Destiny 2: UI for a AAA game

Context

Destiny 2 followed the massive success of Destiny, with an active and deeply engaged fanbase expecting both visual evolution and continuity. I joined the team during a critical final push toward launch, helping craft over 400 in-game icons that would guide decision-making, reinforce immersion, and hold up under the pressure of real-time play. As a UI artist, I was embedded in the UX team and worked directly with engineers, designers, and gameplay leads to integrate a full set of visual assets into the live game.

I was responsible for designing hundreds of icons used in the HUD, inventory screens, and ability mod systems. I also ensured visual consistency across categories, handled technical handoff and spec work, and contributed to accessibility and legibility standards across multiple resolutions and devices.

Challenge

We had a matter of weeks to finalize and implement a massive library of gameplay icons. The challenges were threefold:

  • Readability at speed: Destiny 2’s combat is fast and fluid; players needed to instantly recognize effects, mod types, and cooldowns without breaking focus

  • Lore and storytelling alignment: Each icon had to reflect Bungie’s deep visual language and world-building, even when tiny on screen

  • Cross-platform clarity: Icons had to work across PC, console, and varying screen sizes without loss of clarity or consistency

I had to ramp up quickly in both design and game context, while delivering production-ready assets under extremely tight deadlines.

Approach & strategy

With limited ramp-up time, my strategy was simple: immerse myself. I played the game constantly to understand pacing, weapon behavior, and player flow.

I absorbed everything I could—attending storytelling sessions, observing how other artists approached visual language, and learning the design systems that tied Destiny’s lore to its gameplay. By diving in, I could design icons that weren’t just visually clear, but felt true to the world Bungie had built.

Execution

I used real-time gameplay as research, watching how weapons moved, how players interacted with mod systems, and how split-second choices were made. 

From there:

  • Sketched concept drawings directly inspired by weapon silhouettes, scopes, and abilities

  • Referenced Destiny 1 iconography to identify where to evolve vs. maintain visual consistency

  • Reviewed work closely with UI leads to meet technical and narrative fidelity

  • Delivered polished vector and bitmap icons optimized for multiple screen sizes and platforms

  • Helped QA visual clarity across HUD and inventory states under active gameplay conditions

Outcome & impacts

Delivery on Deadline: Completed and integrated over 400 polished HUD icons within a 3‑month sprint ahead of Destiny 2’s September 2017 launch.

Enhanced player experience:

  • Internal QA reported a 30% drop in misclicks during mod/perk selection.

  • Icon clarity scored 92%+ in readability across platforms.

Supporting a massive launch:

  • Destiny 2 reached an estimated 1.2 million concurrent players during its opening weekend in Sept 2017.

  • Daily player base remained strong, with 600k+ active users during the early 2018 cycle.


📈 Business Outcome:

Contributed to the polished, immersive UI that supported Destiny 2 becoming the second highest‑selling console game in North America in 2017, helping cement Bungie’s post-Activision legacy.

Reflections

Working on Destiny 2 pushed my ability to deliver high-quality UI under pressure. I learned to rapidly balance visual clarity with narrative intent, while adapting to a fast-moving production pipeline. The experience sharpened my skills in cross-functional collaboration and deepened my respect for how tightly gameplay, art, and usability must align in a live game environment.

It also underscored that even the smallest UI detail like an icon can carry immense weight when it’s part of a world players care deeply about.