Digital Note-Taking Tools for Creative Minds

The modern creative is constantly looking for new and effective ways of documenting their ideas. Some like to write their own notes, while others might take a photo or save pins on Pinterest. Regardless of whatever tool they choose, it’s because they understand the importance of capturing the idea before it can slip away from them.

Of course, sometimes ideas cannot be properly visualized using only one tool. Perhaps you balk at the idea of organizing all your scattered notes. Maybe you worry that you won’t remember where or why you saved that image you need for your next project. Digital note-taking solves all of those problems. 

By taking your notes digitally, it becomes easier than ever to streamline the creative process. All the way from brainstorming to development, designers turn to NoteLedge as one of the top apps for creative work. With NoteLedge, users can quickly and easily capture inspiration, organize notes, and store designs in a digital notebook. In this article, we will outline some tips and tricks for using digital note-taking to improve your current design process.

1. Capture Ideas Quickly From the Top Sources of Inspiration 

Many expert designers draw inspiration from the world around them. Traditionally, this has involved traveling to exciting new places or visiting stores or exhibitions. However, due to pandemic restrictions, creatives cannot access these same sources of inspiration the way they used to. In order to find ways to get fresh ideas while staying safe, many creatives have turned to the digital landscape for help. Pinterest, for example, is a great source of design inspiration. YouTube allows creatives to experience other cultures and ideologies without the need for travel.

Pinterest

Pinterest is one of the best resources for obtaining ideas and inspiration for many creatives. With Pinterest, you can create boards to save all the awesome ideas you find as you browse the app. However, while Pinterest is great for design inspiration, the app is somewhat limited in that it’s difficult for you to add your own ideas and engage with the images using the app.

To solve this problem, NoteLedge provides a handy in-app web clipper that allows you to clip images directly from Pinterest into your notes with an easy drag-and-drop system.

Web Pages

Google Image, Behance, Dribble, and stock image websites like Unsplash are also incredible sources for design inspiration. Like with Pinterest, NoteLedge’s web clipper can be used to easily clip images, text, and screenshots directly into your notes.

YouTube & Vimeo

YouTube & Vimeo are two video-based platforms where users can find cutting-edge design trends and web tutorials. Yet, it can be quite inconvenient going back and forth between two different apps. With NoteLedge, you can use the in-app video browser to search for videos, play them back, and then clip them into your digital notebooks.

Once the video has been saved, it can then be played back in a floating window as you take notes. This way, you can avoid the hassle of constantly switching between different apps and devices to access all your video content.

Our Real Lives

Another great source of inspiration is the world around you. With a smartphone, video and images can be quickly captured and then immediately synced to all your devices with a cloud service. With the addition of note-taking apps, it’s easier than ever before to organize and upload all your creative inspiration into one convenient place.

Audio Recordings

Another method of capturing ideas is taking voice memos. In your day-to-day life, you might not always have time to jot down written notes whenever inspiration strikes. Rather than let the idea fade away, a quick fix for this problem is to record audio notes, which can be done quickly and on the go.

Alternatively, perhaps you decide to take a walk, and the sounds of nature spark an idea for your next project. NoteLedge can be used to record multiple audio clips in a single notebook. To stay organized, you can then add name tags to your different audio clips.

Sketching

Rather than taking notes, you might find it easier to make some sketches in order to properly visualize an idea. Remember, when you capture ideas in this way, it is important to also write down your thought process behind the idea. By taking quick notes or adding annotations on images, you can better connect the dots and make sense of your creative process.

2. Organize Materials and Set the Tone with Mood Boards

Once you have collected all your inspiration material, you need to organize everything in a way that makes sense to you. Creating mood boards is a fun and effective way for creatives to organize content and establish a solid foundation for a creative project.

Organize

First, you’ll want to group and organize relevant material. This process helps you transfer messy piles of content into neatly organized boards. With NoteLedge, you can explore even more inspiration while you sort through your existing notes.

Set the Tone

Mood boards are useful for making decisions for style and color. You might want to define your color palette based on brand guidelines or personal preference. Alternatively, you could select colors that evoke certain emotional responses. For example, you can create mood boards with tropical themes that utilize both bright and warm colors, or set a more professional tone with cool, dark colors. 

Experiment with Different Combinations

One of the benefits of digital note-taking is that you can easily try out different designs to see what works best. Create multiple mood boards, see what speaks to you, and then start making design choices.

3. Begin Designing in Your Digital Notebook

Now that you’re done pre-planning, it’s time to get to work!

Start by Sketching

Sketching out your ideas on paper is the best way to begin to form an idea in your mind about what you want the final product to look like. With a sketch, you have a lot more freedom to experiment before digitally finalizing the design.

NoteLedge comes with a full set of brushes created specifically with creatives in mind. These tools include a pencil, sketching pencil, fountain pen, marker, watercolor brush, vector brush, and a smart pen for drawing shapes.  So you can start sketching while having easy access to your reference images right in the same notebook with NoteLedge.

Create Collages or Mockups

In addition to sketching ideas, you can also utilize the images you’ve collected by making collages or mockups. This is a great way to further engage with the content and play around with different combinations of ideas. NoteLedge allows you to cut out images in free form and arrange images with layer tools, making it easy to create stunning collages and mockups for all your design needs.

4. Present and Communicate Your Ideas

Now that you have a cohesive design plan, you need to share them with your team or clients. It’s important that your team not only see your designs but also understand how and why you made the choices you did. NoteLedge makes it easy to present your ideas to an audience.

Export to PDF with Audio and Video

PDF is the safest and the most common way to share documents. With NoteLedge, you can export your projects to PDFs with audio and videos included. This allows you to share your design concepts, all your reference material, and your insights as one cohesive document.

Present in Meetings with Slideshow Mode

To properly communicate ideas with your team or clients, you can turn your project notebook into a slideshow with just one tap. Use airplay to connect to a TV or a projector. Use whiteboard tools to highlight keynotes as you present, or use the laser pointer to guide listeners through your presentation. For remote meetings, simply connect your iPad to conferencing software and start your presentation.

Try Digital Note Taking for Your Creative Projects

No matter how you prefer to capture ideas, digital note-taking can improve your current creative process. With NoteLedge, you can easily clip images from the web to serve as inspiration for future design projects. You can also store your own videos, photos, and audio notes in one cohesive place.

Use NoteLedge’s array of tools to create collages, mood boards, mockups, sketches, and more to keep you organized and brainstorm project ideas. Then, once you have a plan in place, share your design ideas and notes with your client or team by using NoteLedge’s exporting and slideshow tools. Learn more about NoteLedge.