Bear is an app developed for writers. It bills itself as a “flexible writing app for notes and prose”. The app offers a powerful yet delightfully simple writing experience to users.
For new users, the Bear experience begins with an onboarding process. This onboarding is handled through three content sections displayed on the home screen, including “Welcome to Bear”, “Organize and Publish”, and “Bear Pro”. Each section has useful content that helps new users understand the benefits and features of the app.
The design of the app is strikingly minimalist. Lightweight gray and black text is set against a white background. There are custom illustrations of the namesake “Bear”, but even these are simple line drawings done in black and white. Color is used sparingly and to powerful effect. On the home screen, a bold red button prompts the user to begin creating a note.
Within a new, blank note, a blinking red cursor on an otherwise white screen prompts the user to begin typing. Beyond simple text, users can add doodles and drawings, photos from their library, and document headers. A variety of formatting options allow users to customize their text to their hearts’ content. There’s also the ability to add hashtags to content in order to link pieces together and make it easily searchable.
For more advanced features users can sign up for a subscription and become a Bear Pro user. Pro features include seamless syncing across Apple devices, a variety of export options, and a selection of themes to customize the Bear experience.
This minimalist app design is extremely user-friendly and is a simple resource for writers.
Bear is a powerful app design in the Arts & Recreation industry.
