What it is
StromaScape is my own range of Apple Watch faces. I design each face in Clockology, an app that loads custom faces on to the Apple Watch, and stromascape.com is the shop window for the collection. Every face has its own page with photos, a description and the download.
Most designs are released in small runs, and many are capped at the first 30 downloads. Once a run has gone, that face is gone, so the few people who have it have something close to a collectible.
Who it's for
People who wear an Apple Watch and want it to look like theirs rather than everyone else's. The faces work on the Apple Watch models Clockology supports, including the Ultra, and you need Clockology on your iPhone and watch to install them.
What it does
- Live complicationsReal-time data on the face: heart rate, battery, weather, date, moon phase and more.
- Fully editableEvery layer is included, so you can change colours and show or hide elements in Clockology.
- Limited runsMany faces are capped at the first 30 downloads, first come, first served.
- Pay what you likeEach face has a minimum tip, and you can give more to help keep the project going.
- Three-step installDownload the face, open it with Clockology, then send it to your watch.
- My own typefaceSeveral faces use a font I designed for the brand, including a Roman numerals version.
Why I built it
StromaScape started during a tough stretch in my life. I bought an Apple Watch Ultra to keep an eye on my health, started designing faces for it, and found it was a good way to keep my mind busy. I tell the full story on the StromaScape About page.
The name comes from Stroma, a small island in the Pentland Firth off the north coast of Scotland, where many of my ancestors are buried. The logo is built from my initials, L and J. The big watch brands give their watches a story, from the first watch on the Moon to James Bond's, so I give every face a back story too.
How it's built
The faces themselves are made in Clockology's face designer. I also designed my own typeface for the brand, and later added a Roman numerals version for more classic designs.
The website runs on Kirby, a flat-file PHP CMS, on SiteGround. Each face is a folder of content and images, so adding a new release is a matter of adding a new folder. In 2023 I also built an early port of the site as an app with Expo and React Native.
Where it is now
Live, and the longest-running of my sites. The full collection, with the story behind each face, is on stromascape.com.