Award-Winning Designer
RAM KANDA (he/him)
I designed the log along with, Summer and winter websites, social templates, Special Event screens, and marketing assets for Chicopee Tube Park in KItchener-Waterloo Ontario.
TRAUST
helped Traust develop the their creative and designed the sales materials used to win the business of LiveNation, The Ellen Show, Sports Illustrated, and Pharrell Williams' Something In The Water Festival.
Traust uses a custom blockchain to facilitate and secure prizing at live events.I
drew design inspiration from 'guilloche' – the complex fingerprint-like pattern found on cash bills, cheques and passports to telegraph the service's value and security. This guillosh house style was intermixed with the branding of prospective clients.
Capri Sun Disrespectoids
helped Ad Agency Razorfish Chicago and Capri Sun via issue a dire warning to precocious kids everywhere; Respect the pouch!
At Fuel Industries, we handled the online component of the 360 campaign – a microsite and a series of games featuring children cursed by their own disrespect.
Chicopee Tube Park
I designed the website of Kitchener-Waterloo's premier eco-adventure destination, Chicopee Tube Park to be contemporary and family-friendly.
The website highlights Zip-lining and canoeing during the summer season and changes theme to promote snow-tubing in the winter. It uses a bento box design system to offer flexibility in highlighting promotions, news, and eco-initiatives.
Drone footage telegraphs excitement and adds dynamism to the homepage.
The logo refresh was limited to simplifying linework and saturating colours due to its epre-existing application on park equipment and staff uniforms.
I also developed a series of illustrations,icons, patterns, and templates for use across social media.
Star Trek Fleet Command
Interface design
Role: Senior UI Designer
Platform: iOS, Android, Windows, macOS
Studio: Scopely / DIGIT Game Studios
Launch: November 2018
Overview
Star Trek: Fleet Command is a 4X MMO strategy game that immerses players in the expansive Star Trek universe. As the Senior UI Designer, I contributed to the user interface design to ensure a seamless and engaging player experience across various devices.
Design Objectives
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Franchise Integration: Develop a UI that resonates with the Star Trek aesthetic while maintaining clarity and usability.
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Scalability: Design interfaces adaptable to frequent content updates, including new missions, ships, and features.
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Cross-Platform Consistency: Ensure a uniform experience across mobile and desktop platforms.
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Player Engagement: Enhance user retention through intuitive design and interactive elements.
Key Contributions
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LCARS-Inspired Interface: Implemented a UI design inspired by Star Trek’s LCARS system, balancing thematic authenticity with modern usability standards.
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Modular Design System: Created a component-based design system facilitating rapid development and consistent updates.
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Performance Optimization: Collaborated with developers to ensure UI elements were optimized for performance across devices.
Impact
The intuitive and immersive UI contributed to the game’s success:
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Rapid Revenue Growth: Surpassed $100 million in revenue within eight months of launch.
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High Player Engagement: Over 1.5 billion battles played and 115 million hours logged by players.
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Critical Acclaim: Received the People’s Voice Award for “Strategy/Simulation Game” and “Technical Achievement” at the 2019 Webby Awards.
PopJam
PopJam
PopJam is a social content sharing platform designed for children under 13, developed by Mind Candy and then sold to kids' ad network, SuperAwesome. It provides a safe and compliant environment for kids to engage with their favourite brands, create and share content, and interact with each other.
My Role as Art Director and Lead UI/UX – I led design on opJam went through its various development iterations. It began as JellyChat where kids would take care of a jellybean between chatting with friends. The experience was incongruous and unharmonious to say the least. The application fared much better as a place where kids could celebrate fandom across dozens of channels. Daily Challenges and games on the app kept kids engaged and helped with retention. Regular polls helped us gain insight into kids' media preferences in a very unique and clear way.
Key Features
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Kid-Safe Environment: PopJam employs double-layered moderation using AI and human moderators to ensure a non-toxic and age-appropriate space for children.
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Brand Engagement: Brands can create their own channels on PopJam to deliver interactive content like filters, stickers, quizzes, polls, and mini-games tailored for young audiences.
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Content Creation: Kids can create and share their own art, stories, and remixes, fostering creativity and self-expression.
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Social Interaction: Users can "heart", comment, and share posts, enabling social connections while adhering to children's privacy laws like COPPA.
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Embedded Content: Through PopJam Connect, brands can embed their PopJam channel content on other digital platforms, expanding their owned media strategy.
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Insights and Analytics: Brands receive monthly insights reports with exclusive data on kids' interests, trends, and content engagement patterns to inform their strategies.
Benefits for Brands
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Safe Engagement: PopJam provides a trusted platform for brands to connect with their young audiences compliantly, without the risks associated with adult social networks.
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Interactive Experiences: Brands could offer interactive, two-way content experiences that fostered active engagement from kids.
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Brand Awareness: By creating branded channels and content, brands can build excitement, awareness, and affinity with their young target audiences.
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Compliance Assurance: SuperAwesome's suite of kid-safe tools, including AwesomeAds, ensures compliance with digital privacy laws like COPPA and GDPR-K.
Moshi Monsters.com
Moshi Monsters was a juggernaut of an IP. At it's peak, it was a playground for over 90 million registered kids, mostly across Europe and Australia. It had a mixture of Pokémon's collectability with its moshling characters and Tamagotchi with the caretaking of the main characters. The brand was the UK's top selling magazine, top selling toys, and even released a feature film. Unprecedented for a web game.
My Role as Lead UI/UX and Art Director I lead the website design for about six years, during which we had dozens of new special events, new games, puzzles, and areas of the map open up.
Canadian Centre for Food Integrity Annual Report 2024
CCFI produces a food integrity report containing details on the agrifood supply chain and consumer sentiment to help build public trust in Canada's Food system.I designed the one released in 2024.
I designed the log along with, Summer and winter websites, social templates, Special Event screens, and marketing assets for Chicopee Tube Park in KItchener-Waterloo Ontario.
My role as Senior Designer. I took the latest branding by AgencyNorthern Army for CCFI and created the Highlight report for the year 2024
Moshling Rescue
Moshi Monsters was a wildly successful online world for 90 million kids worldwide. Moshling Rescue was intended as a Match 3 line extension aimed at their parents. The game was developed Midst peak Candy Crush fever. We would bring the side characters – the moshlings – to the forefront and use them as prizes to be awarded after boss battles with Big Bad Bill.The game's heroin character, Ellie was supported by Fez the owl and Mr. Snoodle the elephant.
My Role as Art Director, and Lead UI/UX I oversaw the creation of all game assets, character designs, animations, power-ups, effects, and all game screens across Facebook, iOS, and Android. I implemented assets directly into Unity, with developer support for release across Facebook, iOS, and Android.
Weirdwood Manor:
Rise of the Therimancer
Rocky Award winning Sequel to the hit Apple featured Weirdwood Manor.
Oliver, Eugene, and Celia return to Weirdwood Manor in Wasabi Entertainment's long anticipated sequel: Rise of the Therimancer. Since we last saw Arthur Weirdwood, the Weirdwood Universe has expanded to include several kids' lit novellas and a board game. The series has also acted as a test case for proving out Living Novels' model of motion storybook with mini-games, digital collectibles, puzzles, and encyclopedia for completionists and fans of the lore. Weirdwood Manor is a nominee for the 2024 Rocky Awards.
My Role as Co-Creative Director I was hired as a co- creative director focusing on the art, social media, website, and presentation side of the Lost Library digital books with another creative director, Luke Minaker, heading up the writing and lore of the series.
TrailingBit brand
Trailing Bit is a software development studio specializing in creative and experimental projects for mobile and Mixed Reality devices using Unity. I experimented with numerous design directions and iterations with the client before we settled on a gSpirograph. The complex linework evokes an iris and is intended to telegraph the team'sdetail and care on the bleeding edge of technology that the studio considers its playground. The bold geometric wordmark stands in stark contrast. A black version was also provided for use over light backgrounds along with stacked versions of each for situations where horizontal space is scarce
McDonald's Happy Studio
A single Happy Meal destination for every brand. For all of Europe!
I designed the log along with, Summer and winter websites, social templates, Special Event screens, and marketing assets for Chicopee Tube Park in KItchener-Waterloo Ontario.
Role: Art Director → Creative Director
Platform: iOS, Android, Web
Client: McDonald’s Europe
Launch: 2008
Overview
Happy Studio is McDonald’s flagship digital platform designed to extend the Happy Meal experience into the digital realm. As Art Director and later Creative Director, I led the creative vision and execution of this interactive, educational app tailored for children aged 5–8. The platform combines entertainment with developmental learning, aligning with McDonald’s commitment to family engagement.
Creative Objectives
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Brand Integration: Infuse McDonald’s branding into a digital environment that resonates with children.
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Educational Value: Develop games that promote creativity, problem-solving, and musical skills.
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User Engagement: Incorporate features like toy scanning to bridge physical and digital play.
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Global Accessibility: Ensure the app is accessible and engaging across diverse markets and languages.
Key Contributions
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Visual Design Leadership: Directed the visual style, ensuring a cohesive and appealing aesthetic for young users.
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Interactive Features: Implemented AR elements and interactive games that encourage repeated engagement.
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Cross-Functional Collaboration: Worked closely with developers, educators, and marketing teams to align on goals and deliverables.
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Content Strategy: Oversaw the integration of new content aligned with Happy Meal promotions and educational themes.
Impact
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Global Reach: The app was launched in over 110 markets and supports 48 languages, making it widely accessible to McDonald’s diverse customer base.
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User Engagement: In 2016, the app recorded 1.8 million downloads with a 76% average return usage, indicating high user retention and satisfaction.
World of Warriors
World of Warriors was a Mind Candy original IP. The brainchild of Art Director Johnny Taylor. it used historical Warriors and their armour as a basis for Chibi characters; perfect for translation to toys and other collectibles. The game was created in Unity and released for iOS, Android, and Playstation 3
My Role as Lead UI/UX I designed and illustrated the game's interface and screens using the angular low poly motif established with the game's characters.
GoLoco brand and App Design
GoLoco is an eCommerce platform and merchant discovery app that allows you to buy from local merchants and craftspeople as easily as you would withg global retail giants, lowering the carbon footprint of delivery and enriching your community.
I
Bendy in Nightmare Run
Kindly Beast commissioned Karman Interactive, where I was Partner and VP of Design, to create a mobile free-to-play endless runner called Bendy in Nightmare Run. Kindly Beast was so pleased with the result that they acquired our studio.
My Role as Art Director, and Lead UI/UXI oversaw the creation of all game assets, character designs, animations, power-ups, 3D, and lead the design of the interface. One goal was to avoid any comparisons to another period game out around the same time: Cuphead. Where Cuphead avoided shading and affordances in service to the motif, I decided to make butttons look more pressable as a differentiator. Our game would look like the animated films of Max Fleicher but not at the cost of usability.
McDonald's Fairies & Dragons
McDonald's Europe hired Fuel Industries to create an original IP to be the hero of its own Happy Meal. A small portion of McDonald's' toy budget would go to funding a vast digital experience. There would be an online component with games for four fairies and four dragons based on the elements.Each Happy Meal also included a CD filled with more embedded software that could be installed on the family PC. Desktop toys where characters would sit above the custom wallpapers and invite play. Kids could feed the Fairies & Dragons healthy snacks and play games, like a Tamagotchi.
My Role as Creative Director and Art Director – I led design on The campaign. A somewhat retro execution, pulling from great cartoons from the 80's, including Dungeons and Dragons, Masters of the Universe, and more.
SceneIt?
Various Logos
I've included several logos I've designed for clients including SkillUp forMicrosoft's Maker Studio in Puget Sound British Columbia, HOPTV channel, Happy Studio for McDonald's Europe, Mercury Filmworks and GREE International. Happy Studio is a website that housed all of the digital and interactive accoutrements for Physical Happy Meals parents would buy their children throughout McDonald's Europe's 42 markets. Fairies & Dragons was an IP developed by Fuel Industries where I was creative Director. The relationship with McDonald's went so well on the project that Fuel became McDonald's Europe's Agency of Record for just over a decade.
Microsoft Canada commissioned me to design a Skateboard deck gift for Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on his visit to their offices.
Modern War
After porting of Crime City from Facebook to iOS and Android, and its rise to the top of the Top Grossing charts, Funzio Inc. used the same game engine and asynchronous game loop for Modern War to similar effect. Funzio was purchased by GREE International for $210million. Both games remained on the top grossing charts for about a decade.
My Role as Senior UI Designer I designed the interface including icons, typography, and modal layout for both Crime City's mobile version and Modern War. All elements had to be on theme and match the game style.
Icons for Animaze's livestreaming AR software
Animaze is an augmented reality plugin SDK for the popular OBS livestreaming platform. Livestreamers can replace their head and body with Animals and characters downloaded from a site or even create their own that respond to their facial and bodily movements. They can also trigger live effects and animations.
My Role as Iconographer I was given a list of verbs and nouns for HUD tools and informational purposes that needed icons on the Animaze website.