Icons and typography define the visual DNA of your game. You establish the branding and visual language of your system by designing scalable iconography and selecting type that supports readability, accessibility, and tone.

We explore vector versus bitmap workflows, modular icon systems, rarity tiers from Common to Legendary, serif versus sans serif in games, smart font pairing, and the realities of localization using the EFIGS framework and the 30 percent expansion rule. For homework, you’ll design a system-related icon in black and white and create a logo for your game.

By the end of this class, you’ll have a defined visual direction and the foundation of your game’s design system.

This is where you stop designing screens and start designing experiences. We go deep into real UX thinking, the kind used inside actual game studios: how features move from idea to research, from wireframes to testing, and how player perception shapes every design decision.

You’ll explore personas, player psychology, user journeys, information architecture, A/B testing, and usability testing. We cover accessibility across motor, cognitive, vision, hearing, and speech considerations, including colorblind design, plus anti-toxicity UX strategies and how design shifts across PC, console, mobile, and VR.

By the end, you’ll have a stronger strategic mindset, three player personas, a clearly defined system direction, and the foundation needed to begin building flows.

This is where your system becomes structured. You transform ideas into clear user flows and wireframes, the blueprint of your final design, and learn how professional UX designers map player journeys before ever touching high-fidelity visuals.

We cover UX maturity, the laws of UX, mind maps versus flow charts, production-ready flow diagrams, usability conventions, onboarding and FTUE structure, and grids, hierarchy, and gray-box thinking. No color. No polish. Just structure, clarity, and logic.

By the end of this class, you’ll have a fully structured system with a clear player flow, ready to move into prototyping.

This is where your system becomes interactive. You’ll learn how to use Figma to transform your flow into a working prototype built with a console mindset and real production logic.

We cover frames, grids, components, auto-layout, and interactive prototyping, and use gray-box layouts to test logic and structure before committing to visuals, designing with controller navigation in mind using a PlayStation and Xbox interaction model.

We also cover how to install the Figma MCP with Claude, and how to export your UI from Figma to any game engine.

By the end of this class, you’ll have a playable prototype structure that mirrors real gameplay logic and is ready to move into visual design.

This is where your prototype starts feeling real. You refine your Figma build using proper visual hierarchy, core design principles, and controller conventions that mirror real game production.

You’ll learn how contrast, balance, alignment, and rhythm guide player attention, along with modern UI conventions such as standard settings menu structures. We also introduce UX research and usability testing: collecting meaningful user feedback, running simple testing sessions, and prioritizing iterations with the Eisenhower Matrix.

By the end of this class, you’ll have a stronger, more intentional prototype backed by usability thinking, not just visuals.

This is where your game gets its visual system. You transform inspiration into structure by building a real style guide, the foundation that ensures consistency across your entire UI.

We study professional examples from real games, the difference between a moodboard and a true style guide, and the core elements of a design system: branding, typography, color systems, modular UI components, and interaction states. We also cover accessibility and contrast, the 60-30-10 color rule, Adobe Cloud Libraries, and working non-destructively in Photoshop.

By the end of this class, you’ll have a structured design system that supports your prototype and prepares you for high-fidelity production.

This is where your wireframes become real UI. You transform your structured prototype into high-fidelity visuals using professional production workflows, moving from gray boxes to polished mockups without sacrificing usability.

We explore when to use Photoshop versus Illustrator, shape layers, layer styles, and non-destructive techniques such as Smart Objects, masks, and scalable vectors. We also cover file setup, pixel precision, naming conventions, opacity versus fill, and creating seamless patterns and custom brushes.

By the end of this class, you’ll have a polished, production-ready UI screen that reflects your game’s unique visual direction.

Small detail. Massive impact. Buttons are one of the most important UI components in any game, and we break down what makes them feel polished, readable, and responsive.

You’ll design proper button states, including default, hover, press, and disabled, and integrate them into your style guide. We study common UI patterns across games, from HUD elements, menus, inventory systems, and skill trees to Battle Passes, shops, and lobbies, and you’ll learn how to export and organize assets for clean handoff.

By the end of this class, you’ll have a polished and intentional button system that elevates the overall quality and professionalism of your entire UI.

This is where gameplay meets interface. You’ll design a Heads-Up Display that supports the player without blocking the action, and learn how genres such as FPS, RTS, driving games, platformers, fighting games, and sports titles influence HUD layout, camera placement, and information density.

We explore diegetic versus non-diegetic UI, core HUD components, action safe and title safe zones, designing for worst-case scenarios, the 10-foot rule for readability, and accessibility considerations such as colorblind support, scalable UI, and player customization.

By the end of this class, you’ll have a genre-aware, production-ready HUD that strengthens your portfolio piece and demonstrates real game design intelligence.

This is where you enter FUI territory. You’ll design a fully vector-based speedometer inspired by real-world HMI dashboards and futuristic interface systems, your first deep dive into Fantasy, Future, and Fictional UI.

You’ll learn Pinterest and PureRef research workflows, structured grids in Illustrator, advanced vector techniques such as blend options and intertwine, and how to break down complex UI into clean, production-ready layers. This class also begins a three-week production sprint where you consolidate everything you’ve built so far.

By the end of this phase, you’ll have a fully built FUI speedometer and a near-complete portfolio system that showcases end-to-end game UX/UI thinking.

This is where interface becomes cinematic. We go deeper into Future, Fake, Fantasy, and Fictional User Interface design, the type of non-functional UI often seen in films, sci-fi games, and high-end concept work.

We dive into advanced Illustrator techniques, including Art Brushes, repeat tools such as radial, grid, and mirror, and the construction of custom reticles and modular FUI components, and you begin building a reusable FUI asset library.

By the end of this class, you’ll have a fully developed FUI system and asset library that pushes your portfolio into high-level, AAA-style presentation territory.

This is where your UI comes to life. You step into motion design using After Effects and animate the FUI assets you built in Illustrator, transforming static interface design into cinematic, high-impact presentation work.

You’ll import your Illustrator files, convert layers to 3D, and move the camera through the interface using orbit, pan, and dolly movements. You’ll animate reticles and numeric counters, apply text animation presets, and refine motion using F-curves in the Graph Editor, along with masks, pre-compositions, blending modes, and rendering best practices.

By the end of this class, you’ll have a fully animated FUI sequence and a motion-enhanced portfolio piece that stands out in a sea of static UI work.

This is where everything connects to the real world. In our final class, we bridge design and career: how game engines work, what studios expect from UX/UI designers, and how to position yourself competitively in today’s job market.

We break down Unreal versus Unity, proprietary engines, and UI middleware tools such as Coherent and Noesis. Then we focus on presenting your full process, from mind map to motion, and on the job search itself: cover letters, resumes, interviews, recruiters, and salary expectations.

By the end of this class, you’ll have a complete, portfolio-ready case study and a clear strategy for applying to studios. You leave ready.