If you’re a designer or someone who works in the creative fields, a quality notebook is an essential tool. Single sheets of paper get lost and crumple up, while a dedicated book keeps all your scribbles, sketches and ideas neatly organized in a portable format.

Unlike notebook para designer cheap, no-name-brand stuff that litters bargain-basement aisles, well-made notebooks can be an investment in your design process and a covetable object. The best ones are crafted from high-quality materials and feature thoughtful touches that turn an everyday task like note-taking, journaling, task planning, brainstorming or doodling into a sublime experience.

This one has a grid layout on the left side and lined paper on the right, making it ideal for jotting down code snippets or outlining lists. It also has a special indentation rule that places tick marks across the lines to help you organize your notes or indent code.

Best Notebooks for Designers in 2025

The A:LOG notebook is designed specifically with architects in mind and came out of a Kickstarter campaign. It has a table of contents and numbered pages, along with gridded paper at four different scales for planning buildings and structures.

A design notebook should be a living document that outlines the entire product development process from beginning to end. All research, notes, meetings with experts or potential consumers, photos, drawings and other materials should be recorded in the notebook so that the designer or a colleague can go back and review the process to recreate the results or spot any errors.