CREATING A VISUAL IP : BUILDING A WORLD
Approaching the visual development of a game, I try to capture the essence of the players’ motivations - what will truly excite and wow this specific audience. With Avatar World, it came easily - as it turned out, I was creating for the player I once was (and frankly, still am:).
Tapping into my own memories of childhood amazement at the sight of a scene so rich, so full of life and detail that it feels almost overwhelming with possibilities to explore - it was important to me that the game felt rich, rich, rich! - dense and alive, evoking that same sense of awe and a playful urge in our players
Designing the environments, I intentionally set out to encourage the player’s natural urge to touch, explore, discover, and even make a delightful mess. Every corner mattered, and no area could be left unattended - each one crafted with care, love, and attention.
Avatar World functions both as a universe reflecting the player’s everyday familiar life, serving as a stage for pretend play and storytelling full of its necessary emotional benefits for kids, and as a miniature world living in the palm of the player’s hand, evoking feelings of heart-melting cuteness and care.
In crafting the aesthetics for this world, I had this in mind, drawing from my own childhood-rooted love for miniature toys, cute things, and tiny worlds.
This emotional thread became central to shaping an art style that (at least in my eyes) feels both cozy and immersive, tapping into our players’ natural curiosity and sentiment.
I envisioned how players would emotionally engage with the game world and translated those intuitions into creative choices - often drawing from my own memories of exploring toys as a little girl.
These insights shaped the art style, prop design, and environmental composition - using visual richness and a sense of emotional depth to craft the kind of experience I wanted for the player-child.
These insights shaped the art style, prop design, and environmental composition - using visual richness and a sense of emotional depth to craft the kind of experience I wanted for the player-child.
CHARACTER DESIGN
Developing the prototype character was a process of tapping into my natural sense of cuteness and love for kawaii stylization. I spent time refining subtle details - the distance between the eyes, the curve of the cheeks, the tilt of the head, the stylization of the hair, and the delicate balance between 2D simplicity and a touch of 3D depth.
I lingered on defining the character’s base posture and angle - finding the right balance between a frontal pose and a subtle ¾ turn. This position gave the character more life, warmth, and approachability, making their presence feel dynamic yet instantly readable on screen, while also providing the best foundation for motion, animation, and walking.
Each tiny adjustment affected the emotion the character conveyed - how inviting, expressive, or huggable they felt. The goal was to create a design that felt effortlessly lovable and pleasant to spend time with.
From the beginning, inclusiveness was a key value. It was important that players could see themselves represented and celebrated within the game. The system we developed allowed endless combinations — skin tones, facial features, hairstyles, and fashion — giving each player the ability to create a character that truly felt like their own reflection inside the world of Avatar World. Later, I expanded the design system to include toddler and baby versions a cat and other animals, completing a full visual family that naturally belonged to the same universe.
UI DESIGN
It was important to me that the UI’s visual language felt illustrative and aligned with the game’s overall art style, while remaining intuitive, clear, and functional. After establishing the art style for the main screens — laying the cornerstone for how the UI would expand throughout the game — I continued to oversee its development to ensure a smooth, satisfying, and visually “juicy” experience for players interacting with the interface and navigating through the game.
I see UI and UX as an extension of the player’s emotional journey — every button press, transition, or micro-interaction should feel as tactile and rewarding as playing within the world itself. Subtle motion, timing, and sound feedback all play a role in creating that sense of responsiveness and delight. Maintaining visual consistency and a clear hierarchy across dozens of screens was essential — ensuring that no matter where the player is, the interface feels familiar, inviting, and unmistakably part of Avatar World.
ENVIORMENT
Environment design for games is all about illusion — conveying atmosphere, guiding the player’s eye, and bending space to meet the needs of gameplay and the limits of the screen.
In Avatar World, I explored the illusion of unfolding a 3D space into a 2D elongated mobile frame — keeping it both visually rich and easy to navigate. Designing a world for mobile means working within a very small real estate: how do we create a sense of openness, depth, and vertical expansion without feeling claustrophobic? How do we bend the laws of perspective to serve our needs and adapt them to the mobile player’s experience?
In terms of art style, I aimed to build a visual language that feels 2D yet rich — with hints of 3D depth expressed through selective details. The world had to feel alive within its flatness. Focusing on subtle lighting effects and the addition of brushwork and gradients made all the difference.
With my team, I often spoke about composition — the balance and visual weight within each scene — treating every level as a fine art piece. The team built their designs on a perspective system and grid with clear standards I developed to support gameplay and create the illusion of natural depth through a continuous mobile scroll. This system evolved over time, becoming an ongoing technical and creative challenge — one refined through close collaboration with our talented environment artists.
LEVELS
In guiding the art team, I approached each level as its own visual language within the game’s overall art style — defined by distinctive motifs in shape, material, and a color palette that feels varied yet cohesive. Sometimes this means creating a signature icon or presenter character that gives the level its own recognizable identity — almost like a mini brand within the world.
I encouraged the artists to build a sense of flow for the player — a visual journey that follows the chosen scrolling direction, inviting discovery and a feeling of story progression as players explore each scene for the first time. To achieve this, we think deeply about composition: the rhythm of spacing and contrast, the balance of tall versus wide elements, dense versus open areas, and the overall interplay of motifs and weights across the screen.
Every visual decision aligns closely with the level design — supporting the gameplay and contributing to that perfect player experience: one that evokes curiosity, wonder, and delight, while still feeling harmonious and comfortable as the stage for pretend play.
I personally accompanied each level, helping to define its main visual motifs and ensuring a dynamic, engaging composition that sustains the player’s sense of immersion. Together with the art teams, we worked to achieve an appeal and atmosphere consistent with the artistic language and creative message of Avatar World.
PROP DESIGN
When the team dives into detail, they truly do — perfecting every leaf of a plant, every corner, every bevel of a piece of furniture, and every texture, whether it’s stone, wood, or fabric. Even the smallest items — a pencil, a cup, a book — receive the same care and attention.
I’m deeply detail-oriented, and I believe this is what makes the designs exceptional and helps the game stand out among others. I feel fortunate to work with such a talented team of artists who continually raise the bar, fine-tuning our visual language from the tiniest props and elements to the larger picture of the world itself.
TEAM
Building and leading the art team for Avatar World has been one of the most rewarding parts of my work. My role is to guide the vision and connect people — helping each artist’s strengths come together in a coherent whole.
I believe great art direction means recognizing each person’s unique strengths and giving them the space to shine. The team that joined me, one by one, each elevated the art style and creative vision in their own way — bringing the results to a level of finesse I could never have dreamed of:)
We continue to face a variety of technical and creative challenges, always tackling them together as a team. I learn from them constantly — they are deeply skilled, curious, and generous, and they teach me something new every day. I feel proud and grateful to lead such talented people and to keep growing alongside them as we shape the world of Avatar World together.
Disclaimer: Screenshots shown here were captured from the publicly available version of Avatar World by Pazu Games Ltd. They are displayed solely to illustrate my role as the game’s Art Director and to showcase professional experience. All visual assets and intellectual property belong exclusively to Pazu Games Ltd (©). Art Direction and Visual Development by G.L.