Today I determined to make a simple storyboard of how this thing works.
(Graphics and user interface elements in flux.)
To create an entry, tap the day you want, write your note, drag an element to the day, and tap the check mark.
The type + image relationship is the most challenging thing to get "right" in this whole project. How do I create a customizable illustration, that is beautiful and rich, that also accommodates readable typography? Right now, my solution is the sky. As long as the type rides up in the sky over top of the forests and rivers and mountain ranges it will be okay. (This unfortunately limits the height of the mountain ranges.)
The "Quest View" gives an overview of one whole year with your current place in the year marked off.
This part of the design is one of the most exciting to me. The image possibilities are virtually endless and having a visual display of the year ahead is the idea that started this whole project. Another exciting thing about this view is that it could easily be expanded to something like 50 years. Imagine having a 50 or 100 year mountain range and being able to see with your own two eyes how far you've traversed in life? That raises all sorts of interesting ideas about how we imagine the future and "look forward" to things.
Another fun thing about this view is that you can quickly get an idea of how far away you are from significant events or goals ahead of you. Here, the trees represent significant events or goals. Tapping the tree reveals the note I've associated with it.
If you want to get to a certain date really quickly, tap the date navigator and then the date on the calendar you want to get to. This feature is a relatively recent consideration of mine. I'm hesitant about adding features because I want to make sure the basic concept of typography fitting into a customizable illustration is actually going to work!