David Heutmaker — Los Angeles, USA

“As the game industry continues to mature we will see studios with polished and well-planned products rewarded rather than the industry absorbing them from elsewhere. Better yet, the larger products that ignore design trends by taking bold risks could create more timeless products and become celebrated visual classics as independent games routinely do. Experiences will continue to build immersion. VR/AR should inspire more game designers and developers to develop more diegetic solutions. Diegetic design helps player immersion exponentially, is more intuitive when done well, and can be beautiful in its minimalism.”

David Heutmaker has been a visual designer in the game industry for 17 years and has contributed to more than two-dozen games in large and small ways. He wears multiple hats, from graphic designer to UX designer to design developer to illustrator and concept artist, though his focus is always on UI design and development.