designed — by saurabh

(h.)

design — by saurabh

(go to all projects)

sunbeam: your comfort journal

for puppets project, 2025 — as a maker

Download on the

App Store

the story

sunbeam was born out of burnout and the struggle to find a journaling space that felt gentle.

Most journaling apps we tried were noisy, filled with streaks, stats, and pressure to keep up. Journaling — something that should’ve been slow and kind, had turned into a task to complete.

That’s when my friend Aarushi and I started talking about creating something different in the current journaling space. Something soft. Something that felt like sunlight through curtains on a quiet morning.

We wanted to make something that went beyond the usual landscape of mobile apps. A source of comfort, a place of calm, a breath of fresh air. Something that feels like a warm hug when you need one. We didn’t know what it would become yet. We only knew how we wanted it to feel.

This is the story of how my friend Aarushi and I, being designers, made our way through everything to release our first app on the App Store.

keep reading ➛

the story

sunbeam was born out of burnout and the struggle to find a journaling space that felt gentle.

Most journaling apps we tried were noisy, filled with streaks, stats, and pressure to keep up. Journaling — something that should’ve been slow and kind, had turned into a task to complete.

This is the story of how my friend Aarushi and I, being designers, made our way through everything to release our first app on the App Store.

🎶 here comes the sun…

we wanted the onboarding of sunbeam to feel like stepping into a different world; one that’s calm, soft, and quietly welcoming.

the onboarding speaks in sunbeam’s own voice, like a friend gently inviting you in. It comforts you as it tells you about itself, while guiding you through the simple gestures you’ll use inside; like swiping through prompts, or tapping a card to write.

choosing a prompt

you can swipe through 150 gentle prompts and tap on the one that feels right for you. each prompt is designed to feel inviting; not like a question, but a soft nudge that helps you begin writing in your own way.

most prompts come with a small hint below, to guide your thoughts when needed. prompts are arranged so they don’t repeat often.

and if you just want to write freely, you can tap the pencil icon on the top right to start a note without a prompt.

choosing a prompt

most prompts come with a small hint below, to guide your thoughts when needed. prompts are arranged so they don’t repeat often.

and if you just want to write freely, you can tap the pencil icon on the top right to start a note without a prompt.

choosing a prompt

most prompts come with a small hint below, to guide your thoughts when needed. prompts are arranged so they don’t repeat often.

and if you just want to write freely, you can tap the pencil icon on the top right to start a note without a prompt.

customization options

customization options

end notes

In about 50 days since its release, sunbeam has organically found its way to 548 lovely humans across nearly 50 countries. Most of the love came from the US, with 30% downloads, followed by India, China, Canada, and Germany being in the top five.

Till now sunbeam has received an average rating of 5 out of 5, with 30 five-star ratings, one four-star rating, and 15 heartfelt written reviews. sunbeam has also made 4k+ impressions on the app store, and we’re only just beginning to learn how to take this from 0 to 1, slowly and organically. :)

But these are just numbers. the real joy has been in the love we’ve received. The messages, the kind words, the people who found comfort in what we made. That’s why we built sunbeam in the first place.

One of the most special moments for us was hearing from Raja, maker of Lumy & Calzy app and the first apple design award winner from India, who wrote to appreciate sunbeam and its design. His words, along with all the love and support we’ve received, mean more to us than we can ever express.

For us, sunbeam isn’t just an app. it’s a quiet reminder that design can still be gentle. that apps can hold emotion. That even in a world full of noise, there’s still room for something soft, slow, and kind.

wherever you are, may this sunbeam shine softly on you. ☀️