I believe in being transparent about what's inside a course before you buy it. So here's exactly what Digital Planner Design Lab covers, broken down by section.

The Foundation

We start with the big picture — how digital planners work, what makes a good one, and how to set up your design software correctly from the beginning. This section covers both InDesign and Affinity so you can follow along in whichever app you're using. Not sure which to pick? I break it down in InDesign vs Affinity for Digital Planners.

By the end of this section you'll understand the anatomy of a digital planner, have your software set up correctly, and know exactly what the rest of the course is building toward.

Document Setup and Master Pages

This is where we get into the actual building. Master pages are one of the most powerful features in desktop publishing software and one of the most misunderstood. I'll show you exactly how to use them to build a planner structure that's consistent, flexible, and easy to update.

We cover page sizing for iPad, setting up bleeds and margins, building repeating elements on master pages, and organizing your document so it doesn't become a mess as it grows.

Designing Your Planner Pages

Here's where the design work happens. We walk through building each type of planner page — the cover, the annual overview, the monthly spread, the weekly spread, the daily pages, and notes pages — with an eye toward both aesthetics and usability.

I'll share what makes a planner layout actually pleasant to use in GoodNotes, including how zoom level affects your design decisions and why certain layout choices frustrate users. If you're curious how the basics come together first, my guide on how to make a digital planner in GoodNotes is a good primer.

Data Merge

This section is one of the most valuable in the entire course. I'll teach you how to set up a CSV data source and use data merge to automatically populate all your dates, day names, and month headers across your entire planner — saving you hours of manual work and virtually eliminating date errors.

Hyperlinking

The heart of what makes a digital planner actually function. I walk you through setting up every hyperlink in your planner — tab navigation, back buttons, page-to-page links — and show you how to test them before export so you know everything works before your customers open the file. If you want the plain-English version of how these work, read Goodnotes Hyperlinks Explained.

PDF Export

How you export matters enormously. I'll show you the exact export settings that produce a clean, properly hyperlinked, well-optimized PDF — one that works correctly in GoodNotes, Notability, and PDF Expert.

Getting Ready to Sell

We close out the course with a practical look at preparing your planner for sale — file organization, naming conventions, creating mockups, and what to think about when setting up your first listing. For the business side, see how digital planner designers make money on Etsy.

Ready to Enroll?

If this sounds like the training you've been looking for, I'd love to have you inside Digital Planner Design Lab.

Enroll in Digital Planner Design Lab →