There’s a lot of joy to be found in note-taking. Pouring creativity into your notes, personalizing them, and discovering appealing color combinations can make all the difference.
Focusing on taking neat notes can even boost learning, encouraging your brain to understand and retain information on a deeper level.
But aesthetic notes can seem out of reach. “Studygram” is everywhere, showing us images of neat, aesthetic notes without much advice on how to achieve them.
This guide works whether you’re a pen-and-paper traditionalist or a digital convert. In other words, you can translate our tips and tricks to a standard or digital piece of paper.
💡Good to know: We’re going to focus on GoodNotes, Notability, and Apple Notes, but there are plenty of other digital note-taking apps out there.
Getting started with aesthetic notes
Before we dive into the dos and don’ts of aesthetic notes, there are a few things you need to know.
- Aesthetic notes are time-consuming: Good notes take time — you can’t expect to create an aesthetically appealing revision resource in twenty minutes.
- You don’t always need to create pretty notes: If you try to create aesthetic notes for every topic, you won’t get anything else done. You need to be selective, carefully choosing which lectures, seminars, and online courses will have the biggest impact when transformed into neat notes.
- You can’t create effective digital notes during the lecture: When you’re in a lecture, just focus on writing down all the relevant information. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself; you’ll only rush the process and end up with a pile of notes that look less than stellar. And you might miss some important points, so even if you do return to your notes and tidy them up, you’ll be missing vital information.
- Digital note-taking makes it easier to create attractive notes: We’re not saying you have to take digital notes, but it certainly makes taking notes easier. There’s a whole load of resources like stickers, highlighters, different fonts, diagrams, and GIFs that are usually added to note-taking apps for free.
Tools you’ll need
As the old adage goes, failing to prepare is preparing to fail. So, to make aesthetic notes more than just a pipe dream, you need to assemble a few tools.
Analog notes
For traditionalists, the only limit is how much you’re willing to spend. Die-hard pen-and-paper fans will need just that: a pen and a piece of paper. But to really get the most out of our aesthetic notes tips, you need to invest in highlighters, stickers, sticky notes, colorful pens, and anything else that might make your notes pop.
Digital notes
To take digital notes, you need a tablet. We prefer iPads, but there are plenty of tablets out there that get the job done.
📝 Good to know: Some of the most popular digital note-taking apps are only available on iOS and iPadOS. Procreate is a good example of this. It’s chock-full of digital drawing and writing tools (including built-in calligraphy brushes) and especially appeals to notetakers who want to focus on visual elements. Speaking of drawing tools, we’ve pulled together eight of the best drawing apps for iPad for anyone who wants to invest in a valuable note-taking skill.
The beauty of taking digital notes is that the tools are much more accessible. Take GoodNotes, for example. This note-taking app has a bunch of built-in tools, from the basics like pens and erasers to advanced options such as the Lasso tool, AI-powered writing aids, and dynamic GIFs that enrich your note-taking experience.
Digital note-taking apps you might like:
- GoodNotes
- Notability
- Evernote
- Apple Notes (pre-installed on iOS and iPadOS devices)
Where to find color palettes, templates, and stickers:
Here are a few resources that’ll help you on your note-taking journey:
⚡9 Best Note-taking Apps for iPads [2025]
⚡12 Best Digital Planners for iPads [2025]
⚡Best Note-taking Templates for iPad Users [2025]
1. Choose your aesthetic and style
Studygram would have you believe that every notebook needs pastels and sparkles. But you can branch out and choose something different. And it doesn’t need to be complicated; it can be as simple as deciding to only use neon highlighters.
Here are a few styles that are trending on Pinterest:
- Botanical note-taking style: This style is mostly self-explanatory, but it’s worth mentioning. It involves rich greens, annotated diagrams, and line drawings. In other words, visuals are everything. This style is ideal for students who need to break complex topics into easily digestible bites.
- Castlecore note-taking style: Defined by its dreamy, romanticized aesthetic notes that hark back to medieval times spent in a fairy tale-esque castle. It involves calligraphy, vintage-style notebooks, and line illustrations. There’s a lot of crossover between this style and vintage style note-taking.
- Dark Mode: Dark Mode might seem like it’s only possible for digital notes, but traditionalists can also enjoy this note-taking style by investing in black paper. It’s sure to make your notes stand out, something that can only improve your revision sessions.
It’s a good idea to pick your aesthetic early on. Otherwise, you’ll be pondering whether you want to use light pink or light blue to underline a key topic while you should be focusing on absorbing the information.
2. Create a structure and layout
Now for the layout. You don’t want to leave it to chance, otherwise, you’ll be staring at a blank sheet of paper (or a blank digital screen), wondering where to start.
Here, you need to think about gridlines, margins, and spacing. The goal is to keep your notes as clean, readable, and sharp as possible. Headings, subheadings, and bullet points can help you do this. They provide a visual hierarchy to guide your eye from point A to point B.
And the background draws all these elements together. Analog notetakers only really have the option between dotted grids or ruled notebooks, unless they want to search further afield and invest in different types of paper.
📔 Good to know: If you’re the sort of notetaker who benefits from using a specific note-taking method, you need to choose that first because it’ll dictate the structure of your page. For example, those using the Cornell note-taking method will have a different layout from those using the mind map or boxing methods. Not sure where to start? We’ve outlined the best note-taking methods for college students, but the same applies to professionals, researchers, and whoever wants to take structured notes!
Another way to improve the layout of your notes is to draw your own background or template. It might be a bit time-consuming, but once you’ve decided on your preferred template, you can scan your paper and copy it. Hey presto, you’ve got a bunch of templates ready to create aesthetic notes whenever the mood strikes.
It’s much easier for digital notetakers, whose access to note-taking apps means they have hundreds of pre-made templates at their fingertips. And we mean hundreds. GoodNotes has templates for the Cornell method, flashcards, gratitude journals, and much more.
For digital notetakers, only a few taps separate them from a clean sheet and a pre-built template. And if you’re willing to go even further in the pursuit of aesthetic notes, you can purchase even more niche templates on sites like Etsy. We covered some of the best note-taking templates for iPad users last year, including templates for Oxford Notes, topic summary sheets, and mind maps. You can also search for ADHD-friendly, fitness-centric, and revision-focused templates.
One of the great things about these digital notebooks is that most are fully hyperlinked, meaning you can build a comprehensive, easy-to-navigate resource for your chosen subject.
We’ve already talked about GoodNotes and Notability, but Apple Notes is also a good contender for one of the best note-taking apps for iPad. It has infinite pages, easy navigation, and all the standard writing tools. Granted, the customization options are a little more limited than apps like Notability, but it’s ideal for jotting down ideas, key concepts, and reminders before they float away into the ether.
3. Select a powerful color palette
When you think of aesthetic notes, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? The visual learners among you probably think about color palettes. Colors positively influence revision, encouraging you to create connections between pieces of information and identify information from color alone.
Colors activate our visual cortex, engaging another part of our brain. When it comes to revision, you need to engage with the information as much as possible. Plenty of people say that color-coding different topics helps them cram for their finals, but why stop there? You can use colors to engage with whatever information you need to remember.
Here’s the short version:
- Use complementary colors
- Assign consistent colors to headings, highlights, and categories
- Create custom digital palettes
So, what are complementary colors? To understand that, we have to know what the color wheel is. It’s an art and design tool used to represent the relationships between all the colors in the rainbow.
- Primary colors: Red, yellow, and blue are the only colors that can’t be made by mixing other colors, and all other colors derive from them.
- Secondary colors: Created by mixing two primary colors. For example, orange is a combination of green and violet.
- Tertiary colors: Made by mixing a primary and secondary color, such as red and orange.
Here’s some more color-centric lingo:
- Hue: The pure color itself. E.g., red.
- Tint: A color with white added. E.g., light red.
- Tone: A color with gray added. E.g., muted red.
- Shade: A color with black added. E.g., dark red.
What does all this have to do with aesthetic notes? Well, if you want your notes to be visually appealing, you need to leverage the power of complementary colors.
Complementary colors are pairs of colors that sit directly opposite each other on the color wheel, like red and green or orange and blue. These colors don’t necessarily go together, but they create contrast, encouraging your brain to separate two different subjects.
Let’s say you want to create aesthetic notes for your Digital Marketing 101 Class. Your teacher talked about content marketing and, more specifically, planning and executing a marketing strategy. We recommend assigning a complementary color to each topic, so Planning 101 is red and Executing 101 is green.
Within Planning 101, you can use shades of red for different headings. You could even use a color gradient to identify more complex information (e.g., light red for concepts that you already understand and dark red for information that’s more difficult to grasp). Throw in a few stickers and diagrams, and you’ve got aesthetic notes!
This will look different for analog and digital notetakers. Pen-and-paper traditionalists will be hard-pressed to find complementary colors in a range of different shades, but digital enthusiasts can simply drag their Apple Pencil around the color wheel until they find an ideal shade.
Digital notetakers can even create custom palettes. In Procreate, making a new palette is super easy. When you drag and drop an external picture into the color palette field, it will automatically transform into a palette full of colors.
Plus, digital note-taking makes it much easier to correct mistakes. When traditionalists make one shaky line with a highlighter, they could ruin their aesthetic notes. This isn’t the case in the digital world — mistakes can be removed with a tap or, for Apple Pencil 2 and Apple Pencil 3 users, a quick Magic Gesture is enough to put them on the right track. 4. Make your text stylish and legible
Now for the meat of the issue: making your text stylish and legible. You can have all the stickers, diagrams, and complementary colors in the world, but if your handwriting or text style looks like chicken scratch, you’ll be disappointed with the finished product.
One of our top tips is to use consistent handwriting (or font) styles. Too many styles can make your page look sloppy and chaotic, something you want to avoid in the pursuit of aesthetic notes.
We recommend settling on a maximum of two fonts, one for the headings and another for the body of the text. Both need to be clear, with enough space to make the letters legible.
Notetakers who appreciate castlecore and vintage aesthetics might be tempted to find a heavily italicized font, but beware: digital calligraphy can look sloppy, especially when undertaken by people who aren’t accustomed to digital writing.
Let’s face it: aesthetic notes require a lot of precision and control. It’s no surprise that calligraphy is much easier for pen-on-paper notetakers. The transition from traditional to digital pen and paper leaves many feeling disappointed. Let’s take an iPad, for example. The glass screen is slippery, reducing the chance of replicating that fancy calligraphy handwriting you’ve worked hard for over the last few years.
But there is a solution. Innovative iPad accessories have emerged in the past few years that seek to simplify the transition between pen-on-paper and digital notetaking. Rock Paper Pencil is one of them. This nano-textured screen protector mimics the “tooth” of fine-grain paper, and it works in tandem with the ballpoint Apple Pencil replacement tips to create a realistic pen-on-paper feeling for iPad users.
5. Add doodles, stickers, and visuals
If you’re like me, you can’t wait to finish writing your notes so you can add doodles, stickers, and visuals.
Half the reason our notes are aesthetic is the visuals. We’re visual creatures, relying on visual cues for basic understanding and key context. Neuroscientists from MIT have proven that the human brain can process an entire image in as little as 13 milliseconds, even faster than the blink of an eye.
Now that we’ve established that visuals are essential for aesthetic notes, let’s look at all the ways you can make your notes more eye-catching.
For pen-on-paper note-taking, you could:
- Add printable stickers.
- Glue photos and diagrams to your notes.
- Draw your own diagrams or doodles.
- Buy a collage book (or collect magazines and cut out your own collage materials) and create your own visuals. This can be tricky, as it’s often hard to find visuals that perfectly match your topic. But if you want to create aesthetic notes for your Botanicals 101 class, there are plenty of collage books to choose from!
- Use washi tape to create borders.
For digital note-taking, the sky is the limit.
- Built-in stickers: Note-taking apps like GoodNotes offer stickers through a range of avenues, including the Elements Tool. From there, you can create your own stickers or find free collections on GoodNotes Marketplace. And when we say sticker, we don’t just mean fun or cute graphics. Many of the collections are designed for serious notetakers, including anatomy visuals and sticky notes to boost engagement.
- Embed videos and GIFs: By far one of the biggest advantages of taking digital aesthetic notes is the ability to embed GIFs and videos. They can range from educational to funny, adding a bit of light relief to your study session and engaging your brain on a different level. GIFs are a great way to make your notes feel fun or add a dramatic flair.
- Add external visuals: You can insert any picture you can find, including everything from in-depth diagrams of the human heart to whimsical illustrations of the lifecycle of a frog.
- Draw your own visuals: You don’t have to draw your own visuals to be an aesthetic digital notetaker, but it certainly makes things more interesting. Who knows, you might even develop a new skill. Drawing your own doodles adds a new layer of creativity and personalization to your notes, and making them can be a very rewarding experience. That said, digital drawing comes with a learning curve, so don’t be disappointed if your doodles don’t hit the mark on your first try.
Inspiration for aesthetic notes
Here are a bunch of influencers who take aesthetic notes:
- @emilystudying: A college student who showcases aesthetic, organized digital notes.
- @happyplaceplanning: A digital creator and Director of Special Education who adds eye-catching elements to pen-on-paper notes.
- @essynotes: A content creator who focuses on tips to improve your handwriting and make your notes look more visually pleasing.
And here are some places where you can find resources to create aesthetic notes:
- r/StudyGram on Reddit
Want to make better aesthetic notes? Go digital with Astropad!
Creating aesthetic notes can feel overwhelming, especially with all the different steps we’ve outlined. But remember, there’s no right answer, just something that works for you. And most people try out different tactics before they find something that works for them.
You might find that analog notes just don’t cut it anymore. So, if you’re a traditionalist who has spent too much on highlighters and washi tape and run out of space for your notebooks, a digital drawing tool might be the way forward.
Digital note-taking won’t make your notes perfect overnight, but it does open up new avenues of opportunity, personalization, and creativity for people who want to create really aesthetic notes. You can easily correct mistakes, backup and sync your progress, add GIFs, and experiment with visual tools for free.
In the digital note-taking world, iPads reign supreme. Sure, you can take notes on one of the lesser-known tablets, but you won’t have an Apple Pencil. They work seamlessly with iPads to create an unbeatable note-taking experience, streamlining your process, replicating your handwriting, and smoothing the transition from analog to digital note-taking.
For iPad users who want a natural paper-like feel, Rock Paper Pencil is the way forward.
FAQs
What makes notes “aesthetic”?
Aesthetic notes look different for everyone. For some, creating aesthetic notes is all about using bright highlighter colors or curating a very specific aesthetic.
One overarching theme stays the same: aesthetic notes look visually appealing. There’s creativity, personalization, and a number of other elements that clearly show you have put time and energy into them.
Is taking aesthetic notes a waste of time?
For some, aesthetic notes are a waste of time. Remember, you can’t take eye-catching notes while your lecture is happening. Instead, you have to carve out time to create them after the fact.
If you’re an auditory learner — that’s learners who absorb information through spoken words — there’s little reason to focus on aesthetics.
Alternatively, if you favor visual learning methods, then you should focus on this eye–catching type of note-taking.
How do I keep my notes aesthetic but still functional for studying?
It’s a common misconception that aesthetic notes aren’t organized. But the fact that notes are organized makes them aesthetic because they are easily digestible and therefore attractive.
That said, some notetakers prioritize aesthetics over functionality to the point that their notes are difficult to understand. Here are some things you can do to make sure your notes are clear and concise:
- Color-coding: Use our color-coding tips to organize the information on your page.
- Find the right pen: Whether you’re taking analog or digital notes, you need a good pen. This might be easier for traditionalists who have used the same pen since middle school, but it’s slightly trickier for digital notetakers who are confronted with dozens of pens.
- Plan your notes: We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: failing to prepare is preparing to fail. To create truly aesthetic notes, you can’t just wing it. Instead, create an outline of the topics you intend to talk about and sketch a few layout ideas before you dive into the final draft.
- Use headings and subheadings: Headings are your best friend, effortlessly splitting information into easily digestible chunks.
How can I make my notes look more organized and pretty?
We’ve already covered all the basics, so here are our rapid-fire tips to make your notes look more aesthetic:
- Use highlighters
- Choose a note-taking method (e.g., Cornell, Oxford, mind maps, etc.).
- Cut images out of magazines and stick them to your notes
- Line your page with washi tape
- Stick to a cohesive color scheme
- Learn how to write calligraphy
- Embed GIFs and videos in digital notes
How can I take aesthetic notes faster without spending hours?
Like any skill, you have to put the hours in. Once you’ve created aesthetic notes once or twice, you’ll know what you like and don’t like. In other words, you’ll naturally streamline the process, eliminating things that don’t matter and prioritizing the things that do.
You also have to let go of the idea that your notes will be perfect. In doing so, you’ll relax, see with a clearer perspective, and naturally have a more relaxing note-taking experience.
Is switching to digital really worth it?
We think digital note-taking is the way forward, and we’ll tell you why. It gives you access to a range of tools that, in all likelihood, far exceed the tools you have at home. There are many more ways to make your notes eye-catching, and they’re all at your fingertips.
Don’t forget that digital note-taking is better for the environment and your bank account, provided you already have an iPad or tablet. It’s also better for your daily commute, replacing a bunch of notebooks and highlighters with a slim digital tablet.
What accessories help improve aesthetic note-taking for iPad?
Accessories can make all the difference, especially when you want to create aesthetic notes.
- Apple Pencil grips: A silicone Apple Pencil grip greatly reduces the friction between your fingers and the smooth surface of the stylus. It gives you a better grip, allowing greater control over handwriting. Once you have better control over your output, you can make your handwriting look neat and concise.
- Matte screen protector: A matte screen protector should be your first port of call. In contrast to an iPad’s typically smooth, shiny screen, matte screens are more like a real-life piece of paper. They reduce the amount of friction between the screen and the nib, allowing you to write just as you would with an analog pen and paper.
- Pen-like Apple Pencil nib: The nib of your Apple Pencil is designed for your iPad’s sleek, slippery screen. It’s difficult to create aesthetic notes when your stylus is slipping backward and forward, so we recommend switching to an alternative that’s made for writing.
Check out our blog for more iPad drawing accessories for creatives.
Looking for an all-in-one solution?
Rock Paper Pencil is the only iPad accessory with a matte screen protector and a pen-like Apple Pencil nib. The complementary elements work together to replicate the feeling of using a pen on paper, allowing you to create effortlessly aesthetic notes.
Built with nano-texture technology, Rock Paper Pencil adds subtle friction between your screen and Pencil, giving you more control while drawing or writing.
- NanoCling Screen Protector: Securely bond your screen protector to your iPad using static cling. Easy application, non-adhesive, removable and reusable.
- Matte Texture: Subtle friction mimics the feel of paper (no more slippery glass!)
- Precision Apple Pencil Tips: Smoother, more controlled strokes
