When someone tells me they love how my templates look, I always smile — but I also know that the look is only half the story. A template that looks calm but falls apart structurally is just pretty clutter. True calm in a workspace comes from intentional design, both visual and functional. Here’s a peek into my process.
**It starts with a feeling.** Before I open Notion, I ask: How do I want someone to feel when they open this dashboard? For me, that’s a sense of clarity, ease, and maybe a little inspiration. I think about the sensory experience — not just what it looks like, but how it feels to navigate.
**Color is the first layer.** I’m drawn to soft neutrals — warm beiges, muted sage greens, and gentle creams. These aren’t just pretty colors; they’re psychologically calming. Bright reds and harsh blacks create visual noise, and who needs that in a productivity tool? I choose two or three accent colors and use them sparingly: a sage for active links, a terracotta for urgent tasks, and a cream as the everyday backdrop.
**Typography matters more than people think.** I’ll spend hours picking the right font for a template. It needs to be legible at small sizes, friendly but professional, and consistent across headings and body text. I often pair a serif for headings with a sans-serif for body — it adds warmth without sacrificing readability.
**Then comes the database architecture.** This is the least glamorous but most important part. A calm template is one where you never have to think, ‘Where does this go?’ Every database has a clear primary property, and related databases are linked so information flows naturally. For example, in a client hub, a client record might link to a projects database, which links to a tasks database. That way, you can see everything about a client in one place without duplicating data.
**I prototype, then I test.** Once I have a draft, I use it myself for at least a week. I put real projects and tasks in there. If I find myself creating workarounds, that’s a red flag. I also ask a few trusted friends to test it — different perspectives catch things I miss.
**Iteration is ongoing.** A template is never truly finished. I release updates, tweak properties, and refine layouts based on user feedback. That’s why I offer lifetime updates — I want the template to grow with you.
Designing for calm isn’t about minimalism for its own sake. It’s about removing everything that causes friction, so the only thing left is the work that matters. When done right, a Notion template feels less like a tool and more like a trusted space. That’s what I’m chasing with every release.