Help coming up with ideas for what to do with my island?

[Autumn247]

I have done nothing with my island since I started playing when the game came out. I made a little cafe area but I don’t know if I like it or not. That’s all I’ve done because I’ve been focused on other things in the game. I really want to make my island look super nice but I have no idea where to start/what to do, does anyone have any tips for making a nice looking island? I see all kinds of pics and stuff on Pinterest and there’s some really amazing islands out there. I’m not really good at designing things/layouts etc.

 

[Shiny Shiny Engine]

Happy Island Designer

Plan your dream island map. Made for Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Draw terrain and paths, place buildings, and trace your in-game map.

eugeneration.github.io

 

[Sucre]

Here's how I usually do it:

• I write a list of stuff I want to design, like cafe, library, flower garden etc. I try to think if there's anything inspiring me, like if there's one item I really like I can think of an area to use it and what other stuff will look good around it. I also like to make areas dedicated to specific villagers and what I think they would like.
  • I also get inspiration from social media, sometimes I just straight up copy a design I like (just don't claim it as your own if you share it on social media, and credit the OG creator). I keep screenshots or I save it on instagram and Pinterest.
• I decide how I want to organise my villager's houses, like if I want them all spread out or if I want a few of them to live together in a neighborhood.
• I use Happy Island designer (or a physical notebook) to roughly decide where I want my areas to be, and to plan roads, bridges and inclines.

Aaand, that's usually it. I'm also not good at designing stuff and I never "finished" an island, but I did build cute stuff from time to time. Just remember to no stress too much and not to overcommit to your plans, they'll probably change and you might rebuild certain areas again and again. Don't try to do everything at one and get burnt out.

For the actuel "designing" part I don't have a lot of advice, use colors that you think look good together and experiment with custom codes? Like I said I usually end up copying what someone else did and modifying it to fit my island and my taste.

Good luck!

 

[Autumn247]

Here's how I usually do it:

• I write a list of stuff I want to design, like cafe, library, flower garden etc. I try to think if there's anything inspiring me, like if there's one item I really like I can think of an area to use it and what other stuff will look good around it. I also like to make areas dedicated to specific villagers and what I think they would like.
  • I also get inspiration from social media, sometimes I just straight up copy a design I like (just don't claim it as your own if you share it on social media, and credit the OG creator). I keep screenshots or I save it on instagram and Pinterest.
• I decide how I want to organise my villager's houses, like if I want them all spread out or if I want a few of them to live together in a neighborhood.
• I use Happy Island designer (or a physical notebook) to roughly decide where I want my areas to be, and to plan roads, bridges and inclines.

Aaand, that's usually it. I'm also not good at designing stuff and I never "finished" an island, but I did build cute stuff from time to time. Just remember to no stress too much and not to overcommit to your plans, they'll probably change and you might rebuild certain areas again and again. Don't try to do everything at one and get burnt out.

For the actuel "designing" part I don't have a lot of advice, use colors that you think look good together and experiment with custom codes? Like I said I usually end up copying what someone else did and modifying it to fit my island and my taste.

Good luck!

Thank you, this is very helpful! I think I get overwhelmed because I just think about the whole island and I might need to just start working on sections at a time

 

[Sucre]

Thank you, this is very helpful! I think I get overwhelmed because I just think about the whole island and I might need to just start working on sections at a time

Oh yeah it's super overwhelming at first. But unless you want to go for a very busy look, it's okay to do it bit by bit all over the place and connect it all later.

 

[o013 WOLF 130o]

I'm adding a graveyard. Updating my intrence I still hate it. Adding a field of wheat. Also trying to clear an area to make up some games to play with my friends.

 

[S.J.]

Thinking about planning your whole island can be overwhelming, so I definitely second focusing on one section at a time! I would pick either one area of your island, or one "thing" you want to add (e.g. café, playground, library, forest, etc.), and then work on just that. Even if you find it didn't turn out as well as you were hoping, you can move on to another small area and come back to it later.

This is how I've been decorating my island. I was worried that by working on it a small piece at a time, it wouldn't look very cohesive, but as @/Sucre mentioned, it's actually easy to connect it all later!

It could just be me, but the first thing I did when redecorating my island was choose where I wanted each building to be (the shops and houses). I think if you get those in place, you can then work section by section around them. Good luck with redecorating your island!

 

[Imbri]

A few of my favorite spots on my island are things that you could find in the real world. I used dollhouses and mushroom items to create a little fairy village, like you'd find in a garden; some of the fake statues make for fun decorations, especially if you tuck them in among trees; log furniture and a kid's tent helped make a treehouse area.

My advice would be to find places and things you like, either in your area or online, and see what you can use to create a spot that gives a similar feeling. It won't be exact, but you can do a lot with different items. Don't try to make something huge all at once, or map out your entire island. Work on small spots that you can connect with a path - little vignettes give interest and can lead you from one point to another.

It'll take a while to settle on what works and what doesn't, but that's okay. You might trip across something you hadn't thought of and fall in love. And it'll be uniquely yours.

 

[Vsmith]

I had the same problem. Looking at Instagram and pintrest is helpful for getting inspiration but it can be overwhelming. I found recreating ideas other people did very helpful when your not really good at designing yet. After awhile of practicing, you realize you can do it!! I have somethings on my island that I recreated and somethings I created myself. I created a walk through convenience store. I also recreated a vineyard. Possibilities are endless.

 

[Autumn247]

Thank you for the tips everyone! I really appreciate it

 

[moon_child]

One of the easiest ways for me is to come up with a theme first. I know having a theme can be very limiting sometimes but it also gives you more ideas faster because once you decide on a theme, everything else just sort of flows and comes naturally. If you decide on a theme you’ll automatically have an idea what kinds of areas you’d need on your island as well as which furniture or items will look best in each of those areas. You’ll also more or less have a narrowed down selection in terms of looking for codes and designs you’d want to incorporate on your island based on that theme.

 

[Croconaw]

I think the biggest thing is not comparing your islands to someone else’s island. You don’t have to make those “nice and beautiful islands.” In the end, it just causes you to feel overwhelmed that you can’t do something like that. It’s good to have your own island that you’re happy with. I’d start small. Work on parts of your island and take it one step at a time.

 

[Sheydra]

Oh yeah secation are the way to go, trying all at once burns you out. Me I did outdoor library into 2nd teir cafe. i find it worked best if I found an item or items I really liked and designed around them. Like my Mario mini golf coarse.

 

[Manah]

If you have trouble figuring out where to start, I found it way easier to pick something unchangeable (like the airport or the plaza) as a starting point and expand in the other directions from there.