For as many times as I have seen this launcher, I decided it was time to take a stab at a reskin myself.
Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) is a MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) that I have dabbled in over the years. I don’t play it as much as other games, but what always jumped out to me was the lack of polished presence that the overall ESO brand presented (no offense Bethesda, I love you and all you do!).
With a such a rich style and history as the Elder Scrolls universe has, I never felt that the ESO entity did it justice from a branding standpoint. As an experimental case study (and to limit my scope), I decided to do a light reskin of the ESO game launcher itself to envision what it could look like with a better mix of classic, but in the modern digital space.
Classic meets Modern
A clash of classic and modern style approaches, in a good way. Retaining some detail and charm without going overboard with embellishments, while keeping the core style minimalistic, creates a level of customization without sacrificing flexibility.
Detailed but Flexible
Especially without being in tune with the content plans of the team itself, I left much flexibility within each component. This particular layout could easily be added to, or enhanced, with additional content areas as deemed necessary.
Unique without Discomfort
As with many challenges in the UX world, it is wise to remain vigilant of the phrase “don’t fix what isn’t broken”. Portraying uniqueness, without losing the key, comfortable expectations of the user within an interface, was a focus of mine.
The before, and the after
There are likely a variety of reasons why the current launcher functions the way that it does, but I wanted to take an opportunity to demonstrate the opportunity to retain the classiness of the Elder Scrolls style, while bringing crisp, clear visuals, and modern visual improvements to create more engagement, and more excitement, to the audience that opens ESO every day.
A new look for a beloved franchise
The Elder Scrolls universe has a cult following as a whole, and I know many folk who live and breathe ESO specifically for years. This overhaul was designed to breathe new life into a screen that these players use daily. The scope was kept limited for the sake of this experiment, but the concept would be for this to be part of a larger brand refresh that would span website, marketing, and game UI.
Intricate, but fresh
I felt that it was important to navigate this gap between classic and medieval, with modern and minimalist – finding the happy balance without losing the core feeling of the Elder Scrolls brand. Linework, light scrollwork, and a good dose of texture with thin line and detailed layering helped to achieve this, while keeping text and graphics large and mostly unobstructed for a usability boost. Additionally, the overlap of containers and breaking through some of the standard boundaries brings a level of interest and engagement not typically demonstrated in what I have seen in the ESO brand.
See it live on Figma