Design doesn’t just happen in software, editors, or the browser—it often starts offline with the simplest of tools: pen and paper. With that in mind, let’s do a round up of helpful analog tools that can aid you in the process of brainstorming, doodling, sketching, wireframing, or prototyping by hand.
BASICS Notebook
The BASICS Notebook keeps you both productive and creative so you can stay on top of your project timelines and do the ideation in one place. It has different page layouts like calendars and checklists plus blank sheets & erasable whiteboard pages right in the palm of your hand. It also has practical features like a back pocket for loose leaves and just enough of a gap so you can tuck in your pen at the top.
Website Deck
UX Kits Website Deck gives a tactile approach to website mapping & information architecture. Each card in the “deck” represent different types of content or interface patterns you can lay out and rearrange as you plan the the site or app structure. Numbered from 1-53, they’re also portable & reusable.
Whitelines
Whitelines produces pads & books that, as the name suggests, sport white lines on their sheets. One of its products, Whitelines Link, has marked corners which helps its companion app digitally capture your ideas.
The Psychology of Colour Pencil Set
The Psychology of Colour Pencil Set consists of 12 colored pencils, each labeled with a word conveyed by its corresponding color. The set also includes a booklet that expounds on those concepts.
Dotgrid
Dotgrid features different incarnations of notepads and papers with dotted grids on their sheets. Special editions like a birch wood cover and a tribute to Steve Jobs are available.
Magnetic Blackboard Wallpaper
The Magnetic Blackboard Wallpaper lets you draw and stick stuff at the same time without the bulk of an actual board or the need to paint your walls. It’s available in three sizes: 63.5 x 265 cm, 127 x 265 cm, and 127 x 100 cm (width by roll length).
UI Stencils
UI Stencils lets you sketch out different user interface elements on paper quickly with the help of different stainless steel and plastic stencils. They also have pixel rules & pads of browsers and mobile devices.
BreakThroughColour Cards + Cubes
BreakThroughColour Cards + Cubes lets you explore or even play with a wide array of colors through dozens of colored cards and cubes. It special numbering system and and codes on the flip-side of the cards reveal how their vary on hue, saturation, and value.
