5 Must-Know Notion Design Tips & Tricks for Aesthetics
Looking to turn your Notion page into a cosy and aesthetic space to call home? Or maybe you’re tired of always implementing the same designs and the overall lack of variety. Well, you’ve come to the right place!
Here are 5 MUST-KNOW tips to instantly elevate your Notion space.
1. Colorful Dividers
Tired of the plain dividers provided by Notion? You’re not alone.
While the default divider built into Notion is perfect for minimalistic black and white templates, it can be quite lacklustre if your theme is centred around certain themes or colours.
Thankfully, there’s a way to create coloured dividers like this!
And it’s as simple as copying and inserting the code below into your Notion space.
$$\color{red}\rule{400px}{1px}$$
Hop onto a new Notion text block. Paste the code as you would a normal line of text and voila! It magically turns into a colored line.
Let’s talk customization. Since this line is essentially a piece of code, it’s possible to modify every aspect of it as long as you know its anatomy.
In the picture above, I’ve laid out what each part of the code represents and controls. If you want to change the color, input another color such as red, blue or green within those curly brackets. It’s the same for the width and height - the px represents pixels. To increase the width or height, add more pixels by increasing the number before it. Play around with it as there’s no one-size-fits-all here, it wholly depends on your device size and design preference.
P.S. here’s something you can do if you’re really particular about the color of the line. Hop on to Google’s Color Picker and play around with it till you find the exact shade you want. Copy the HEX code beneath and insert it between the curly brackets for color. Yes, even with the hash! It will look something like this.
$$\color{#eb4034}\rule{400px}{1px}$$
2. Call-outs
Have you ever thought to yourself that it’s hard to create proper sections because there’s nothing available to demarcate the areas clearly? In Excel or Google Sheets, this can be done through outlines, but this isn’t possible in Notion.
… or is it?
Call-outs to the rescue!
Call-out boxes are highly versatile Notion elements that will change how you design your templates. Simply put, they are boxes meant to “call out” something important or noteworthy. I use them a lot when taking notes I want to highlight like this.
With everything in Notion, creativity is key. We’re not looking to call-out anything per se, but the box itself opens up many possibilities. Think of it as an outline for your sections. See where I’m going now?
As Notion works in blocks, the call-out boxes will expand to fill up the entirety of the block it’s in. We can then drag a block of choice into the call-out, resulting in that content block being enveloped by the call-out’s outline.
Unfortunately, we can’t entirely do away with the icon and title at the top of the call-out, but it works very well as a section heading!
Here’s some examples of how I’ve used call-outs in my templates.
3. Personalised Images
This is quite basic, but it’s worth pointing out if you’re new to Notion and not aware that it’s possible.
You can decorate your Notion space with pictures. It’s the most straightforward way to make your Notion pop, and it’s as simple as uploading pictures from your desktop or grabbing one right off Google, copying the image address, and embedding it into Notion.
But that’s not all. Rather than just copy pasting random images that catch your eye, take it to the next level by customising the images before uploading them to Notion.
Take a look at this.
credits: jizellecasia
It looks fantastic, right? The images blend right into the background and adds some much needed embellishment. It definitely took a lot of effort, but it isn’t nearly as hard as you think it is to replicate.
All you need is an image editing software - I recommend Canva, it’s free and beginner-friendly - and a sprinkle of creativity to get started.
Here’s a full step-by-step guide to creating stunning Notion banners with Canva and the kind of designs you can explore to spice up your Notion page.
Which brings me to my next point…
4. Adding Columns
Does your current page perhaps look something like this?
It seems a little… flat, doesn’t it? Linear. Dull, even. Well, that’s because it is. Everything is arranged in one column. It’s ideal for notes, but not the best layout for a workspace as a whole.
Add another dimension to your Notion workspace by introducing columns! Not only does it look more aesthetic, it’s also functional and efficient as you can multitask and capture more information at a glance.
To add columns, go to a new block and type the following.
/column
Choose from the resulting pop-up the number of columns you want. They will be created at equal distance from each other along the width of the block you’re on.
The best part about these columns is how you can adjust their width. Have a database that requires more real estate to show every property clearly? No problem. Hover your cursor by the side of the database where the end of the column lies till a grey vertical line pops up. Hold and drag it to your desired width and watch as the database expands along with the column, filling in the available space.
Combine this with the customised pictures discussed above to create amazing banners demarcating sections or important information.
5. Use Emojis
A wall of text doesn’t look the most aesthetically pleasing. Changing up the text formats can help with spacing and make it more digestible, but the root of the problem remains the same.
It’s not pleasing to the eye.
How about trying to insert some emojis to switch things up?
And no, I’m not referring to random smiley faces or over-the-top colourful objects which might not complement the theme you’re going for. You’ll be surprised to find out that there’s a huge variety of emojis. I’ll go as far as to say that there’s one for every occasion, since classifying some of these copy-pastable elements as emojis might be a stretch. Symbols might be more appropriate.
Supporting your notion to Notion.
Hey, it’s Ken from Caffiend. Thanks for visiting my shop and reading my content! I hope I was able to help you out in one way or another.
If you’re new to Notion and would like to learn more about it, I recommend checking out my Beginner's Guide to Notion.
Or if you’re just looking for some templates to kick-start your Notion journey, consider my free Notion Starter Pack or Notion Life Suite featuring an array of curated templates meant to keep every aspect of your life organized.
Also, if you have any questions or just want to talk Notion, feel free to drop me an email at ken@itscaffiend.com. I promise I don't bite!
Until next time, stay safe and as always, stay productive!
