At Squla, our mission is to help every child develop their full potential. We are doing this by creating educational quizzes that transfer knowledge in a fun way. Using playful images help increase learning retention for kids, and it makes learning even more fun.
Squla’s visual designers ensure that the platform looks visually attractive for children. Herman explains how he does this and how he makes Squla’s design better and more fun every day.
What is your role at Squla?
I design and animate Q-figures, game levels and special effects. I do this in 2D (flat) and in 3D (with depth, which you can walk around). I also make layouts for quiz screens. It is important that users enjoy watching the imagery of what they are learning. If the design doesn’t look interesting, they don’t like to use the product.
What is Squla’s most recognizable logo?
Our little Q! When I started working at Squla, the mascot Q was only the letter Q in our logo. It had no legs yet and only very small hands. I couldn’t do much with that in the animations I created. So I went to André (the founder of Squla) with a drawing to ask him if he liked for Q to have legs and longer arms. He really liked the idea. So now Q can walk, swing, jump and do a whole lot more!
What is the success of Squla’s visual design?
We keep it simple. We use relatively few colours. In terms of shapes, we also leave out many details. This makes a screen of Squla on the PC, tablet or mobile so recognizable.
What are you the most proud of and what could be better?
I’m proud of Q. And our colour scheme because the rainbow of colours look the same in our app and in all the different games we make. I’m also proud of our monster driving game that we are creating. I would like it if Q gets some longer arms and legs. Then the Qs can do even more! 🙂 In terms of design I’d like to see maybe slightly larger buttons and larger areas with less different colours.
Which visual design from another company do you find very beautiful and suitable for the goal they are pursuing?
I really like the game “Threes!” on the iPhone. But also, for example, “Journey” and “Little Big Planet” on the Playstation. Currently I play a lot of “Zelda” on the Nintendo Switch. “Splatoon 2” also looks quite chunky.
Are there differences in the designs you make for the lower or higher age groups?
Yes, I use more detail for the higher age groups and less detail for the lower age groups.
To what extent is the relationship between image, text and sound important?
To some extent. If I make a cool picture and there is a spelling error next to it, the whole thing collapses like a sad cake. The sounds are also very important, people always find it very funny when we are recording them. 🙂
What are the trends in visual design and how does Squla respond to them?
We like ‘flat design’, which means that we do not use soft shadows and apply little structure to our surfaces. But we don’t take that (and ourselves) too seriously. We design it here in a team and for us it is especially important that it feels like one design for the user.
At Squla we are looking for new colleagues! View our vacancies here.