Essential Design Tool – Graph Paper

A very common routine for web designers is sketch, design, code. When it comes to that first step, sketching, the absolute best tool to use is some form of graph paper. Buy it by the book or thanks to some great online resources, print any variety of graph paper as often as you need and in the quantities you need.

My favorites:

Konigi – Specifically for web designers, information architects, and other visual designers, Konigi features high-quality graph papers in a variety of formats complete with title bars and non-photo blue so you can easily remove your guides when scanning.

Incompetech – Need to get really fancy? Incompetech goes beyond your standard graph paper and has dotted paper, axonometric perspective paper, circular, asymetrical, and engineer’s paper plus many more unusual and artistic grids for unleashing your creativity.

Are you a notebook junkie? Even though it is nice to be able to print the graph paper I need one sheet at a time, I have to say I also have quite the collection on notebooks, sketch journals, and notepads floating around. My favorites are:

• Moleskine Large kraft Soft Cover Squared Cahier Journal (set of 3)
• Dot Grid Book by Behance
• Orla Kiely’s funky notebooks (you can get different paper styles)
• 5×5 Quad Ruled Composition Book, 7-7/8″x10″ RED43475

If you have any other sources for good graph or grid paper, let me know – while I love the convenience of printing it out as I need it, I definitely have a soft spot for fun and funky notebooks and sketchbooks.