Letter Better is a very simple app designed to randomly generate type constraints for people practicing hand-lettering or type design, something I typically found myself wanting.
The problem Letter Better solves is "blank canvas syndrome"; aka not knowing where to start. Introducing constraints helps breed ideas, but the problem is choosing these constraints can be a challenge in itself.
Why not let this choose for you?
This app is intended to do just one thing and do it well.
All you need to do to get a new set of constraints is click “Let’s try another”. To switch difficulties, you simply need to swipe the screen left or right.
I used Origami Studio to prototype and record it in use.
*Note: Since these GIFs were created, the UI has been updated to be accessible and may not match completely.
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From here, I started sketching how this app would best be conveyed through an icon on the App Store or home screen.
Whether we like it or not, people do judge books by their cover, and apps are no exception.
Initially, I thought upper and lowercase letters would best represent a typography app.
But after further exploration I felt there was too much of a similarity to Adobe’s app icons.
After going back to the drawing board, the concept of using lettering tools as the app initials was conceived.
At first, using a ruler to reference drawing guides seemed like the best choice, but ultimately the pencil and eraser became the final direction.
This is an ongoing project for fun and I'm currently looking into how to code it.