Creative bookmark ideas for students.

There's nothing worse than losing your page while reading. So, to avoid folding down pages and risk damaging your book, a bookmark is always the best option. For students, it can also help them to develop good reading habits and make reading more enjoyable. Our top tips and bookmark design ideas for students offer a helping hand that will turn students into lifelong readers. Simply grab your paper and scissors, or search for bookmark templates on Adobe Express, to get started.

Animal and nature themed bookmarks.

The beauty of the natural world and all its cute animals make for great bookmarks. This option offers a lot of room for creativity, with students able to create bookmarks using the shape of leaves, flowers or trees to bring that connection to nature. Focus on a specific part of nature, like the ocean to create nautical themes, underwater worlds of fish and sharks. Alternatively, if students have a favourite animal, like a pet cat or dog, these also create a strong emotional bond that will help motivate them to keep reading. Adobe Express has heaps of images you can use for free and add to your bookmark in a few clicks. You can even remove the background of an image you want to use to isolate your subject.

Get artistic with your bookmark.

Create something truly unique by exploring artistic styles and techniques. You could incorporate drawings or anime style art, paint using watercolours or even press real flowers or leaves into your design. Play around with pencils, markers, crayons or even chalk to find a style that looks visually appealing to you. It can also be a lot of fun to try using different textures and simple bookmark craft. Adding glitter, tassels, origami or even your own thumbprint can make a design more personal.

Character or hobby themed bookmarks.

Whether it's cartoon characters, superheroes or pirates, character bookmarks always hit the mark with children and teenagers alike. Similarly, bookmarks tailored to the interest of the student, like cricket or music will make for engaging designs. Students can even create a bookmark with a character that is featured in or on the cover of the book they are reading.

How to make the most of these bookmark ideas for students.

Seasonal or festival bookmarks.

More creative bookmark ideas for students could include focusing on seasonal themes, creating a winter bookmark with an ice and snow image, or an autumnal bookmark full of colourful brown and red leaves. Likewise, a fun idea could be to focus on creating a bookmark about popular festivals like Diwali, Holi or Dussehra. Festive bookmarks can bring a real joy to reading and help students learn more about the significance of the event.

Tips for creating an extra special bookmark.

Here are some tips for students looking to create a special bookmark.

• Add embellishments. Make bookmarks fun by adding elements like googly eyes for any creatures you create or experiment with interesting textures using buttons or beads. Add decorative tape, like washi tape, to line the border of your design with a pretty pattern.

• Use beautiful images. Explore the Adobe Express library to find the design assets, icons, illustrations and images that will make your bookmark pop.

• Consider your bookmark size. Bookmarks are usually rectangle-sized and long. Our templates create bookmarks that are 400x1200px, which is ideal for many students, though a mini bookmark size for younger students could be half this size.

• Choose the right material. When using Adobe Express, simply download your bookmark design and print it off onto thick paper between 150 and 250 gsm. Alternatively cardboard, fabric or even leather can be used for bookmarks.

• Adobe Express is free to use. Adobe Express provides a free plan that you can start using immediately. Get access to many of the amazing features of the paid plans from Adobe Express for free, including professionally designed templates, Adobe fonts and royalty-free media. See our plans and pricing. Adobe Express is packed full of resources like our amazing blog where we share helpful tips, tutorials, ready-to-use templates and graphic design inspiration for social media, marketing and content creators.