There exists a staple of every Studyblr, the holy grail of studying, the accessory every student covets: Mildliners.
These highlighter/marker combos can be found hiding in most studyspo (study inspiration) pictures on Tumblr or Instagram. Notes strategically placed next to café coffee cups in bright window lighting marked up and embellished with Mildliners. The titles done in beautiful calligraphy, flowing across the page. Biology and history made far more appealing with the soft colors accentuating diagrams and timelines. The aesthetic is classic to Studyblrs and those who seek to enhance the mundane.
Mildliners are highlighter markers that are mild, water resistant, and don’t bleed through paper. They have a chiseled tip and a bullet tip. They are produced by Zebra Pen. Originally, they were produced in Japan. Many online still come in Japanese packaging. Therefore, they were coveted because of their abilities, but also the uniqueness of having a product not produced in the US. This recently changed and subsequently Zebra Mildliners were the hottest stationary in the back-to-school aisle. I ordered a 15 pack of the main colors, through Zebra has released two new five packs of friendly and refresh bright.
The main colors, which either come in the 15 pack or three set of five include: red, vermillion, orange, gold, yellow, green, dark blue, blue, smoke blue, blue green, magenta, violet, pink, gray, and brown. Each color is relatively soft and words are still visible beneath them. They do not bleed through the paper, though they can show up on the other side on thinner paper.
The color schemes I use for my classes are blue and dark blue for math, magenta and pink for chemistry, vermillion and gold for reactor design, smoke blue and blue green for senior design, and green and pink for controls. If I need an extra color I will either use a similar color, like violet for chemistry, or use the gray. My style with the mildliners has stayed relatively simple this semester. I got my pack about the second week of classes. I underline titles, theorems, and definitions in the darker color and underline or box examples and equations in the lighter color.
Now, I loved the idea of these for years, but was just lazy and hesitant to order them. But, I wanted to try them this semester as I saw them in stores, albeit more expensive in five packs versus the Amazon fifteen pack. I am not good at calligraphy or really anything artistic, so I expected to only use these for bullet journaling and maybe some notes stuff. However, to test them out, I used the blues for my math notes, and I fell in love. Using the colors makes things a lot easier to find on the page, such as sections, theorems, and examples. Graphs with differing lines are easier to read. The overall look of my notes, despite my subpar handwriting, is much nicer. I use the color schemes to differentiate things in my head, as the certain blues and purples are associated with different subjects. This has improved my note taking skills, as I try to make sure I have sections and examples and equations laid out a certain way so they appear nice color coded. Mildliners have improved my notes a lot this semester and I absolutely love using them.
So, while this Studyblr does not produce much content, I find solace in knowing I have now joined the ranks of the professionals. I stay more focused in class to take better notes so the colors look nice, and this simple change has helped me perform better. While Mildliners do increase aesthetic, they also enhance the clarity and organization of things. I always take out my pencil, eraser, and now Mildliners at the beginning of every class and am almost sad when lessons are primarily from PowerPoint these day.