{"id":5000,"date":"2021-05-06T14:50:54","date_gmt":"2021-05-06T18:50:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ecranpartage.ca\/?p=5000"},"modified":"2023-08-09T18:05:34","modified_gmt":"2023-08-09T22:05:34","slug":"interview-catherine-artist-ui","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ecranpartage.ca\/en\/interview-catherine-artist-ui","title":{"rendered":"Interview with Catherine, UI Artist"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

One day, during my multiple searches on the Internet, I came across the famous podcast \/ podcast Girls on Games<\/a>. This is a famous English podcast about video games, geek culture. It was created by Leah Jewer and Catherine Smith-Desbiens in 2011 and they continue to produce new episodes to this day.<\/p>\n\n

I appreciated the benevolent tone of the shows, joined their server Discord and found that they made it a point of honor to keep this benevolence. <\/p>\n\n

\"GoG-Podcastplayer<\/figure>\n\n

Since that day, I’ve been constantly on their Discord server and I’ve met many members of their community at Montreal’s geek events, including Catherine.<\/p>\n\n

Marc: Hello Catherine! Could you please tell us what your current profession is?<\/h5>\n\n

Catherine: <\/strong> Hello! I am an user interface artist. My job is not only to design the interfaces of the game but also to integrate them into the engine. It is a position that touches on several aspects of the UI (from English User Interface \/ for User Interface)<\/em>including the creation of models, drawing icons and animate visual elements.<\/p>\n\n

Marc: And is this your first job in the video game?<\/h5>\n\n

Catherine:<\/strong> No, it’s my second. My first job was web and marketing designer for the Ubisoft Store. It was a golden opportunity that allowed me to enter the video game industry while leveraging my many years of experience in e-commerce and digital design.<\/p>\n\n

M: What studies have you done?<\/h5>\n\n

C:<\/strong> I did a bachelor’s degree (the “bachelor degree” in Quebec corresponds to the “license” level in France)<\/em> in the arts with a concentration in graphic design. I learned the more traditional design, the print layout and the pre-press. There were no studies in web design or video games at the time. I also learned by myself HTML, CSS and JavaScript (web programming languages).<\/em><\/p>\n\n

\"UbiStore-storefronts
Ubisoft Store Overview<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n
M: What has been your background in working in the video game industry?<\/h5>\n\n

C:<\/strong> Oh, it was quite varied. I mainly worked as a web designer and front-end integrator (this is the visual part, interface, that the user sees. Unlike the back-end, which is all the code that is made and is invisible to the user).<\/em><\/p>\n\n

I started my career in traditional media where I was a jack-of-all-trades of the web for radio stations. It was a very stimulating work environment. I have also been in agencies where I have worked on quite diverse web and marketing mandates. I was also part of the e-commerce<\/em> department for a major women’s clothing retailer.<\/p>\n\n

I was working in a marketing agency that specializes in producing resources for entertainment clients when a Ubisoft recruiter contacted me for a position as a web designer for their in-house e-commerce<\/em> department. As the saying goes: the rest is history<\/p>\n\n

What does a typical day as an User Interface Artist look like?<\/h5>\n\n

I’m working on a live game (a game that’s already out and gets updates after its release)<\/em> so my day is probably very different from an artist working on an ongoing production. It’s a lot of small tasks here and there and every day is different. <\/p>\n\n

A big part of my job is to support seasonal content such as designing and integrating resources created for Season Pass<\/em> and event game modes. As we approach the delivery of a phase of seasonal content, we enter a period where we test and debug (solve the bugs that appear in the game) a lot. Otherwise, I’m working on projects to improve the game or deliver new features.<\/p>\n\n

\"For
Preview of the character selection screen with Ubisoft’s “For Honor” game. Apart from the big right character, everything else are UI elements, and therefore requires a lot of work to be consistent with the rest of the game, and its atmosphere. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n
What are the points you enjoy most when working in the industry?<\/h5>\n\n

I love working on entertainment products. Working in video games, like when I was working in radio, is part of people’s daily fun. Playing a good game or listening to good music is the best part of my day. So I like to think that my job contributes to the best part of other people’s day.<\/p>\n\n

What advice would you give to students who want to enter the industry?<\/h5>\n\n

I’ll tell you to remember the proverb of the poorly shod shoemaker. Working in-game makes you want to play sometimes. Working on your favorite franchise also means you’ll get tired of it. The important thing is to find a good job with a good team that values you and will help you evolve. This opportunity can be in a big box to work on an AAA game (a very big budget game, equivalent to a Hollywood blockbuster in the movie industry)<\/em> as it can be in an independent studio working on a mobile game. Be open to anything.<\/p>\n\n

Find the second part here<\/a><\/span>. <\/h2>\n\n

Find Catherine on Twitter<\/a> and Instagram.<\/a> For more information about Girls on Games and their podcast, it’s on the girlsongames.ca.<\/a> <\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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