwriting Customization for Aesthetic Appeal

Handwriting is an essential element of GoodNotes' charm. Customizing your writing can elevate the aesthetic of your notes:

• Pen Styles and Brush Settings: GoodNotes provides various pen types such as fountain, ballpoint, and brush pens. Adjusting the opacity and size can create layered effects, perfect for calligraphy headings or highlight overlays.

• Consistent Handwriting Style: Practice maintaining a consistent writing style throughout your notes to create a polished look. Consider using practice pages to refine your handwriting.

• Color Accents: Use color-coded highlights to mark essential points or to differentiate sections. Softer highlight colors, such as light yellow or soft pink, can subtly emphasize without overpowering the text​.

4. Utilize Backgrounds and Templates

Custom backgrounds and templates can make your notes more organized and visually engaging:

• Built-in Templates: GoodNotes includes a variety of paper templates, such as grid, dotted, and lined backgrounds. Each template can be tailored for specific uses like study notes or journal entries.

• Custom Imports: Upload custom-designed paper backgrounds to add unique aesthetics. For example, watercolor textures, vintage paper, or geometric patterns can make your notes stand out.

• Theme Variety: Alternate between different themes for various notebooks, such as a minimalist theme for work notes and a colorful one for personal projects​.

5. Experiment with Fonts and Text Boxes

Text elements can be more than just plain writing. GoodNotes supports text boxes, which you can style creatively:

• Handwritten Fonts: Choose fonts that mimic handwriting or calligraphy for an organic feel. This is especially useful for headers and subheaders.

• Decorative Titles: Utilize fonts with decorative borders or background effects to create titles that resemble digital stickers. This adds a touch of uniqueness without extra images.

• Layering Text and Graphics: Combine text boxes with graphics or highlight shapes to make headers pop​.

6. Digital Dividers and Decorative Elements

Dividers, banners, and decorative lines can help segment your notes visually:

• Divider Styles: Use hand-drawn lines, washi tape images, or digital banners to separate sections within your notes. These dividers can add structure and enhance the flow of content.

• Visual Consistency: Keep divider styles consistent across pages or notebooks for a cohesive look. If you prefer a hand-drawn style, maintain that throughout all your dividers​.

7. Adding External Elements and Interactive Links

GoodNotes allows for interactivity within your notes by adding links:

• Hyperlinks: Embed hyperlinks in your notes that lead to related documents, external articles, or digital resources. This feature can make your GoodNotes notebooks a hub of connected information.

• Interactive Icons: Use small icons or text boxes with hyperlinks to create a navigational menu, making your notes easy to navigate​.

8. Color Matching with the Color Dropper Tool

For consistent design, use GoodNotes’ color dropper tool to match colors precisely. This ensures that stickers, highlights, and text boxes have harmonious color schemes​.

9. Organize with Sections and Tabs

Keep your notes organized by utilizing sections and tabs within GoodNotes:

• Notebook Sections: Use digital tabs to separate various topics or subjects, making navigation more intuitive.

• Color-coded Tabs: Assign colors to each section to maintain visual organization at a glance.

Final Thoughts

Creating aesthetically pleasing notes in GoodNotes goes beyond basic functionality—it’s about making your digital space enjoyable and tailored to your style. By experimenting with color palettes, stickers, handwriting, and custom templates, you can transform your notes into more than just a record of information. GoodNotes can become your personalized digital canvas, blending creativity with productivity.