Concept
This exploration began with a simple watch face idea and grew into a study of how digital interfaces can express the passage of time in subtle, poetic ways. Inspired by John Milton’s reflections on time as something that dissolves when we stop paying attention to it, I set out to design a watch interface where the idle state doesn’t just mark time, but quietly reflects it.
Process
I began with quick sketches, on flights, late evenings, and in between busy days, to generate variations of watch faces and refine scale, rhythm, and grid choices in the UI. Once the direction was clear, I moved into animation. I brought Figma layers into After Effects and tuned the motion frame by frame, focusing on timing and easing to keep the interaction calm and intentional. The idle state became the centerpiece: a moment where transitions soften, and time seems to fade into the background.
The 3D composition proved more challenging than expected. Exporting UI comps into Cinema4D and setting up the scene demanded iteration, as I had a specific visual look in mind and also needed to sync the watch face animation with the 3D motion. Reworking the scene several times gradually brought the UI and product model into sync.
The final composition balances UI and motion and creates a watch face that quietly acknowledges time while letting the user stay in the moment.
The 3D composition proved more challenging than expected. Exporting UI comps into Cinema4D and setting up the scene demanded iteration, as I had a specific visual look in mind and also needed to sync the watch face animation with the 3D motion. Reworking the scene several times gradually brought the UI and product model into sync.
The final composition balances UI and motion and creates a watch face that quietly acknowledges time while letting the user stay in the moment.
