Do you ever wish your calendar could do more than just remind you of your next dentist appointment? Is flipping the page at the end of the month your favorite part of having a calendar? Ever catch yourself wishing your calendar was a mood-booster instead of a stressful reminder of a busy schedule? Well, guess what? It’s totally possible! And creating this is way easier than you might think with our free online calendar design tool.

Whether you are a photographer showcasing your travels, an artist selling your work, or just creating a fun family calendar, this blog will give you some useful tips and different ideas to make your calendar unique. With this design tool you can incorporate fun text, extra images, stylish backgrounds, the perfect clipart, highlighted events and even page layout!

Unlock Your Potential

Ask yourself an important question “do boring calendars stand out?” Think about whether you would rather give your audience a calendar where they can flip through months filled with colorful images, inspiring quotes, personalized reminders that make them smile, and space to add their to-do list OR a basic simple calendar from the store?

Most people will pick the unique calendar option! The additional elements add character to a simple item and creates emotional value to the owner of your calendar. Our super easy-to-use online design tool lets you create this type of a calendar without the hassle of complex systems and templates.

To get started on your design, follow these 5 easy steps:

1. Go to our calendar printing webpage
2. Scroll down to the “Free Design Tool” under the calendar resources
3. Click “Start Your Design Now” or click here.
4. Pick your size, layout, and grid design
5. Start your calendar project!

After starting your creation with our free calendar online design tool, you will find six sections of customization: Text, Images, Background, Clipart, Events, and Page Layout.

Let’s go through each section and add them to our calendar as we go, to make one of the most unique calendars ever!

Text

Most calendars have limited text and are typically image heavy. This does NOT mean text isn’t important. Titling your cover and each photo within the months can put a professional spin on your calendar that others may not have.

Within the online design tool, open your calendar design and select “Text” from the sidebar.

The sidebar will pop out and allow you to select “Add Heading“, “Subheading“, and “Body Text“. After selecting your text, you can type right onto the text box whatever you’d like to say.

There is a typography editing box that will also appear on your page when you add a new text. In this box you can change the font to something more fun, change the size of the text to one that suits your calendar better, change the color of your text to match other parts of your calendar and much more!

Instead of just adding names to people’s birth dates we could add just about anything! Here are 25 creative ways to incorporate text into your calendar.

1. Inspirational Quotes: Add a motivational quote at the top of each month.
2. Birthdays and Anniversaries: Highlight these special dates with a decorative font.
3. Monthly Goals: Write down your goals for the month in a bold, eye-catching text box.
4. Fun Facts: Include an interesting fact for each month related to history, nature, or hobbies.
5. Daily Affirmations: Add short, positive affirmations on each day.
6. Event Reminders: Use colorful, standout text to mark important events.
7. Seasonal Greetings: Add cheerful greetings for each season, like “Hello Spring!” or “Winter Wonderland.”
8. To-Do Lists: Incorporate small to-do lists on the side of each month’s grid.
9. Recipes: Feature a favorite recipe for each month in a designated text area.
10. Photo Captions: Add captions or fun comments to accompany photos.
11. Book Recommendations: Suggest a book for each month with a short description.
12. Workout Challenges: Include a mini workout challenge or tip for each month.
13. Travel Plans: Highlight your travel dates with exciting fonts and colors.
14. Important Deadlines: Use bold, red text to mark important deadlines.
15. Holidays and Festivals: List major holidays and local festivals in festive fonts.
16. Monthly Reflection: Include a space for reflecting on the past month’s achievements and learnings.
17. Weather Notes: Add a small section to note typical weather patterns for the month.
18. Pet Care Tips: Feature tips for pet care or fun activities to do with your pet.
19. Gardening Tips: Include seasonal gardening advice for the green thumbs.
20. School Events: Highlight school events and important dates for kids.
21. Meal Planning: Designate a space for planning weekly or monthly meals.
22. Daily Gratitude: Add a small section to jot down something you’re grateful for each day.
23. Family Fun Ideas: Suggest a family activity or game for each month.
24. Financial Goals: Write down savings goals or financial tips.
25. Language Learning: Feature a word or phrase in a new language for each month.

Adding customizations like birthdays and goals, motivational quotes, educational content, and organizational tools such as event reminders and to-do lists, can transform a basic calendar into a tool. The variety makes the calendar more visually appealing and enjoyable to use. The added features support better organization, motivation, and personal growth by providing daily inspiration, educational value, and a way to track and reflect on various aspects of life, ultimately changing the calendar’s initial purpose and adding daily value.

Images

The photos and images you use in your calendar can make or break your design. Many printed calendars have a theme like travel photography or bird photography. Think of your style and theme before adding all your photos so you have a good idea in mind of what ones you will use for each month when you get into the design tool.

To add images, select “Images” from the sidebar, then either upload your own photos or explore our vast collection of stunning stock images. Images are the heart and soul of any printed calendar. People looking to purchase a calendar often only see the cover and then select based on that. This is an important fact to keep in mind.

Cover photos and monthly photos aren’t all you have space for. The more photos you add, the less white space will occupy your design, this way your calendar can catch the attention of your audience effectively and quickly. Here are some cool ways to incorporate more photos into your design.

• Showcase your own photography: If you’re a shutterbug, your calendar is the perfect canvas to display your best shots. Capture breathtaking landscapes, candid moments with loved ones, or quirky details that catch your eye.
• Set the mood with thematic images: Choose images that evoke a particular feeling or theme for each month. Think cozy fireplaces in winter, blooming flowers in spring, or sun-drenched beaches in summer.
• Celebrate your passions: Are you a foodie, a sports fanatic, or an animal lover? Let your images reflect your interests and hobbies.
• Use the grid: Adding imaged to the extra grid spaces or special days are so cool and grab audience’s attention.
• Use images as prompts: Select images that spark your imagination or serve as visual reminders for goals or intentions.
• Add images to the background: You might not want to add extra images but adding a background can help to take up space and keep the daily viewer interested.
• Use QR Codes: Link your calendar to an online schedule or website

Don’t forget to optimize your images for the print before uploading them. This will ensure that they load quickly and look their best on your calendar. Ideally images should be at 300dpi or higher to guarantee the integrity of the pixels.

With our calendar online design tool, you have full control over the placement, size, and cropping of your images. Experiment with different layouts and see how images can elevate your calendar into a visual head turner.

Background

A beautiful background is the perfect setting to instantly grab your audience attention. Your background sets the mood, enhances the atmosphere, and ties everything together. Adding a background can elevate the p rofessionalism of your calendar and make it stand out!Our online design tool makes it easy to add background magic to your calendar.

Select “Background” from the sidebar, and you’ll find a plethora of options. You can even upload your own background. Be sure to notice the additional tabs on the top of the background sidebar, from there you can change between images and see the provided patters for backgrounds.

Here are 5 Ideas on how to improve the look of your calendar using just the background section.

• Add a border: framing your calendar, gives it a polished look and makes it stand out when printed.
• Include a background on your grid: Adding a background to the grid spaces in your calendar helps to visually differentiate them, making it easier to read and enhancing the overall design.
• Patters: Adding patterns to your calendar background injects personality and visual interest, allowing you to create a unique look that complements your content and theme.
• Change the opacity of the backgrounds: Adjusting the opacity of your calendar background allows you to create a softer, more subtle look, ensuring that your text and images remain clearly visible.
• Seasonal changes to the background:
  Refreshing your calendar with seasonal backgrounds adds a touch of variety and captures the changing mood and atmosphere of the year.

Transform your calendar’s look and feel with our versatile background options, from solid colors and gradients to patterns, textures, and even your own uploaded images! These small changes can make a big difference in calendar printing and advertising your calendar.

Clipart

Who says calendars have to be serious? With clipart, you can change your design with fun, personality, and a touch of whimsy. Our calendar online design tool has a very large library of clipart. From playful icons to festive illustrations, all just one click away!

o access the clipart library on the calendar online design tool, visit the sidebar and select the “Clipart” icon. This will open clipart icons in the sidebar to choose from and add to your design. Again, check the top tabs and select “Shapes” to view more clipart icons. Search through the categories for the perfect icon.

Here are some ideas besides holidays and birthdays for clipart to be added.

1. Seasonal Changes: Illustrate the transition from winter to spring, spring to summer, etc., with seasonal clipart. This could be a sunshine in summer or skis in the winter. Remember to think about the style and theme of your calendar.
2. Weather Icons: Add sun, rain, snowflakes, and other weather symbols to track weather patterns. This could be a fun addition to add personality to your calendar. Summer solstice would be a fun place to put an icon within the grid.
3. Fitness Goals: Use clipart of dumbbells, yoga mats, or running shoes to mark workout days. This will help keep you on track of your busy gym schedule but also your rest days.
4. Meal Plans: Incorporate images of fruits, vegetables, and other foods to highlight meal planning days. This can remind you to keep a clean diet. You could reverse this and add fast food icons to the days you will eat out.
5. Travel Plans: Add clipart of airplanes, suitcases, or landmarks to mark travel dates. This could make the countdown to your vacation even more exciting than the vacation itself.
6. Work Deadlines: Use briefcases, clocks, or office supplies to indicate important work deadlines. Stay organized!
7. Family Activities: Highlight family game nights, movie nights, or outings with related clipart. This can keep the whole family involved and reminded of game night.
8. Pet Care: Use paw prints, bones, or pet icons to remind yourself of pet care tasks or even their birthdays.
9. Gardening Days: Add flowers, plants, or gardening tools to mark gardening days or when to plant certain seeds within the year.
10. School Events: Use books, pencils, or graduation caps for school-related activities like graduations, games, tests, & deadlines.
11. Cleaning Schedule: Incorporate brooms, dustpans, or cleaning products to organize cleaning days or spring cleanings. This can help keep your schedule and your home organized and tidy.
12. Hobby Time: Highlight days for hobbies like painting, knitting, or reading with relevant clipart. Hobbies are important to have because everyone deserves a little time to do what they love. Schedule yourself time to enjoy the things you love.
13. Appointment Reminders: Use medical symbols, dentists, or haircuts to mark appointments.
14. Self-Care: Include icons like spa symbols, bath bubbles, or meditation symbols for self-care days.
15. Financial Planning: Add piggy banks, dollar signs, or charts to indicate budgeting or financial review days.
16. Music and Arts: Use musical notes, paintbrushes, or theater masks for concert or art show dates.
17. Volunteer Work: Highlight volunteer days with heart symbols, hands, or charity-related icons.
18. Sports Events: Add clipart of balls, jerseys, or whistles to mark sports games or practice sessions.
19. Nature Outings: Use trees, mountains, or hiking boots to signify outdoor activities.
20. Friend Gatherings: Incorporate images like coffee cups, cocktails, or group icons for meetups with friends.

Adding these clipart elements makes your calendar more interesting. It reflects you or your personal business interests and activities. They bring a unique touch with everything from hobbies and travel plans to family gatherings and self-care days. This personalization not only makes your calendar more enjoyable to use but also helps you stay organized by visually distinguishing different types of events.

Events

The events section refers to the section where you can add custom dates or remove public holidays. Let’s take a look at how to use these events and why it’s important for your calendar to have them!

Find the “Events” tab on the sidebar.

At the top of events, you will notice two sections “Your Events” and “Public Holidays” On “Public Holidays” you will see a list of all major holidays. You can select or deselect these to appear in your design and they will automatically reflect.

In “Your Events,” you can add a custom date like a birthday. To add a date, click the small calendar icon in the “Date” tab. You will select the date you are wanting this to fall on. From there, you can add the title of the date. Click add, and it will auto populate into your calendar.

Look below to find some cool events you won’t find in the “Public Holidays” section.

• Color-code events: Use different colors for different types of events, like birthdays, holidays, or work deadlines. This can add a fun pop of color to your days.
• Set reminders: So never miss an important event by setting reminders in advance on your calendar project.
• Weird and Wacky Holidays: Sprinkle in some fun with National Donut Day, Talk Like a Pirate Day, or even National Hug Your Cat Day. Everyone loves a good random reason to celebrate.
• Local Festivals and Events: Highlight events specific to your community, like farmers markets, music festivals, or art shows. This can add a sense of need to for your calendar within the community. This can even help you plan family outings or events to enjoy as one.
• Historical Anniversaries: Mark significant dates in history, like the anniversary of the moon landing or the invention of the internet. These are actually really fun to memorize or learn about. They are thought provoking and can invite a whole new area to your dates.
• Personal Milestones: Celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, or other personal achievements. This will also help the family stay on track and stay in the know of what is happening. No one wants to miss a graduation or picnic!
• Nature Events: Track the phases of the moon, meteor showers, or the changing of the seasons. Astrology fans will love you for it!
• Pop Culture Phenomena: Mark the release dates of new movies, albums, or video games. This could be specific to your industry or interests and marketed towards what your business does or something you do personally or as a family.
• Foodie Events: Celebrate National Ice Cream Day, National Pizza Day, or other delicious holidays. We all love a good excuse for ice cream.
• Sports Events: Highlight major sporting events, like the Super Bowl, the World Series, or the Olympics. This can be something that sets your calendar apart in the store from another. By the end of this blog, you will have an amazing calendar, but these dates will farther amplify the best qualities of your calendar.
• Charity Events and Awareness Days: Raise awareness for causes you care about by marking days like Earth Day, World Mental Health Day, or local charity events. You will never be alone in support of causes like these.

Including events will make your calendar interesting. No matter if you are working on a business project or passion project. Adding family birthdays can help everyone stay organized and in the loop.

If you are a business, be sure to add national holidays or fun events for your calendar. For example, if you are a creamery, adding things like National Ice Cream Day and Hottest day of the Summer could be a really neat addition to an already amazing calendar.

Page Layout

Ever wish you could do something entirely unique? Different layouts for your images can change the entire look of your calendar design.

In the sidebar click the “Page Layout” section. A menu will open with all the layouts to choose from.

There is a plethora of options that range from one image spreads to six image collages.

Select your spread and agree to the pop up that asks if its okay to make changes to your design. If you end up not liking it just click the undo button at the top bar menu.

Here are the top 3 tips for page layout to keep in mind when you go to design your calendar.

• Balance content and whitespace: Avoid overcrowding your calendar. Leave enough white space to give your eyes a rest and make important information stand out. This will help show the reader where to look and when.
• Guide the eye: Use visual cues like lines, shapes, or color blocks to guide the viewer’s eye through your calendar. These can help your audience spot every little detail or notice something that is supposed to stand out.
• Create a hierarchy: Emphasize important elements with larger fonts or bolder colors. For example, things like titles and descriptions should be in a font hierarchy to show your audience and viewers what is important and what to look farther into.

A well-designed page layout can transform your calendar into a functional and aesthetically pleasing tool. It can reflect your style or brand to show unique taste or preferences in your calendar. By using a layout you make it easier for the reader to find what they are looking for at a glance, like the title or description.

Overall, the layout will create a harmonious design and improve the look and feel of your calendar. With these tips your amazing design will encourage viewers to check out your calendar.

Why Use the Calendar Online Design Tool?

When it comes to formatting and layout applications, it can get expensive and hard to use quickly. With our user-friendly design tool, you can have the confidence that your calendar will be printed exactly how you want, every time you create. Once you are finished with your design there’s no file saving or uploading. All you have to do is add it to your cart and checkout! We did our best to streamline the design process to help our customers achieve their goals with the calendar online design tool. Many customers use it and almost all have had positive experiences. See the photo to the right for an example of all six elements of the design tool being used for one calendar!

Try It Now

Don’t settle for a boring calendar. Transform your time management with a personalized masterpiece of art. Start designing your calendar today!

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