Iron Interface, Interaction and User Experience Design · 2021
Muse Smartwatch Face
- A' Design Award 2021 Iron Winner in Interface, Interaction and User Experience Design
- Awarded April 15, 2021
- CLIENT: Artalex
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 15,504
- Verification code 54F7D1F1D9 · Verify this award
About Muse Smartwatch Face
The Muse is a smartwatch face that does not look like a traditional watch. Its totemic background is the key element to tell the hour, and together with a glare-like stroke to point out the minute. The combination of them politely conveys the sense of time flow. The overall gemstone looking greatly renders an exotic user experience.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- The Muse is a smartwatch face that tells the time while doesn't look like any traditional watch face as we usually thought. It looks more towards the combination of stone and gem. The feeling it conveys is more close to the nature while still keeps the beauty of gem.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- The dimension of this design is 400 x 400px on Android watch, 360 x 360px on Samsung watch. It supports both round and square smartwatches.
- Tags
- gem, nature, stone, ancient, gemstone, nostalgia, luxury, informative
- Production Technology
- I aimlessly drew a sketch on my iPad. The sketch turned out to be the main element of the design. The app I used on iPad is Procreate. Once finished the drawing, exported into Photoshop, separate different layers for different hours. Then, export these layers (12 layers) into png images. After that, import these 12 layers into Facer (watch face making app), use programming to control which layer should be highlighted in which hour. For example, layer 1 will be highlighted when 1 am/pm. So, that's how to tell the hour. For the minute, I use a glare-like stroke to represent the glare from the light (the beauty of nature). At the centre of the watch face, I put those essential information such as date, step count, battery level, so that the user can still grab the information really quickly. For the numbers around the watch face, I use roman numerals to give the sense of antique, as well as add on different colours to make the overall looking more like ancient gemstone.
- Design Challenge
- The hardest part of this design is to make the overall looking "less-look-like-watch", and feels ancient. I want to make it look more like a gemstone rather than a watch, meanwhile it still tells you the time and other information.
- Project Duration
- The project started in February 2020 in Singapore and finished in September 2020, and is released on Face app and WatchMaker app in September 2020.
- Operation Flow
- The design is already released on Facer app. Go to Facer app or website (facer.io), search "Artalex", and look for the name "Muse". Click the "send to watch" button to sync the design into your smartwatch. You need the Facer app installed on your smartwatch.
- Research
- Nothing much about the research. The idea just came out suddenly from my aimless sketch. At that moment, I had the feeling of making it a non-traditional watch face. Just follow the heart.
- Inspiration
- The inspiration came from a casual sketch that I was aimlessly drawing on my iPad when I sit in a bar. As the strokes went on, the sketch became a kind of totem. Then, the idea came out. Let this totem-like graphic tells the time, combining the feeling of nature. Let it be the main element of my smartwatch face. Make it looks like a kind of gemstone.
- Image Credits
- Image #1: Photographer Pan Yong, Main image, 2020.
Image #2: Photographer Pan Yong, Single shot, 2020.
Image #3: Photographer Pan Yong, Single shot, 2020.
Image #4: Photographer Pan Yong, Single shot, 2020.
Image #5: Photographer Pan Yong, Group shot, 2020. - Patents
- Copyrights belong to Alex Pan Yong, 2020
Colors of Muse Smartwatch Face
Grand Interview about Muse Smartwatch Face
The totemic background of the Muse Smartwatch Face was an organic outcome of a casual, almost meditative sketching session on my iPad at the bar. I wasn’t aiming for precision but rather exploring shapes and layers that could embody a story. The concept of a “totem” appealed to me as it symbolizes layers of meaning—each layer representing a fragment of time. By embracing these spontaneous lines and patterns, I challenged the conventional need for strict symmetry in time-telling, allowing for a more symbolic interpretation of hours and minutes.
Transforming the Muse Smartwatch Face into something reminiscent of an ancient artifact or gemstone was a conscious decision. I wanted to elevate the experience of checking the time, turning it into a moment of discovery rather than mere function. The gemstone effect ties back to ancient, timeless beauty—a form that feels personal and valuable. It’s about making technology feel intimate, as though the watch face itself holds stories and memories, much like a precious stone.
Balancing artistic vision with functionality required careful layering and contrast. The Muse Smartwatch Face was designed with distinct layers, each responsible for different time elements. The challenge was ensuring that time information remains accessible without overpowering the design. Through intentional color contrasts and selective highlights, I could guide the user’s eye to critical details while preserving the artistic flow.
The highlighted totem layers and glare-like strokes for indicating hours and minutes were both creative and technical decisions. During development, I experimented with different layering techniques, which allowed me to add depth without clutter. The subtle, glare-like strokes resemble natural light reflections on minerals, making the hour and minute markers feel organic and intuitive. This approach enhances the time display’s clarity while maintaining a natural, flowing aesthetic.
Integrating additional information like the date, step count, and battery level was a delicate balancing act. These elements were embedded centrally, yet subtly, so they wouldn’t compete with the totemic layers. I used minimalistic icons and muted colors, ensuring they blend into the overall design but remain easily accessible. This approach allowed the Muse Smartwatch Face to retain both its utility and aesthetic integrity.
Receiving the A’ Design Award has been a humbling experience, validating my philosophy that art can redefine functionality. This recognition encourages me to continue exploring the intersection of aesthetics and usability in future designs. It reinforces my belief that a watch face can be more than a utility—it can be a canvas for art and personal expression, pushing me to innovate further in my work.
The decision to use Roman numerals was inspired by their classic, timeless appeal. They lend an ancient aura to the design, creating a sense of continuity with historical timekeeping methods. Meanwhile, the color choices were aimed at enhancing the gemstone aesthetic—deep greens, blues, purples—each hue chosen to evoke a different precious stone, giving users a feeling of wearing something unique and storied.
The Muse Smartwatch Face’s evolution from an initial iPad sketch to the final product involved critical design decisions. One of the most significant was the transition from abstract shapes to a more refined totemic pattern that could still convey time subtly. Deciding on the right color scheme and achieving the gemstone texture were also pivotal. These elements shaped the final design’s identity as something both functional and artistic.
The Muse Smartwatch Face embodies my philosophy that technology and art aren’t mutually exclusive but can coexist to enhance user experience. I believe that an interface should evoke emotion and reflect the user’s personal style while maintaining usability. The Muse Smartwatch Face is a product of this philosophy, merging art and technology in a way that brings beauty to the functional aspects of timekeeping.
As wearable interfaces evolve, I envision the design principles behind the Muse Smartwatch Face influencing a future where technology feels more intimate and personalized. Wearable tech has the potential to be as much about self-expression as about utility. My hope is that these principles—integrating symbolic design, material-inspired textures, and an emphasis on user connection—will shape a future where wearables are viewed as personal artifacts rather than mere gadgets.