Create an ASCII art text generator that converts regular text into large, stylized character art. Features five built-in font styles (banner, block, slant, small, and standard), maximum width control, one-click copy, a monospace preview box, and optional decorative border frames around the output.
Build Prompt
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Build a single-page ASCII art text generator as a static HTML/CSS/JS site. Use a dark theme with background #0f0f17, card surfaces #12121a, and accent color #ec4899 (pink). Center the content at max-width 800px.
The page has a text input at the top, font style controls, and a large output preview below.
Text Input: A text input field (not textarea) at the top where users type their message. Maximum 30 characters. Below it show a character counter "12/30". The output updates in real time as the user types.
Font Style Selector: Five buttons showing the font name and a tiny 2-line preview of that font style. The five styles are:
1. "Standard" — classic FIGlet-style standard font. Each character is 6 lines tall, using characters like |, /, \, _, and spaces. Implement the full A-Z uppercase alphabet plus 0-9 and common punctuation (space, !, ?, ., -). Each letter is defined as an array of 6 strings (one per line). Example: A = [" _ ", " / \\ ", "/ _ \\", "| |_| |", "| _ |", "|_| |_|"]. Map every supported character to its 6-line ASCII representation.
2. "Block" — bold, blocky characters using hash (#) symbols and spaces. 5 lines tall, wider characters. Example: A = ["#####", "# #", "#####", "# #", "# #"]. Every letter should be recognizable as a thick block letter.
3. "Banner" — horizontal banner style using # characters, 7 lines tall and proportionally wide. More detailed than Block with smoother curves approximated. Example: H = ["# #", "# #", "#####", "# #", "# #", "# #", "# #"].
4. "Slant" — italic/slanted style using /, \, |, and _ characters. 6 lines tall with characters leaning to the right. Example: A = [" ___", " / |", " / /| |", " / ___ |", "/_/ |_|", " "].
5. "Small" — compact 3-line tall font using minimal characters. Example: A = [" _ ", "|_|", "| |"]. Compact enough for longer text while still readable.
Implement all 26 uppercase letters (A-Z), digits 0-9, space, and punctuation (! ? . , - : ;) for every font. The letters are hardcoded as JavaScript objects mapping each character to its array of line strings. When rendering, concatenate the arrays horizontally line by line with a 1-character space gap between letters.
Width Control: A slider (40-120 characters, default 80) that sets the maximum output width. If the rendered text exceeds this width, break onto a new set of lines (word-wrap at the character boundary, not mid-letter). Show the current width value next to the slider.
Border/Frame Options: A dropdown with frame styles:
- None (default): no border
- Simple: surround with +---+ and | ... | box using dashes and pipes
- Double: use unicode box drawing (or = and ||) for a double-line border
- Stars: border of * characters
- Hash: border of # characters
The frame adds a 1-character padding inside the border.
Preview Area: A large pre/code block with monospace font (Courier or 'Fira Code', 0.7rem on desktop, auto-sizing on mobile), dark background (#0a0a12), subtle border, and generous padding. The text is selectable. Show the output dimensions below the preview: "Width: 47 chars, Height: 6 lines."
Action Buttons below the preview:
- "Copy ASCII Art" — copies the rendered text including frame to clipboard
- "Copy as HTML Comment" — wraps in for embedding in source code
- "Download .txt" — downloads as a text file named ascii-art.txt
The text input should auto-uppercase the input since the fonts only support uppercase. Show a small note: "Supports A-Z, 0-9, and basic punctuation." If an unsupported character is typed, replace it with a space-width blank in the output.
Make it responsive: on mobile, the preview area scrolls horizontally for wide ASCII art, the font buttons stack into a 2x3 grid, and the slider uses full width. Auto-focus the text input on page load.
Read the guide at https://accessagent.ai/api/guide and follow it to deploy the site to AccessAgent.ai. My email is [your@email.com].
Make It Yours
Color ASCII Art
Add ANSI color code output option for terminal users, letting them choose foreground and background colors for the ASCII text.
Image to ASCII
Add a mode that converts an uploaded image to ASCII art using character density mapping (@ # % * + = - . for dark to light pixels).
Animated Typing Effect
Add a "Type Animation" button that clears the preview and types out the ASCII art character by character for a dramatic reveal effect.
Custom Font Editor
Let advanced users create their own ASCII font by defining each letter in a grid editor, then save and use the custom font.
SEO Tips
Target "ASCII art generator" and "text to ASCII art" — these have 30K+ monthly searches from developers, gamers, and social media users.
Create a gallery page of pre-made ASCII art pieces (animals, symbols, borders) that users can copy, capturing "ASCII art [subject]" searches.
Add FAQ schema answering "How to make ASCII art?" and "What is ASCII art?" to capture educational featured snippets.
Target developer-specific queries like "ASCII banner for terminal" and "ASCII art for README" with dedicated examples and copy buttons.
Include shareable output — let users generate a unique URL with their text encoded in the hash for social sharing and backlinks.
Monetization Ideas
Offer premium font packs ($2.99 each) with 10 additional ASCII font styles including shadow, 3D perspective, and outline variants.
Create a CLI tool ($4.99) that generates ASCII art in terminal with piping support, useful for developers adding banners to scripts.
Sell a GitHub Action ($7.99 one-time) that auto-generates ASCII art banners in README files from project names on push events.
Add display ads — ASCII art tools attract repeat visitors (developers bookmarking for README banners) generating consistent ad impressions.
Offer custom ASCII portrait commissions ($9.99) where users upload a photo and receive a hand-crafted ASCII art version via email.