Chinese wearable device company Huami has partnered up with San Francisco, CA-based Territory Studio to design modern, science-fiction-inspired UI for the Amazfit Verge smartwatch. Territory Studio is known for designing user interfaces (UI) for fantasy films.
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“The Amazfit Verge smartwatch is the world’s most advanced, wrist-worn health monitor that aims to make life easier with a voice controlled Artificial Intelligence (AI) assistant and smart home device integration, plus public transportation integration for select regions in a sleek, futuristic design,” said a press release.
Huami’s choice of Territory Studio was due to the latter’s deep understanding and skilled experience in designing futuristic user interfaces. Inspired by Territory Studio’s creative work on popular superhero films, the new Amazfit Verge interfaces pay homage to the vibrant personas and bold costumes of Hollywood. Adopting a cinematic style to designing watch UI, the studio defined different ‘personality’ styles through color, visual elements and lineweight. Territory’s team delivered three UI concepts that visualize different creative approaches to data sets, including heart rate, calories, steps, air pressure, and more.
“Informed by Amazfit’s advanced features and functions, we saw this as a fantastic opportunity to push the visual language conventions of wearables,” explains Marti Romances, creative director, Territory Studio. “The quality of Huami’s AMOLED screen is the best we’ve seen in a smartwatch, but we needed to overcome the restrictions of screen real estate. The clarity and discipline of designing for film, where information needs to be conveyed quickly and easily at a glance, helped us make the leap from silver screen to watch face.”
Pengtao Yu, Industrial designer of Huami said they made the surface of the new smartwatch to embody a fun, bold and futuristic aesthetic because Amazfit Verge is designed for young people who value authenticity and style. “No one knows how to capture this style better than Territory Studios and we are pleased to work with a partner that shares our value of pushing the boundaries of interface design,” he said.
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A collaborative project, Huami’s team provided clear feedback on the three final concepts enabling Territory designers and motion artists to finalize and deliver production-ready assets with animations to serve as a reference for intended motion and movement. Territory Studio’s recent work for films includes the UI for Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Infinity War, Ready Player One and Blade Runner 2049. Clients also include Dolby, IBM Watson, HP and Intel.
