This week I was just working on a new concept. I’ve really been enjoying my blog, and I LOVE design. I want to see in what ways I can design my dream blog theme to look nostalgic, dreamy, cyberpunk, all at the same time.
A question I’ve had to ask myself is: How can I mix my love for texture and tactile media with this digital expression within a cyberpunk aesthetic?
I’ve always been drawn to the cyberpunk aesthetic, especially in Cyberpunk 2077, which has been a huge influence on how I visualise a future that still feels raw, human, and imperfect. Not all cyberpunk speaks to me, some interpretations feel overly polished or shallow, relying heavily on neon and high-rises without much soul. But Cyberpunk 2077 captures something messier, more grounded. Its world is broken yet alive, gritty yet intimate. There’s a texture to it, like it’s been lived in. I think that’s why it resonates with me so much. It reminds me that the future doesn’t need to be cold and sterile. It can be chaotic, tactile, and filled with memory. I get a similar feeling from Blade Runner, though I haven’t studied it as closely yet. It’s less about tech for tech’s sake, and more about the people who use it.
Have a look at the Cyberpunk 2077 screen designs:
The in-world UX is often sparse or stylised for immersion, but the player UI [menus, overlays, inventory design] offers a deeper visual language worth studying. I’ve taken inspiration from the game in the past, like for my desktop background.
The inspiration and the outcome:
Here is my current concept:
I spent an entire day on this, and I don’t know if I love it. Don’t get me wrong, it’s super cool, and was super fun to create and experiment with colours and the glow. I especially loved finding an incredible pixel Baybayin font and wondering in what way I could make this futuristic visual slightly spiritual.
BUT, it’s a lot, and feels kind of… pretentious? It feels exactly like the lifeless floating-neon design that I described not liking. I was trying to combine a bunch of designs and elements, but it’s not working… I made it on a whim and just wanted to get my idea onto the screen.
I think I need to slow down, take a step back and do some iterative sketches to really build up a feel that flows and feels right for my needs. I should be aiming to create a look unique to my blog, finding and using elements with more purpose. Although I did use a few select elements which do mean a lot to me, but I feel as though I should have thought about how they could be implemented throughout my personal brand first before creating such distinct and final images in this first concept.
I’m struggling to break down the game’s aesthetic right now [my coffee hasn’t kicked in], so I asked chat to help…
Key UX Elements in Cyberpunk 2077’s Design [ according to ChatGPT ]
Looking at this giant list from ChatGPT, there’s so many elements that make the cyberpunk aesthetic successful, I can’t just make things glow and slightly glitchy and assume a successful design. I need to be more thoughtful, to iterate, to make something bad so I can make something great.
To do list:
- Make some wireframe sketches, know what I need to create
- Analyse which tactile elements which speak to me
- Analyse what I like about Cyberpunk 2077’s design
- Moodboard and combine tactile with cyberpunk
- Iterate a visual style, make it digestible and easy for me to use
- Know which details to design elements for
- Test WordPress theme flexibility
- Design small elements
- Design individual pages
- Design templates for myself??
- Compile onto WordPress site
So if you start seeing my blog look funky, bear with me.
Anyone got any blog-design tips? Am I using “UX” and “UI” right, or is this called something else? Know any other games, movies, artists, designers I could take inspiration from? Let me know!
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