Erin Condren recently launched their 2022 Life Planners. There are three new design options and different layout options for each. I didn’t participate in this year’s launch because I wasn’t sure which design I wanted; there are a lot of new changes this year! Here’s a look at what’s new for the Erin Condren 2022 Life Planners and my first impressions on the new design options:
WHAT’S NEW 2022 LIFE PLANNERS
Erin Condren recently launched their 2022 Life Planners with so many new design options, layouts, and new sizes! Here’s everything to know about the new planners:
Design Options
There are three interior design options: Mid Century Circles, Flora, and Just My Type in colorful or neutral.
Mid Century Circles is probably the most classic Erin Condren design. We’ve seen the mid century circles in past designs and even on the Erin Condren shipping boxes. This year’s version is a fresh, colorful evolution of that familiar design.
Flora has flower sketches and paintings throughout. It has a very muted/neutral vibe with soft washes of color. It has a script font that goes well with the flower theme. This theme is really pretty and has a more feminine feel with the color scheme and delicate floral drawings.
Just My Type comes in a neutral or colorful version. The entire planner is pretty minimal with the font/lettering as the only real design element. The quote pages each have their own lettering style, and each month carries its font onto the weekly spread. I would say this is the most neutral design option of the three.
Layout + Size Options
These are some new planner sizes available this year. You can choose from: 7″ x 9″ (classic size), A5, or 8.5″ x 11″ (large). And of those sizes, you can also get different configurations, like: a coiled A5 or a ring agenda A5.
Not every design option is available for every size planner, so if you love a certain design, double check this chart to see if you can get it in your desired planner size/configuration.
The classic size has all design options available to choose from, and the option to choose from an hourly layout, horizontal, or vertical. Most planners will give you the option for either a 12-month or 18-month calendar.
I prefer the coiled life planner in the classic size, but the coiled A5 looks super cute!
WHAT I LOVE ABOUT ERIN CONDREN
I’ve been using an Erin Condren Life Planner for 8 years, and I keep coming back because it really works for me. A few things I really appreciate:
- Erin Condren planners have grown to be one of the more popular planners available, so there are a lot of stickers and accessories easily available that will fit your planner perfectly. The Erin Condren site has a lot to choose from, but you can also get sticker kits and other deco from Etsy.
- There are so many customization options with each planner. I love choosing the design and calendar setup that works for me. When I get my planner, it feels very unique and custom to me. From interchangeable covers and coil color, to color theme and weekly layout, you get to personalize a lot with your planner.
- The colorful theme and beautiful designs always keep me motivated. I love getting the feel of a fresh start every month when the color theme changes. Your planner can’t help you stay organized if you don’t use it, and the color shifts each month help keep me interested and using my planner.
With that said, there were a few things about each of the 2022 planner designs that I wasn’t super excited about.
WHAT I AM DISAPPOINTED WITH THE DESIGNS
I usually get the new year’s planner at release, but I didn’t participate in the launch this year because little elements of each new design were disappointing to me. I wasn’t sure which planner theme I wanted.
I always get the signature Life Planner design in the colorful, horizontal option. I love my current 2021 Life Planner design, so the natural choice for me would be the the Mid Century Circles theme. Here are my issues with each design:
Mid-Century Circles
I thought that this would be my 2022 Life Planner pick, until I saw the interior. First off, I love the Mid-Century Circles (MCC) design and colors. I loved it as the interior in the 2017 Life Planner, and it looks even better now.
I just don’t love the rainbow letters throughout. Why does each letter have to be a different color…it looks a little ErRaTiC to me. I love rainbow, but would have preferred a less jarring gradient/fade. It’s on the quote pages, and it’s on the calendar spread. I feel like this is something I would have loved in 2014, but I’m not a fan now.
And then a minor thing that bothers me is that the month text (January, February….) is the color of that month’s theme. I wish it could just be the same charcoal color that the year, dates, and days are written in. It stands out to me, and it’s especially noticeable for months with a light color theme (ex: March, and May).
Flora
The Flora option is more muted and neutral, which is really pretty, but I really prefer a colorful planner. I was willing to consider Flora since I was bothered by some of the MCC details.
I like the flower art throughout and the quote pages seem more minimal. But Flora uses this scripty font that I dislike, especially for numbers. I wish it could have used a more neutral, not flowy font. :/ It’s just not my preference.
Just My Type
I thought the final design option, Just My Type, would be ok. It has the option for a colorful interior that I love. It’s great because each letter of text is not a different color on the quotes pages and throughout. I like the clean basic font on the 12 month calendar and in the dates on the weekly view that I saw on the Erin Condren website, but then I saw someone’s YouTube review and saw that each month had a different font. I get that the “design” of this option is the font, but they are all really distinct fonts, so the planner as a whole looks a little disjointed to me.
WHICH PLANNER WILL I CHOOSE?
I’m definitely being a little nitpicky with my design critiques. But, a lot of the reason that my Erin Condren planner helps me to stay organized and focused on my goals, is because I enjoy using it. When your planner is beautiful and fun, it’s more motivating to use it and keep those goals front of mind. I think some of the things that bother me about each planner design may be enough for me to not be excited about using the planner.
I am leaning toward the MCC design, and I think it will be fine. I don’t look at the quote pages often, and I can use stickers to cover the month in the weekly and monthly spreads if the colored text bothers me.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
The best planner is the one you’ll actually use. I think that the functionality of the Erin Condren Life Planner is great. I’ve been using one for years and have really enjoyed how well they work for me. I am not thrilled about certain elements of each of the 2022 design options, but everyone has their own preferences. If you are interested in Erin Condren, I definitely recommend checking out their site and choosing if/what Life Planner is right for you. If you’re new to the site, use my link to get $10 off of your first purchase; I’ll also receive a $10 credit.
