Design it Yourself: Weekly Planner Sheet

Hyo Song January 22, 2025 · 3 min read

Welcome to another Design it Yourself tutorial where today we’re rolling up our sleeves to craft a custom weekly planner sheet. Whether you’re balancing school, work, personal projects, or all the above, a well-organized planner can be your best friend. In this session, we’ll guide you through creating a stylish and functional weekly planner sheet using Adobe Illustrator, perfect for printing or digital use. Let’s get started and bring some order to your week!

Step-by-Step Tutorial

1. Setting Up Your Canvas: Open Adobe Illustrator and create a new document. For this planner, we’ll use a 5.5 x 8.5-inch canvas—ideal for a half-letter size that’s both portable and spacious enough to hold all your weekly entries.

2. Sketching Your Layout: Before diving into digital creation, sketch out a rough layout on paper or within Illustrator using a basic brush tool. Plan spaces for each day of the week, as well as dedicated sections for your to-do list, notes, and perhaps an inspirational quote or two to keep you motivated. Think about how you interact with your planner and what layout would best suit your daily routine.

3. Digitizing Your Sketch: Start bringing your sketch to life by setting up text boxes for the days of the week and larger text areas for notes and lists. Use the Rectangle Tool (M) to create distinct sections that will define each area of your planner. This step transforms your initial ideas into a structured layout.

4. Creating a Grid with Blend Options: To organize the space within your planner, use Illustrator’s Blend tool to create a neat grid. First, create a single row with a thin rectangle, then use the Blend Tool (W) to duplicate this row across the space you need. Go to Object > Blend > Make to generate a blend, and adjust the Spacing to your desired frequency of rows. Repeat this process for vertical columns, rotating your initial blended rows 90 degrees. Overlay the columns on the rows to form a clear grid. Adjust the opacity of this grid to around 30-40%, ensuring it’s visible but not distracting.

5. Finalizing Your Design: Once your grid is in place, add final touches such as labeling the days, adding decorative elements like small illustrations or lines, and formatting the text in your chosen typefaces. These elements bring personality to your planner and make it truly yours.

6. Printing or Digital Use: After completing your design, you can print your weekly planner sheet at home or professionally. Alternatively, if you prefer to go paperless, save your design as a PDF and import it into a digital notetaking app such as Goodnotes. Here’s a helpful article on some top notetaking apps for creatives: Note-Taking Apps for Creatives.

By following these steps, you’ll have a custom weekly planner that not only meets your organizational needs but also matches your aesthetic preferences. Whether you’re jotting down meetings or meal plans, this planner is designed to keep you on track and inspired throughout the week. Enjoy crafting your personalized organizational tool—happy planning!