A design notebook can hold more than measurements. Sketches, observations about an archive photograph and notes on a display all help build a record of how an idea develops. It is a place to collect questions as well as finished plans.
Give each study a specific focus. One page might compare bowl profiles; another might explore rim widths or the proportions of a vase neck. Keeping the question narrow makes comparisons clearer. It also helps explain why a particular version was selected rather than leaving only a final drawing with no context.
Separate what you observed from what you inferred. A photograph can show an outline and visible grain, but it may not reveal species, dimensions or construction. Labelling these uncertainties preserves the usefulness of the record and avoids turning a guess into a supposed fact.
The archive bowl shown here can serve as a first exercise. Sketch its silhouette, note the feature that attracted your attention, and draw two variations. Add a short reflection on what changed. Over time, pages like these form a personal design reference that connects inspiration with deliberate choices, without needing every idea to become a finished object.