Our office has been buzzing with excitement as the team eagerly anticipates the release of our new planners and that day has finally arrived. Please go here to pre-order your new 2020 Planner available in 2 new designs. 

Each year, we revisit the planner to see how we can improve formatting and update the look.

Our annual 12 Month Planner is at the heart of what we do at STIL. It embodies our passion for organization, simplicity and design. Each year, we revisit the planner to see how we can improve formatting and update the look. Founder Marissa gathers inspiration and draws from your customer feedback to perfect the tool many have come to depend on for their organizational needs every single day. 

This year, not only are we releasing the 2020 12 Month Planner, but we've redesigned the binding for the very first time. The semi-hidden coil makes the planner a lot slimmer and perfect for taking along with you without damaging the coil.

We’ve spent a lot of time seeking your design opinions via Instagram poll, so we wanted to give you an insider look at the design process. YAY! Below is the whole process explain in Marissa's own words:

Step 1 // Inspiration

Before I open Illustrator or mark up a sketch pad, I spend countless hours browsing Pinterest, magazines, and blogs. I pull colors, textures, and patterns together to create an inspiration wall that I draw from during the design process. This year’s 2020 12 Month Planner was inspired by upcoming 2020/2021 trends in fashion and interior design. The palette this year is composed of blush tones and neutrals (what we all love the most).  

Step 2 // First Round of Designs

All of our covers start as a simple sketch. I typically create around 25 sketches and narrow them down to 10-15 that will be brought to life in Illustrator. If a sketch doesn’t translate well from paper, I will revise the spacing, placement, and color palette.

Step 3 // The Initial Vote

Eliminating cover options is one of the hardest parts. I struggle with this the most. Because to be honest, this is almost impossible to do. We collectively select our top 4-6 designs (depending on how much we love them) and bring it to a vote! Our customers’ opinions are invaluable. We want you to be as excited about the new planner as we are and hearing from you always brings the utmost joy to my life! 

Step 4 // Print Samples

Then the covers that polled the most favorably are then sent out to be printed and sampled. When we receive our samples, we test colors, layout and finish to make sure everything is perfect and ready to take on a new year. 

Step 5 // The Final Vote

We give our customers the final say on which cover they’d like to see on their new 2020 12 Month Planner. This is always really exciting, because we’ve created something (together) we love and finally get to share the finished product with you all!

Step 6 // Make Changes to the Inside Layout

Don’t worry, we’re not majorly switching up your organizational system. Every year, however, we do like to freshen up the interior of the planner and make sure everything is neat and orderly.

Step 7 // Submitting the Final Design

Before we send the final design off to be printed, we review the samples one more time and make any final color and design changes. Once it’s submitted, we await the arrival of our newest planner!

We hope you’ve enjoyed this behind-the-scenes look at our design process. We want to thank you for all of your input as we’ve worked to create the latest set of planners. We can’t wait to see how you utilize our tools to set and accomplish your goals!