Ardem
About
Ardem is an immersive open-world survival RPG set in an interactive world ravaged by a deadly virus. Alone or with friends, players explore handcrafted abandoned locations, gather resources, build bases, repair vehicles, and begin restoring civilization through the power of electricity.
My Tasks
I own the game’s UI/UX direction and have reworked the experience from the ground up to move beyond established survival-game conventions. I design and implement the interface directly in Unreal Engine 5 using UMG, Blueprints, custom materials, and shaders, building each system for mouse and keyboard as well as full gamepad support.
My work also covers accessibility standards, UX writing, and the complete custom icon library. Beyond the interface, I own character feel and gunplay, and have developed a range of in-universe brands and prominent packaging designs that help make Ardem’s world feel coherent and lived in.
Screen Designs
These screen designs were shared as sneak peeks through Ardem’s public channels, offering an early look at the new UI/UX direction I established for the game.
Together, they show how the visual language carries across very different gameplay needs while keeping controls, information, and feedback clear and consistent.
Design System
I established a new design system for Ardem from the ground up. Before defining components, I assessed the current state of the game, its future production needs, and the different ways its players approach survival systems.
The system had to be reliable, modular, and practical to implement. Reusable components scale across different screen sizes and work equally well with mouse and keyboard or a controller. That foundation also gave me room to rethink familiar survival-game screens that have seen little meaningful innovation in recent years.
Icon Library
I created an entirely new custom icon library to cover every part of the game. It ranges from flexible miscellaneous symbols and broad item-type icons to highly specific artwork designed for individual interactions and edge cases.
Every icon follows the same graphical rules and uses a distinctive color treatment, keeping the library cohesive while helping important states and categories remain easy to recognize at a glance.
