Interview about World Cup 2022 Smartwatch Face, winner of the A' Interface, Interaction and User Experience Design Award 2023
World Cup 2022 is a set of watch face designs on the Apple Watch for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. By placing the painting of the national flag at the center and occupying the majority of the space, it creates a bold and impactful visual that immediately draws attention to the colours and symbols of the country it represents. Against a black background, the colours of the flag stand out even more, providing a striking contrast that makes the design easily readable at a glance. Ultimately, by showing the heart rate on the flag, it makes the whole watch face resonate with the supporting fans.
View detailed images, specifications, and award details on A' Design Award & Competition website.
View Design DetailsCentering national flags on the watch face was a deliberate choice to tap into the deep pride and emotional investment fans have in their national teams. By making the flag the focal point, the design evokes a sense of patriotism, personal connection, and pride. This direct and intimate visual association helps users feel more connected to their team, as every glance at their wrist serves as a powerful reminder of their loyalty and national identity.
The integration of heart rate data onto the flag was inspired by the emotional intensity of football. Fans often experience heightened heart rates while watching games, reflecting the thrill and passion of the sport. By merging physiological data with national symbols, the design creates a uniquely personalized experience, as users see their emotional responses directly linked to their national pride. This synergy between data and symbol makes the smartwatch face more than just a display—it becomes a canvas for the user’s own excitement and pride.
Winning the Bronze A’ Design Award was a recognition of my effort to harmonize form and function. Smartwatch designs must not only look appealing but also function smoothly in a compact space. For this project, I focused on simplicity and high contrast, ensuring that every detail served a purpose. Elements like bold colors, clear icons, and concise data placements were meticulously balanced to provide both aesthetic appeal and easy readability, meeting the technical demands of the smartwatch without sacrificing visual impact.
Optimizing contrast was crucial in making the design both visually striking and easily readable. A black background was chosen to enhance the vividness of the national flags, creating a stark contrast that helps colors pop and makes information more visible. The flags’ colors were carefully balanced to avoid overwhelming the small display, ensuring that each watch face retains clarity and can be read at a quick glance, even in varying lighting conditions.
My experience at Lasalle College of the Arts instilled in me the importance of storytelling through design. This background in interactive art encouraged me to think of the smartwatch face as a dynamic medium where art and technology meet. The World Cup 2022 design reflects this by combining meaningful symbols (national flags) with functional elements (time, heart rate), making each watch face a blend of artistic expression and practical usability—a wearable tribute to both sports and culture.
Each country’s flag presents unique colors and patterns, which posed a challenge in maintaining a cohesive look across the collection. I approached this by creating a consistent layout for time, heart rate, and icons, while adjusting contrast and saturation to accommodate each flag’s colors. This ensured that while each watch face had its distinct personality, they all shared a unified visual language that identified them as part of the same collection.
Facer.io provided a flexible platform that allowed for intricate customization, which was instrumental in realizing my vision. Its responsive capabilities helped me fine-tune the layout to fit various watch sizes and formats, while its layering features enabled me to position elements like the flags and heart rate data in visually engaging ways. Facer.io was pivotal in bridging the gap between my design ideas and their practical implementation.
The World Cup is not just a tournament; it’s a global celebration. I envisioned this design as a way for fans to wear their support proudly, not just on game days but every day. By placing the flags and team symbols front and center, the design embodies the energy and community of the FIFA World Cup, allowing users to feel a part of the larger football culture and share their passion in a personal and tangible way.
Designing for different Apple Watch sizes required a keen focus on adaptability. To maintain visual consistency, I developed a responsive layout that adjusted key elements like font size, flag placement, and icon scale to suit various screen dimensions without losing clarity. This attention to scalability ensured that the watch face retained its impact and readability, whether viewed on a larger or smaller display.
Creating the World Cup 2022 Smartwatch Face has reinforced my commitment to merging art with functionality in future designs. This project highlighted the power of combining data with meaningful visuals to create interactive, wearable art. Moving forward with Artalex, I aim to continue exploring ways to enhance user connection through design, whether it’s through personal symbols, customizable data displays, or new ways to blend technology with cultural expression.
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