We speak to UI Artist, Tom Giannasi, about life at Firesprite
In this interview series, we speak to some of the staff here to provide an insight into life at Firesprite from a variety of disciplines within the studio.
Today we chat with UI Artist, Tom!
What is your name and job title?
My name is Tom Giannasi and I am a UI Artist here at Firesprite.
What is your favourite thing about Firesprite?
I appreciate Firesprite’s desire to look after its staff and encourage their growth. I’ve worked at multiple studios that didn’t want to put the time and investment into training its staff or helping them to progress. But ever since I started at Firesprite, they have always encouraged progression and training where desired.
What does a typical day look like for a UI Artist?
I like to start with a browse of my favourite design websites. I find browsing the work of my favourite artists from different disciplines helps to set me up for a day of creativity. After that, I review my previous day’s work before starting on my current tasks. At the moment that consists of a whole lot of research and doodles to figure out how we want the project I’m working on to look!
What is the most important aspect of being a UI Artist?
I think the ability to balance both style and user experience is important. It’s easy to become overly focused on the art of the UI while forgetting about functionality and the ease of use for the player. Finding the right balance is vital.
How did you get to your current position within the games industry?
Like so many, my adventure in the games industry began with a position at Sony as QA. I was there for just over a year before I took a position at a smaller studio in Liverpool working on VR experiences. Unfortunately, after a year or so the company were forced to make cuts which included our department. A couple of us were lucky enough to quickly find a new role at Firesprite, working as QA on The Persistence. Since then, I made the move from QA to UI and have had the pleasure of working on several different projects in the company.
