Rethinking the UI Team

Apr 21

How UX is Fine Builds UI Teams with Broader Creative Roots

At UX is Fine, most of our work centers around UI and UX—HUDs, menus, icons, layout systems. But we didn’t build the creative team by only hiring traditional UI specialists or formally trained graphic designers. Instead, we’ve built something broader.

Much of the talent we’ve brought on comes from outside the typical design pipeline—concept artists, illustrators, and animators who often first cross paths with us through the concept art courses taught by our Founder and President, Dave Inscore. Dave is a MICA alum (Illustration, ’95) who’s been teaching at the Maryland Institute College of Art for over a decade. His courses have become an unexpected but consistent pipeline of emerging creatives with strong visual instincts and storytelling skills—even if they’ve never touched a HUD.

When those artists join UX is Fine, that’s where I step in. As a MICA-trained graphic designer myself, I work closely with new team members through focused, intensive mentorship. We explore structure, layout, type systems, interaction thinking—the building blocks that shape raw visual ability into production-ready UI design. That intersection of Dave’s educational pipeline and my design mentorship has become a unique engine for how we grow as a studio.

Design Structure Meets Creative Range

Rather than boxing people into narrow roles, we create room for range. A single artist might design a UI layout one day, animate a prototype the next, and build a custom icon set after that. That flexibility is supported by strong design processes and the understanding that good systems don’t limit creativity—they support it.

This hybrid model helps us move quickly, adapt to changing needs, and deliver work that surprises our clients—not just in terms of polish, but in scope and versatility.

Clients Come for UI, Stay for the Depth

Many clients approach us with a focused ask—UX guidance, visual polish, menu design—but they quickly realize how much more is available. We’ve stepped into pitch decks, illustrated key art, developed motion systems, and contributed stylized 3D assets. That kind of creative breadth isn’t accidental—it’s built into how we hire, mentor, and collaborate.

UI as a Creative Path

At UX is Fine, UI isn’t a fallback—it’s a creative discipline in its own right. Artists who join the studio are encouraged to lean into UI, not as a compromise, but as a space to grow and stretch their visual skill set. That path is guided, not siloed—supported by mentorship, shared standards, and a culture that values curiosity and adaptability.

The result is a studio built for range and collaboration, with a team of artists who can meet core UI needs while delivering work that extends well beyond the edges of the brief.