How I Create My Lemon8 Posts🍋

I’ve been posting regularly for 3 months on Lemon8 and I’ve fallen in love with the process of creating these little visual diary entries. This could be one of the first few times I’ve used my graphic design skills outside of work and school. I’m not sure if anyone is curious about how I create these posts but here is my personal process:

Step 1: Finding Inspiration ✨🍀
I find inspiration either through online sources or from life experiences and reflections. I journal every day and I tend to reflect a lot about my life and my conversations with my friends. I can easily use my journal as a log of ideas by flipping through randomly and reading. For more visual inspiration, I love using Pinterest. If you’re just starting out on Pinterest, your feed might not be looking like your own style yet—so keep searching the right keywords and explore. I make Pinterest boards for every client and ocassion. If you’re interested, this is my board for graphic design inspiration: ✨ Inspire Me ✨

Step 2: Write & Plan on Notion ✏️
I use Notion’s calendar function to collate and see how many posts I’ve done and are in progress. I also type out my content there and later paste it into Lemon8 directly.

Step 3: Draft on Paper 📘
I usually draw out the wireframe of what I’m trying to create and also practice writing the titles. I usually handwrite my titles and text and I find it way easier after I’ve seen them on paper visually. I have no idea why. I always start off on paper before going to design digitally.

Step 4: Design on Photoshop 💻
I use Photoshop to design web graphics. I love connecting my iPad to my computer while designing so I can use the Apple pencil for pressure-sensitive brushes.

Step 5: Look for Free Images 📸
Sometimes when I run out of photos to use, I head over to Pexels.com to find royalty-free images—these are images that you can use for free with the permission of the creator. My favorite part about this site is that every day they have a curated homepage and the images are beautiful. I love using nature images as backgrounds for my posts.

Step 6: Last but Not Least, It’s Doodle Time 🌞
My last and favourite step is doodling. I always add sparkles and underline the important parts. I feel like it aids reading and understanding. I love how it adds a touch of personality visually.

And that’s how long it takes for me to create 1 post! I think I spend many hours per post but if I’m happy with it, it’s worth it. Of course, I hope my readers find it both insightful and visually appealing.

💭 Do you make Lemon8 posts? What is your process like? Tell me!

With Love,
Chara

This was originally posted on Lemon8.