Heya! I’m María Vargas, an Argentinian UI designer primarily based in Madrid, Spain. Internet UI and digital experiences had been a part of my profession for over 10 years… till PlayStation knocked at my freelancer’s door.
For some, it is likely to be curious to examine an business transition from a fellow internet UI designer… so I’m giving my Highlight a twist! I’ll inform this “story” by means of my designs and key moments associated to this shift. And the way I feel the synergy between recreation UI and creativity in my work led me to the place I’m as we speak.
Thanks for being right here! Let’s go:
1_How it Started – Creativity Appreciation
As a baby, folks used to think about me as a “artistic woman” as a result of I preferred drawing. The sincere fact is that woman wasn’t superb, however I imagine that selecting to review Graphic Design as my main was immediately influenced by that love of craft.
It wasn’t till the start of my college interval that one thing clicked, although. Due to my professors and fellow college students at F.A.D.U., I began valuing stepping exterior of my consolation zone, embracing exploration, pondering exterior the field; all associated to the artistic course of. I needed all of that to be a part of my future work.
Earlier than and after commencement, I used to be fortunate sufficient to have labored at two companies that had been aligned with this imaginative and prescient: inTacto and Media.Monks. Over these 9+ years, I used to be in a position to correctly develop my artistic design abilities, develop professionally, and be taught from one of the best (throughout this era I met among the most inspiring folks I’ve identified).
2_The Bridge – Riot Video games Web sites
Throughout my keep at Media.Monks, Riot Video games approached them with an internet site request. As a long-time League participant and informal gamer since childhood, I used to be overly excited and actually needed to be a part of it.
Lengthy story brief… my want got here true we ended up engaged on 5 initiatives with Riot: Legends of Runeterra, Valorant, Wild Rift, Arcane + a final one which by no means went reside. I felt privileged to have been concerned in not only one, however all of them. Each as UI designer and UI design lead.
Every web site was a problem, however the ardour and pleasure that I felt whereas engaged on these initiatives was 100% regular.
A private spotlight amongst them is the Valorant web site, since there was no branding or model information once we started working on it. In a approach, we helped them establish what labored and what didn’t by means of our design explorations. Seeing its evolution since then (for my part, one of many coolest brandings in gaming) is mind-blowing.
As designers, we often have a “favorite business to work in”. Due to Riot, I realized that my private favorite was the Gaming business.
3_ Freelancing + Specializing in Sport Websites
After I moved to Madrid and began my freelance “journey”, two issues had been clear:
- I wanted to generate income;
- I needed my work to deal with the sphere I loved essentially the most.
However first… I wanted to create an acceptable portfolio to make myself seen, and my priorities clear:
- As a versatile designer, I needed to indicate selection (although not an excessive amount of, simply sufficient).
- As I needed to work on recreation websites, I wanted to make that assertion.
After the portfolio launch, a few companies and recruiters reached out. My first undertaking on this new period was a marketing campaign web site for Remaining Fantasy XI’s twentieth anniversary, and I couldn’t have been happier. I made it work!
After all, not all of the collabs afterwards had been online game associated, however most of them had been artistic and that’s sufficient gas for me.
4_ The transfer to Sport-UI: PlayStation & Naughty Canine
In 2023 (one 12 months after I began freelancing), I bought contacted for a contractor position at SONY PlayStation. They had been searching for a “Inventive UI designer”, so I used to be very excited to work on any first-party recreation web site. Or so I believed… because the position was for recreation UI.
W o a h – this was an entire new and thrilling expertise, so I trusted their judgement and simply did my finest. I feel they preferred me as a result of we joined forces a pair extra instances after this.
Quick-forward to 2026: for the previous 12 months, I’ve been engaged on Naught Canine*’s “Intergalactic: the Heretic Prophet” as a UI designer/artist. Massive shout out to my teammates on each the PlayStation and Naughty Canine groups <3
For apparent causes, I can not present any work, however I can say that the design hole between internet UI and recreation UI will not be as huge as I initially thought (should you like taking part in video games).
Intergalactic goes to be dope. So I hope you get pleasure from our work when it will get launched!
*Creators of my favorite recreation ever: The Final of Us.
Remaining ideas + Contact
I don’t suppose it is a goodbye to my internet UI profession. I’m having fun with recreation UI loads and wish to make one of the best of it.
It’d sound tacky, however on the finish of the day I’ll comply with the Creativity stream wherever it takes me.
Massive due to Codrops for having me and consistently spreading inspiration within the business!
Additionally, thank YOU for studying this far. Be happy to get in contact by means of social media, I’m all the time open to having a chat 🙂
Instagram / LinkedIn / Portfolio
PLUS_ Enjoyable truth
Final 12 months, I performed taiko (Japanese drums) within the LoL EMEA Championship finals occurring in Madrid. League of Legends retains coming to me in astonishing methods. kkkbye!
