12 Top Bullet Journal Brands for Mindfulness and Motivation

Learn how to choose a bullet journal and get inspired by these top picks, recommended by artist Annie Weir

A bullet journal is the ideal way to turn planning into a fun new hobby. The simple but effective method, devised by Ryder Carroll, turns long-form notes and reminders into easily digestible information. You can track anything from life events to your water intake, or time spent reading and exercising. And many writers and artists choose to decorate their journals too, blending the clean bullet lists and trackers with doodles, calligraphy, and stickers.

But with so many options out there, how do you choose the right journal to get started and find your unique planning style?

Annie Weir (@a_journal_by_annie) is an artist who specializes in fine-liner bullet journal designs, with delicate natural, and botanical illustrations weaving around her logs. She loves beautiful lettering and the mindful aspect of journaling, allowing the writer to stay grounded and centered as they plan their life.

After studying Graphic Design, Annie discovered the BuJo world and fell in love. Through her Instagram and webshop, under the name A Journal By Annie, she has worked with brands including Rescue Remedy, Simply Lettering Magazine, Arteza, and more.

Here, Annie shares her thoughts on what to look out for when choosing the perfect notebook for your first bullet journal, and lists twelve stunning brands to get inspired by.

How to choose the right journal for you

In her course, Annie stresses that you shouldn’t feel pressure to go out and buy the most expensive planner. It’s all about your personal needs and your planning style. Often, keeping things simple is the best way to start. Here are some things to keep in mind…

Think about the size and format that will suit your life best. If you’re taking your journal on the go, a hardback in A5 size could work. Meanwhile, if you’re working at home, you could go for a large B size or even A4.

Next, you need to consider what materials you will use to draw and write. If you have pencils and biros, or fine-liner pens, then a thinner paper will work fine. However, if you want to get creative with markers, gel pens, and brush pens, then you’ll want 120 GSM or even thicker. You could also consider the smoothness of the paper—would a texture suit your style, or do you need it to be ‘creamy’ and smooth?

Finally, consider the other elements that will make journaling simpler for you. Does the journal need a dot grid to guide your layout? What size of grid will fit your handwriting best (Annie notes that most journals use a 5mm, but there are other options)? You may also want the journal to have a pen holder, ribbon markers or bookmarks, and a storage pocket at the back. It totally depends on your taste and preferences for your planner.

Annie’s recommended BuJo brands

When you’ve decided on what you need from your journal, it’s time to look around for inspiration. Without further ado, here are the twelve journal brands that should tick all the boxes and get you excited to start journaling!

Amanda Rach Lee

YouTuber Amanda has a small range of adorable pastel-shade diaries that are perfect for BuJo. They’re vegan and have thick 160 GSM paper with a dot grid. They’re also ideal if you’re looking to create an aesthetic Instagram feed, as they have little star charms on their ribbon markers and embossed foil icons on the cover for a super cute look.

Archer and Olive

Archer and Olive offer large-format journals in B5 with cute ampersand charms, which are perfect for those looking for more creative freedom. They have a cloth cover and very thick 160 GSM paper. The pages are un-numbered and the texture is grainy, so if you’re looking to use brush pens and paints, this could be the one for you.

Bullet Journal

The original! The classic Edition 2 designs come in two colors and are clean and simple to look at. The dot grid paper is sustainably sourced and 120 GSM, with specialized pages perfect for beginners who want to learn the most effective techniques. You’ll find all the icons, guides, stickers, and more to make your system truly perfect.

Dingbats

At size A5+, Dingbats notebooks are a little larger than normal and are vegan with creamy smooth paper at 100 GSM. For practicality, there is a back pocket and some micro-perforated pages to tear out easily. They also offer collections with specific themes (e.g. ‘Earth’ for ecological awareness) and these versions have fact pages, infographics, and more. If you’re in the UK, 2% of your revenue goes to the WWF.

FA VO

FA VO is the place to go if you’re looking for nature-based products, as their colors come naturally from recycled fibers such as kiwi. Their paper is thinner at 90 GSM, but is recycled, super-smooth, and available in a range of options: ruled, blank, or dotted.

Keiver

Keiver offers thick 110 GSM paper in a range of bold-hued notebooks, such as orange and turquoise. They feature contents and other index pages, a large back pocket, and some tear-out pages. The pages are dot grid and numbered.

Leuchtturm1917

Another classic for bullet journalers, the Leuchtturm1917 series is very popular as you get a wide range of size and color choices, including neon and red-dot collections, as well as the original Bullet Journal collection as above. They usually come with ribbon markers and pockets, and there are several page formats to choose from. That said, some notebooks are thinner paper at 80 GSM, so more suited to fine-liners and crayons.

Midori

If you’re looking for the ultimate minimal and elegant design, then Midori’s MD Notebooks are worth checking out. Available blank, squared, or dotted, these plain ivory journals include index stickers.

Moleskine

Another well-established brand in the world of notetaking, Moleskine offers a range of hard and soft covers, with paper available in dot grid, blank, squared, or ruled formats. Very light 70 GSM paper is most suited to fine pens and pencils, and there are some large sizes available for lovers of sketching.

Nuuna

Nuuna has a striking and modern feel, offering premium notebooks emblazoned with bold graphic designs and colorful edges. The dot grid is very small, at 3.5mm, but the paper is heavy at 120 GSM, so almost any pen can be used without bleed. Their ‘A5’ size is not standard but optimized for artists (slightly taller and wider).

Rhodia

The A5 Rhodia goalbook comes in more colors than just about any other brand and works great with fountain pens with 90 GSM. Another great choice for beginners, there are preset BuJo pages included, and two or three ribbon markers depending on whether you choose soft or hardback.

Scribbles That Matter

Finally, Scribbles That Matter emphasizes mental health with their vegan bullet journals in a range of muted colors. They come with features like a pen test page, index, and key page for symbols, and even an STM membership where you’ll get access to a positive and helpful community. Super thick options include 120 GSM and 160 GSM, so just about any media can be used.

Whether you choose one of the journals above, or something completely different, there is no right way to begin bullet journaling. It’s all about taking the time to be intentional about daily life and goals, and meditating through moments of creativity.

If you’ve been inspired, and want to start learning the skills you’ll need to create a beautiful bullet journal, check out Annie’s Introduction to Illustrated Bullet Journaling.

You might also like:

- Bullet Journal Tutorial: Tips to Help You Organize Your To-Do Lists
- Illustration Tutorial: How to Keep an Illustrated Journal
- Lettering Tutorial: How to Make Letters with a Calligraphy Brush
- Creative Bullet Journal: Planning and Creativity, course by Little Hannah
- Illustrated Life Journal: A Daily Mindful Practice, course by Kate Sutton