Case study · 2026

Diction

A daily word habit. A vocabulary app built around a daily goal and a streak worth keeping.

Client: Diction
Year: 2026
Our part: Product design and brand identity
Status: Design delivered, ready for development
Categories: iOS app, Product design, Brand identity

Client: Diction
Year: 2026
Our part: Product design and brand identity
Status: Design delivered, ready for development
Categories: iOS app, Product design, Brand identity

The brief

Plenty of apps teach words. The client wanted one people come back to.

People preparing for competitive exams and language tests need thousands of words, and most vocabulary apps get opened for a week and then forgotten.

So the brief was narrow on purpose: one thing, learning words, made into a daily game. Two months, from first sketch to final screens and a logo.

Three Diction screens: learning a word, the streak and quiz activity — **Study, streak, quiz**The three places a learner spends the day.

2months from first sketch to final screens

1number on the home screen: today's goal

6logo routes explored before one was chosen

01
Start with why
The first question is what you are preparing for, so the words and quizzes match the exam.
02
Today's goal
One gauge on the home screen, with the word of the day and the next set to study.
03
One word, properly
Definition, example sentences, common collocations and the usual mistake.
04
Quiz what you studied
Accuracy and a trend over time, quiz by quiz.
05
A streak worth keeping
Milestones for three and seven days, and a way to restore a broken streak.

Screens

Quiet screens, one job each.

**Home**Goal, word of the day and the next study set.

**Word**Everything about one word on one page.

**Learn**A short set, one card at a time.

**Week**Mastered, studied and problem words by day.

The goal gauge, word of the day and study card — **Today on one screen**Goal, word of the day and the next study set, in the order you need them.

The word page for marathon — **Orange for the word**The word itself is the only thing in full colour.

The identity

A letter D that turns like a page.

We explored six routes, from a quote mark to a lowercase wordmark, and tested each at the size of an app icon.

The chosen mark is a D with a corner folded over in teal. It reads as a letter and a page at once.

Logo routes

Six routes, one chosen.

The chosen markA D with a folded corner, set with a plain bold wordmark.

03Lowercase wordmark

Tested where it livesEvery route was judged at icon size on a crowded home screen.

Colour

One warm orange, and a teal for the fold.

Orange#FF7A1CTeal#83D3CAInk#070707Paper#FFF1E6

In their words

Working with MadeReal was insane. In two months they took Diction from a rough concept to full iOS design and branding. The attention to detail, from exploring six logo directions to dialing in the user flow, was incredible. Couldn’t recommend them enough.