Abigail Scheidler
DigiPen Signet Rings
Just me!
At DigiPen Insitute of Technology, every design student gets to specialize in 2 different areas of video game design. Our professor briefly mentioned that we could have signet rings if a student was willing to design them. I decided to give it a try.
August 2023 - April 2024
What are the specializations?
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Level Design - Using the space of a game to create an experience
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System Design - using the mechanics of the game to create an experience
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User Experience Design - using the psychology of the game to create an experience
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Narrative Design - using the context of the game of the game to create an experience
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User Research - researching the users of the game and advocating for them
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Technical Design - supporting the development of the game by creating tools
First Draft:
I needed to decide how to represent those concepts in signet rings. Plus I wanted to integrate the grandeous and traditional designs usually found in signet rings. I created these using Google Slides which, while humorous, was not the most adaptable tool for this job.
Since a level designer deals with space and navigation, a compass made sense. I added some "land" in the background as well
Usually, a good example of system design is probability. I thought that a D20 dice was a good way to illustrate that.
I was a little stumped on this one. I thought that adding different shapes around a user gave off a sensation-y kind of feel.
It was hard to get away from the book imagery but I knew that a fantasy theme would fit with narrative design.
This was maybe the most challenging. Research usually doesn't have the most exciting icons.
A motherboard-looking design was the first thing that came to mind for me. Plus it looked cool!
Feedback:
- NO TEXT!!! It will be too small on a stamp
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- Some of the designs are too complex
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- Narrative looks like a religious symbol
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- User Research looks bland
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- Maybe Systems should be a gear?
Well oops! I made some pretty big mistakes here. I was a little sad that I needed to get rid of some details. However, that was my next step
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I also needed to address the issues with the individual designs. Specifically, the User Research design was not the right fit. I talked to some user researchers and got their feedback. They had some interesting requests.
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I also got rid of the text. Still working in Google Slides by the way!
Second Draft
I started by ripping out the text and scaling the first draft designs up. Then I went in and made the lines much thicker so it would be easier to see in a wax stamp. I also had the opportunity to hear feedback from actual students who are passionate about these topics.
I removed some details from the compass as well as the border. Most level designers were happy with the idea though!
Switching to the gear was slightly controversial. While it's understandable to more people, it's also more generic
A UX professor gave the idea to include the 5 senses in the design. I could do that exactly but I did my best.
I made the dragon much bigger and the book much smaller. I also changed the background to be less of a religious symbol.
User Researchers asked for a cat to be used in the design as user research is like "herding cats" Also the body of the cat is a normal curve because we're all nerds here.
Technical didn't change much! Technical designers appreciated the cool and sleek look of the first draft.
Reflection:
I was and still am very proud of these! Using Google slides was a rather obstinate decision that I made as I used to use Google Drawings all the time. However, I ended up making these cool designs for my school.
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The signet rings themselves didn't work out but the designs might be used in the future for design students at graduation!