From Blurry to Bold

Hey there,

First, let's address the elephant in the room - that blurry wireframe in Issue #01. You called us out, and you were right. We promised full transparency, then immediately blurred our work. That's on us, and it won't happen again. Building in public means sharing the real work - messy, unpolished, and sometimes embarrassing.

We Got Ahead of Ourselves…So What *Is* Virtue?

In Issue #01, we were so deep in the momentum, we forgot to fully explain the thing we’re building. Oops.

Virtue is a habit-building app that helps you train discipline - not just track it.

It’s built for high-agency people who don’t need cute pets or dopamine loops to stay consistent.

You commit to daily actions tied to time-tested virtues. Not vague goals. Not productivity fluff. Actual character formation. For example:

• Prudence: Reflection, journaling, planning

• Temperance: Fasting, digital detoxing

• Fortitude: Fitness, endurance training

Every action earns you XP toward that virtue. Miss the rep? It shows.

No streaks. No fireworks. Just a quiet scoreboard that reflects who you’re becoming.

You won’t get daily nudges. You’ll get a mirror.

And later, you’ll get the arena: a system that rewards consistency, comparison, and identity growth.

But first? Just you and the work.

The Numbers: Exceeding Expectations

We're blown away by the response to The Proofing Room:

• 150 subscribers in just three days

• 60% open rate (that's huge in newsletter land)

• 14 test users signed up (still climbing toward our ambitious goal of 50)

Thank you for joining this journey. We're just getting started.

Design Evolution: From Swoosh to Caesar

Our first design pass for Virtue was accidentally...familiar.

David's initial concepts landed somewhere between Under Armour and mid-2000s Nike. When Colin pointed this out, we pivoted fast toward something more aligned with our vision.

Here's what we learned:

• High-contrast grayscale + stone textures = primal, masculine, good

• The typography needed to feel less "modern athletic brand" and more "carved in stone"

• Visual hierarchy demands multiple font weights - heavier sans-serifs for options, display text with Roman influence

• Elevation & shadow effects make UI elements feel carved in stone, not tapped on glass

We're aiming for Ancient Rome, but elevated. Something that feels timeless rather than trendy. We’re close.

The Strategy: Small Bets, Building ASS

When it comes to user acquisition, we're realistic about what we can accomplish in 30 days. We're focusing on building something with:

Addictive core loops, Social sharing mechanics, and Shareable outcomes. See what we did there?

TestFlight is up, and we're in grind mode:

• Texting friends (not even being subtle about it)

• Posting snippets on our socials

• Building a dead-simple landing page

We're not aiming for a flashy launch. We're building traction first, excitement second.

Onboarding With Purpose

Virtue's onboarding isn't another boring checklist. It's a self-alignment protocol designed with behavioral science principles:

• Identity Theory: Choose your path (Builder, Protector, Grounded One, etc). We frame habits as identity reinforcement. Think: Our own remix on Jungian archetypes.

• Choice Architecture: Pre-selected habit options based on your archetype - 3-4 actionable tasks rather than endless customization. We limit options to increase commitment.

• Future Self Visualization: A silhouette that unlocks after 30 days of consistency.

• Commitment Rituals: The journey starts with an oath to yourself

We designed it so discipline becomes inevitable, not optional.

The Reality Check: Building While Busy

Here’s a moment of vulnerability - we're juggling client work alongside Virtue. It's not ideal, but it's the reality of bootstrapping: staying profitable while building what matters.

Some days we have 8 hours for Virtue. Some days we have 2. The 30-day timer doesn't care about our excuses, and that's exactly why we set it.

D.B. Fresh's Secret Plot

If you've read this far, you might notice a survey question hidden somewhere in this newsletter. Our reluctant intern has been tinkering with the email settings again:

If you find it and click it...well, you're about to discover what D.B. Fresh has been working on behind our backs.

What's Next: The Road to Issue #3

Between now and Tuesday, we'll be:

1. Continuing to collect and implement feedback from our first testers (reply to this email if you want to be a beta tester!)

2. Finalizing the core functionality of the habit tracking system

3. Building out our "7 Virtues" framework in the UI

Help Us Build in Public

Finding this valuable? Forward it to someone who might appreciate the unfiltered journey of building products. The more perspectives we have, the better Virtue becomes.

Talk to you all on Tuesday,

— Colin, Alan, and David (*sigh* and D.B. Fresh)

P.S. How do you feel about the Roman-inspired aesthetic? Too much? Just right? We'd love your input as we refine it.