Watch Faces
Watch Faces
Watch Faces
Galaxy Watch 8 Series
Galaxy Watch 8 Series
Galaxy Watch 8 Series
Visual Designer | 2024
Visual Designer | 2024
Visual Designer | 2024
Galaxy Watch 8: The Symbiosis of Form and Time
The Galaxy Watch 8 Series marks a shift in Samsung’s wearable philosophy- moving from a technical device to a refined personal object.
Tasked with designing the visual identity for One UI 8 Watch, the goal was to harmonize a new, cushion-inspired geometry with an interface that feels alive.
We didn't just design "skins"; we architected a family of watch faces that balance heritage, emotional resonance, and high-clarity utility for millions of wrists worldwide.
“Timeisn’tjusttold.It’sdesigned.”
Background
With the Galaxy Watch8, the design team shifted perspective - treating the watch as a personal lifestyle object, not just a device.
We began by understanding the product design story behind Watch8, which highlighted the cushion-inspired form, refined geometry, and focus on comfort and presence. Lets watch!
Before diving in, start by watching the Galaxy Watch8 design story video.
A sleeker, cushion design that visually unifies comfort, style, and premium feel.
A focus on making the watch feel like a natural extension of the wrist — refined, familiar, and non-intrusive.
Focus: High impact and sophisticated brevity
Time shouldn't just be told; it should be felt. We designed the interface to be the soul of the hardware, not just a skin for the screen.
By aligning digital textures and shadows with the Watch 8’s physical cushion-form, we ensured a seamless transition from metal to pixel. The design doesn't compete with the hardware; it completes it - creating a unified, singular expression of craft.
We Started by Looking Back
Before drawing a single pixel, we stepped back. Not to design, but to observe.
We studied how Galaxy Watches and their watch faces have evolved over the years — across hardware generations, software updates, and shifting user expectations.
What we found wasn’t just a lack of features or visual polish. It was something more subtle.
Impactful and Iconic design is Harmonized
Impactful and Iconic design is Confident
Impactful and Iconic design is Relatable
Emotive By Design
When technology learns to sense and respond to our emotions, it stops being just a tool — it becomes an extension of who we are.
Not just worn, but lived with. A quiet companion woven into daily life. This set the foundation for Watch Face 8’s design directions — three ways of making technology feel human, emotional, and personal
Tactile Digitalism - Elevating Surface & Depth
As the Pure Analog direction evolved through multiple rounds of exploration and refinement, one insight consistently surfaced: What made heritage analog watches emotional was not the form alone : it was the materiality and finesse behind it.
To evoke the emotional weight of heritage timepieces, we looked beyond the pixel. By exploring Material-Inspired Surfaces - including frosted glass, grain, and micro-textures - we brought a sense of physical weight and depth to the Z-axis.
This approach creates a tactile experience that responds to light and shadow, making the interface feel less like a screen and more like a crafted object.
This approach allowed the design to evolve without losing trust or recognition.
Final Outcome: The Heritage classic - A tribute to traditional watchmaking, emphasizing surface, depth, and the passage of time through light.
Final Outcome: Restraint shaped by reality
Despite stronger results from custom typography explorations, Samsung One UI fonts were retained to ensure platform stability and technical feasibility.
The direction was further refined through controlled shadows, line work, color variations, and customization options, reinforcing tactility while maintaining visual restraint.
This disciplined refinement led to the launch of the Minimal Digital watch face, delivering a calm and reliable digital expression of time.
From photographs to a simple & immersive watch face
Carrying moments "together"
A personalized expression of health data with an added dynamism ensuring a constant source of motivation
A new medium of self-expression
Design Explorations
Personal Reflection
This project was an exercise in collective precision. Within a multi-disciplinary team, we learned that high-fidelity craft emerges from shared critique and the fluid exchange of ideas.
By stepping away from the screen- studying heritage watchmaking and observing how light interacts with real-world surfaces -we ensured that our digital work was rooted in physical truth.
It reinforced a core belief: that meaningful design is found in restraint and the relentless pursuit of finesse.