GU Mana Wheels
UI Designer/Illustrator
The Project
This project focused on designing six unique Mana Wheels for the Battle Pass, one representing each Domain. As the Designer and Illustrator, I was responsible for defining the visual direction and creating each wheel using a blend of illustration and photobashing from existing artwork.
Each Mana Wheel was themed around its respective Domain: Magic, War, Nature, Death, Deception, and Light. The designs were rooted in the game’s lore, incorporating visual elements tied to the Gods of each Domain. This helped ensure the skins felt meaningful rather than purely cosmetic, giving players a way to express affinity with their preferred deck or playstyle.
By grounding each design in narrative and symbolism, the Mana Wheels became a form of player identity and progression within the Battle Pass, encouraging players to represent their chosen Domain through visuals that felt distinct, intentional, and earned.
Chalenges
- Sourcing and curating suitable artwork and textures to support photobashing and illustration while maintaining visual quality and cohesion.
- Maintaining strong brand consistency, ensuring each Mana Wheel aligned with the overall art direction while clearly representing its specific Domain and associated God.
- Differentiating six distinct themes so each wheel felt unique, recognisable, and meaningful to players without visual overlap.
- Incorporating and responding to cross-disciplinary feedback, working closely with the Art Director, designers, and developers to refine designs through review and iteration.
Objectives
- Explore visual concepts through early sketches and first-pass designs, establishing a clear direction for each Mana Wheel and its associated Domain.
- Adapt and rework existing artwork and assets to fit the nonagon Mana Wheel structure, ensuring compositions remained balanced and readable within the shape.
- Illustrate and refine final visuals in Photoshop, painting over textures and drafts to achieve a cohesive, high-quality finish aligned with the game’s art direction.
- Collaborate closely with a Unity developer to validate that each Mana Wheel rendered and functioned correctly in-game, resolving any layout or technical issues prior to final delivery.
Process and Iterations
Once the initial designs were complete, each Mana Wheel went through an approval pass with the Art Director to ensure the visuals aligned with the broader art direction and lore of each Domain. Feedback at this stage helped refine compositions, strengthen silhouettes, and ensure each wheel felt distinct while remaining consistent with the overall visual language of the game.
Following approval, I focused on ensuring each illustration fit cleanly within the nonagon Mana Wheel shape. This included adjusting layouts and, where necessary, removing or reworking elements that introduced visual clutter or impacted readability once placed in-game. Particular attention was paid to balance and negative space so the wheels remained clear at various sizes.
Alongside final polish, I also considered future use cases. The designs were created with upcoming expansions in mind, ensuring the visual approach could scale and remain consistent as new Domains, themes, or variations were introduced later.
Once finalised, the Mana Wheels were exported and delivered in multiple formats to support both in-game implementation and marketing needs. This ensured developers could integrate the assets smoothly in Unity, while marketing had flexibility to reuse the visuals across promotional materials.
Results
The Mana Wheels were very well received by the community and quickly became a popular way for players to express their preferred Domain and playstyle in-game. Usage data and community feedback showed that players actively equipped the skins, reinforcing their role as a meaningful cosmetic rather than a one-time reward.
The designs became a strong motivator within the Battle Pass, contributing to player interest and engagement around progression. Their connection to lore and Domain identity resonated with the community, helping the Mana Wheels stand out as rewards players genuinely wanted to earn and use.
There were early plans to expand on the concept further through special animated editions, building on the success of the initial designs. While these were not completed during my time on the project, the foundation was in place for future iterations.
Overall, the Mana Wheels proved to be a successful addition to the Battle Pass. Seeing them embraced by the community and play a meaningful role in driving engagement and sales was a satisfying outcome and a strong validation of the creative and design approach.
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