Queenie
Details
Client
Disney+, Lionsgate, Channel 4
Role
Freelance Creative & Art Director
Services
- Screen Graphics
- UI/UX Design
- Environmental Graphics
- Title Design
- Custom Illustrations
Problem
Create a complete parallel digital ecosystem for Channel 4's television adaptation of Queenie, designing every social platform, messaging interface, and digital interaction viewers see on screen.
The challenge was building an entire universe of recognisable apps and platforms without using trademarked designs, whilst authentically supporting the protagonist's emotional journey throughout the series.
Strategic Approach
Working directly with the show creator (who wrote the novel) and the animation team, I designed a comprehensive suite of social platforms that feel instantly familiar but remain legally distinct. Each platform needed to be recognisable through visual language alone (colour schemes, typography, interface patterns, and interaction design) without ever displaying real brand names or logos.
Every platform served the narrative: dating apps revealed romantic struggles, social feeds showed the gap between public persona and private reality, messaging apps captured intimate relationships, and video platforms displayed performative self-presentation.
Key Design Decisions
Dating App Interface ('Love Below')
Designed a fictional dating app that needed to feel real enough to be believable but distinct enough to avoid trademark issues. Created custom UI patterns, micro-interactions, and visual states that reflected modern dating app conventions whilst supporting the character's emotional arc through the story.
Social Media Authenticity
Built genuinely messy social feeds with realistic engagement patterns, authentic comment threads, and believable user behaviours. The 'imperfection' was intentional — real social media isn't curated, it's chaotic.
Custom Emojis
Designed character-specific emoji sets that appeared throughout messaging scenes, adding personality and cultural specificity to digital conversations.
Custom Typography
Modified an existing typeface to address on-screen legibility issues, adjusting specific letterforms, kerning pairs, and character spacing. Applied consistently across title sequences, UI elements, and environmental design to create unified visual language.
Environmental Graphics
Created London-specific signage, wayfinding, and environmental details that grounded the story in place without requiring explicit establishing shots.
Title Sequences
Designed opening and closing title treatments that set tone and provided visual consistency across episodes.
Solution
Delivered graphics iteratively throughout the editorial process rather than as final deliverables. As editors shaped episodes and the story evolved, graphics requirements changed constantly — new platforms needed, interfaces modified, additional digital interactions required.
This demanded rapid turnaround and creative adaptability whilst maintaining visual consistency across an evolving digital ecosystem. The work required close collaboration with editors, animators, and the show creator, responding to narrative needs in real-time whilst keeping the entire digital world cohesive.
Deliverables
- Complete dating app UI system (Love Below)
- Social media platform interface (Twitter-style)
- Video platform interface (TikTok-style)
- Multiple messaging app designs
- Voice memo recording and playback interfaces
- Custom emoji library (full character set)
- Custom typeface (modified letterforms and spacing for screen optimisation)
- Phone notification systems
- London environmental signage and wayfinding
- Title sequences (opening and closing credits)
- Lower third graphics
- All animation-ready assets with technical specifications
Outcome
The show aired successfully on Channel 4 with the complete digital ecosystem integrated seamlessly into the narrative. The visual work supported storytelling without drawing attention to itself.
Audiences engaged with the digital world as if it were real, never questioning the authenticity of the platforms. Working directly with the show creator and maintaining creative trust throughout allowed for genuine, character-driven design decisions.
The project demonstrated that effective screen graphics aren't just about making things look good, they're about building believable worlds that serve the narrative of the story.