PinReal.
Where authenticity meets creativity.
Project Type
Creator
Date
Tools
(01) Overview
What is PinReal.?
PinReal. is a concept app uniting the spontaneity of BeReal. with the creative exploration of Pinterest. Users share unfiltered moments in response to surprise prompts during a randomized daily posting window, then pin inspiring content to personalized mood boards.
PinReal. is a concept app developed as part of a design exercise, blending inspirations from BeReal. and Pinterest. All UI, branding, and assets are original and created solely for educational use. They do not represent or affiliate with the respective companies.
(02) Brand & Concept
Brand Voice & Tone
Tone Mapping
Every product moment was mapped across two spectrums — expressive to informative, and spontaneous to structured — to keep playful moments (prompts, captions) and functional ones (errors, system status) feeling distinct but consistent.
(03) Research
User Personas
Three personas grounded the feature set in real motivations — from a high schooler chasing trends, to a design student building her portfolio, to a professional documenting her creative process.
Priya, 16
High School Student
Behaviors
- —Up to date on all socials to keep in contact with friends and peers in school
- —On the marketing team for student council
- —Enjoys engaging with fashion and lifestyle content
Motivations
- —Likes staying connected with peers and up to date on fashion and makeup trends
- —Posts content for student council, bringing attention to academic programs and school events
Usage Habits
- —Can spontaneously share moments of her day at school
- —Good publicity for the student council board
Maya, 22
Undergraduate Graphic Design Student
Behaviors
- —Avid Pinterest user who curates numerous mood boards
- —Enjoys sharing “behind the scenes” of her design process on socials
- —Enjoys interacting with peers in the creative field
Motivations
- —Always looking for inspiration for her graphic design portfolio
Usage Habits
- —Can share workspace, recent sketches, and follow other users' content
- —Feels a stronger sense of community within the design world
Xavier, 28
Event Coordinator
Behaviors
- —Loves curating personalized mood boards for clients to understand their vision
- —Actively posts on socials to advertise his services — event setups, client meetings, etc.
Motivations
- —Wants to share raw, authentic snapshots of his day to show that not everything needs to be edited
- —Likes sharing his creative process and expertise to motivate others in similar spaces
Usage Habits
- —Can share multiple moments in his day, almost like a “creative journal”
- —Consistently seeks inspiration from other creators and follows their content
(04) Process
User Flow
Mapping the end-to-end path from opening the app to posting, exploring, and engaging with friends’ PinReals. — including the branching logic behind retakes, notifications, and unlocking the feed.
(05) UI Foundations
Design System
Accent Font
Pacifico
Accent font inspired by Pinterest, bringing a creative and playful feel to the app.
Aa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff Gg
Main Font
Palanquin
Main font inspired by BeReal., bringing a modern, clean touch to the app. Echoes simplicity and legibility.
Aa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff Gg
Color Palette
#F1CDD2
Blush Pink
#F695A4
Salmon Pink
#E60023
PinReal Red · Primary
#FFFFFF
White
#858585
Gray
#000000
Black
#D9D9D9
Light Gray
Logo & App Icon
A hand-drawn pin mark over the “i” ties the wordmark back to Pinterest’s pinning metaphor, while the two-weight lockup — Pacifico + Palanquin Dark — mirrors the BeReal. × Pinterest concept.
(06) Solution
Product Walkthrough
From the daily prompt to a fully organized board of pinned moments — the full flow, screen by screen.
Posting a PinReal.
Users can choose to post a PinReal. to unlock their friends' PinReals. — or scroll through their feed instead.
Retaking a PinReal.
Users have up to two retakes and ten minutes in total to post “on time.” After the first attempt, the remaining time and retakes are displayed.
Editing a PinReal.
Users can resize their photo, write a caption, and select theme tags relevant to their PinReal.
Posting the PinReal.
Users see the final display of their PinReal. and can successfully post it to their feed.
Pinning a PinReal.
Users can pin a post to an existing board or create a new one — organizing their “pinned” posts into categories, the way Pinterest boards work.
Filtering PinReals.
Theme tags on each post let users filter PinReals. by interest — from fashion to food to travel.
Final Feeds.
The homepage feed and the unlocked friends-and-following feed, where every prompt response and pinned moment comes together.
PinReal. was an exercise in blending two distinct product languages into one cohesive interface — balancing BeReal.’s spontaneity with Pinterest’s intentional curation.
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