CIvilization VII

Firaxis

UI Art, UI Design

2025

We shipped on everything, everywhere, all at once

(PC/Mac/Playstation 4,5/Xbox ONE,SX/Nintendo Switch 1,2/IOS)
I was coordinating with our outsourcing and partners, keeping everyone in sync with development and constant changes.
Thankfully we had excellent partners and it was very smooth. I have never helped ship on that many platforms all at once before so that was new for me.
It was a new style of development where we had to change our processes multiple times in order to make it easier to shift deisgns.
You still learn something new after all this time. Thats why I think UI is exciting.

Shape Building

Created the shape language for the different sets of icons. SO MANY SETS.
I had experience from past games and knew what was coming, but still....always intimidating and lots of thought to get these to work!

Asset mania!

Many different systems and graphics needed!
I was the keeper of all UI art assets. I didnt make them all, but I knew how everything was built. Organized and built all of the FIGMA libraries.
I learned a lot from Civ 6 and what I thought could change, and how we could get assets out even faster.
Developed new file structures and organization. We all work in our own ways and don't really get to meet other UI dev to see how they work or organize.
I wish we could share, but obviously NDAs sort prevent our sharing of knowledge so we get silo'd into our own little worlds.
I always love seeing new processes and organization. So refreshing.
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Icons!

I made over 1000 icons over the course of production, created the shape language with knowledge and carry over from the previous 2 civilization projects.
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Design!

I worked on a bunch of systems, along with art assets. This includes simple pop ups, all the way to complex systems.
CIvilization systems always evolve from patch to patch. Systems can change, or added on to. It is a very difficult game to design for.
Some changes are quality of life changes, others are mutliple other systems that might have to work with a system you have worked on in the past.
I mainly worked on 3d lens screens (anything involving interaction with the map), City production, Trade, Meta progression, Resources and Great Works.

Settler Lens. Info showing where you can place a settlement, when it is dangerous, and where you can not place a new settlement.

City Production and Details. A classic panel for civilization, which is very information heavy, and became more difficult as more and moresystems became online. The design and adjustments afterwards are never ending, as the design evolves. This has to be simple enough for a brand new user, as well as the hardcore user.

Growth

I learned so much from this project. Process and approval is always different per project.
Some games it is easy, some have so much to go through it is hard. How do you deal with it?
We came up with a decent way to do it in the end, and was happy we got a flow.

Also, this was the first project post pandy. Adjustment and trying to get comraderie was difficult.
We are all learning, and hopefully we can get it so that we feel like we're in the same office.