Design language

Ongoing, technology-agnostic design language — rules that span Enigma Eternal’s game UI and Studio Alterna’s web stack.

The design language behind the UI kit and Enigma Eternal’s interface is still in active development — but its foundations are set. I am planning to document its rules meticulously, to cement it as a coherent language rather than a loose collection of choices.

The aim is a rule set that dictates how the language behaves in different settings. It already lives in two very different spaces — a game and a web platform — with different interaction models and constraints. The goal is a language that is both use-case agnostic and technology agnostic.

I want to be able to design any future application of my own, in whatever form it takes, in a style that is recognisably mine. I also believe UI and UX can make or break an otherwise good program: if people do not enjoy using it, they leave as soon as they can. At ASML, two experiences shifted how I think about that. On my first project, a manager argued interfaces should borrow from games — beautiful, inviting, intuitive, and animated. On my second assignment I worked closely with a design specialist who was passionate about the craft; through her I picked up UX and UI properly and made it part of my thesis at the time.

Additional info

Highlights

  • Technology- and use-case agnostic rules — game UI and web from one language.
  • Born from Enigma Eternal lore and ASML UX lessons; core cemented, documentation in progress.
  • Signature look: smooth, playful, animated, refined — portable to future projects.

Because I came to see design as instrumental to any human-facing software, I wanted to turn those influences into something concrete. The language began as a need to give Enigma Eternal a clear, intuitive UI that fits the game’s aesthetic. I struggled at first to land a theme that felt right — then I let the lore guide me, and over time built a UI language around the story’s beats.

It started to look refined even while unfinished, so I worked to establish real rules. It is not complete yet, but the core is cemented and it fits Enigma Eternal well. When I started on new web projects, I wanted to carry the same language forward — it feels fairly unique, and friends said it has a nice, refined look, so I decided to stick with it.

The long-term goal is a design language I can apply anywhere I want that smooth, playful, animated, and refined feel — documented well enough that future me does not have to rediscover it project by project.