Is Obsidian a good choice of software for designers or creatives in general?

Aspiring art director here! :wave: Still trying to figure out if I should keep using Obsidian (which I enjoy a lot), or move all of my stuff over to Notion…

If I’m trying to build a ‘second brain’ I’d like my app/tool of choice to be able to handle different types of information. I know Obsidian allows images, audio, etc. But will I be able to manage more complex tasks and/or projects inside Obsidian? E.g. designing a website or coming up with an advertising campaign, branding…

I’m really tired of looking for new tools, moving all of my stuff, setting up new workflows. :tired_face: I know I could use different apps for different things, but I’m not a fan of that idea at all. I have obsessive-compulsive tendencies and my brain reaallyy doesn’t like that.

2 Likes

Well the developers are trying to appeal to the widest amount of use cases as possible, especially with the integration of a plugin system. How long until it gets to a point where it feels right for you :man_shrugging:.

You are also going to run into this problem with any app you decide on. Every app has a scope, and unless it is managed with plugins, it becomes bloat. I don’t know Notion well enough to answer whether they have all that functionality either. They do claim to be an all in one workspace though.

What is the current tool you are using?

What problems are you running into with your current tool that has you looking elsewhere?

2 Likes

I have a design background.

Milanote and Notion are probably more appropriate for rich media notetaking. Notion’s free for personal use these days.

I am a huge fan of markdown and owning my data, so that’s what attracts me to Obsidian. I am also more of a “design thinking” designer, so thinking through problems conceptually (with lots of logic and connections between other ideas) is more important for me than using lots of rich media.

Another rich media-centered alternative, Walling, was just shared in the Discord, too.

I understand where are you coming from and the anxiety embedded in the question about the “one-in-all-tool” solution. I have asked myself the same for a long time.

Well, this is not meant to upset you but the answer is that that tool doesn’t exist. Everyone has a different working style and every app/tool has some strengths and weaknesses. Even within the same software class “note-taking” there is a huge variety of applications, features, UIs etc. I wouldn’t use 95% of the note-taking app out there, for example. This is to say, you should look for the unique combination between your working style and each tool features.

To give you some concrete example, I have a pretty sophisticated system in Notion which I use for high-level project management and daily execution. In Airtable I store things like photo, books, pdfs, in general stocks of resources and reference for my job or interest. Finally, Obsidian is where everything get distilled and expanded - in theory, because I’m just starting out here and feel a complete rookie.

But this is the system I have conceptualized,3 tools overall not too bad and believe me I feel way more empowered and on top of things then when I was trying to pack everything into Notion.

Look at the intersection of tools functionalities, your working style and tools preference.
Hope this helps.

2 Likes