A notebook cover provides a manageable place to explore hierarchy without adding more decoration.
Define one job
Give the cover one title and one short subtitle. Decide which should be noticed first when the notebook lies on a table. This is a design exercise, not a claim that every cover should look minimal.
Work with proportion
Try a larger title with more space around it, then try the same words in a narrower block. Compare the versions at actual size. A design that looks balanced when enlarged may feel cramped in the hand.
Check the ordinary use
Put the cover beside another notebook and view both from an arm’s length away. Ask whether the title remains identifiable. Keep the version that serves this particular use rather than the one with the most effects.
Try the idea in your own setting
This is an original demonstration editorial, written to show how an article can combine a clear introduction, practical questions and a measured conclusion. Adapt the exercise to your own circumstances. Keep a brief note about what you changed, what you observed and what you would check before drawing a wider conclusion. The illustrative photograph is not documentation of the scene described here.