#design evolution

Current design: 2025-2026

First design: 2021 - 2022

The old design is sought out more to be a serial killer oc who terrorized the people in Milwaukee during winter days. This was back in 2021 - 2022 when I made her.

Luckily she's not a serial killer anymore, more on as a supplier to serial killers.

I was not a fan of where did the mask originated from, I only like how the mask looks to me. Then in later years her design changes, as well her lore.

Her name was used to be Claire. She used to have a boyfriend who help in her schemes.

That's about it, I discontinued that shit because I had shit in my personal life involving my school at 13

The reason why I changed it was because I was into bsd and Dazai, my coping mechanism at 14. Being 14 was shit at that time, so did the characters in bsd who were and are 14 🤷🤷

2023

I lost most of my sketches, and I can't post more photos sorry, because I was about to send concepts of her design during 2023-2024

Hérinys Kihoro Njoki - first drafts. (Under dress, , without coat and last with her coat on.)

A fire mage from the Dragon Empire, daughter of one the Trader Guild Master. A young woman, desiring to prove herself worthy of her family after long studies abroad.

Below is the evolution of her design, from Version 1 to Version 3.

Before reading, mind that I am white, not finding a lot of ressources on black tradition pre-colonialism. I am listening and waiting to suggestions and criticism (mostly for V3, V1 and V2 sucks lol).

Also this is all for a fictional fantasy setting.

From Skeuomorphism to Neumorphism & Beyond

User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX) design have undergone a remarkable transformation over the years. From the early days of skeuomorphism to the sleek, modern neumorphism, the way we interact with digital interfaces continues to evolve. In this blog, we explore the history, key transitions, and the future of UI/UX design.

For more design insights, visit our UI/UX blog collection.

The Era of Skeuomorphism: Making Digital Feel Familiar

What is Skeuomorphism? Skeuomorphism is a design approach that mimics real-world objects and textures to make digital interfaces more intuitive. This style was widely used in the early days of computing and mobile apps.

Key Characteristics:

Realistic textures and shadows (e.g., leather-bound calendar apps, glossy buttons)

3D effects and depth

Gradients and detailed illustrations

Why It Was Popular: Skeuomorphic design helped users transition from physical to digital interfaces by offering a familiar look and feel. Early Apple iOS interfaces exemplified this approach.

Downfall: As mobile-first design became the norm, these visuals began to feel outdated and cluttered.

The Rise of Flat Design: A Minimalist Revolution

What is Flat Design? Flat design focused on simplicity and usability by eliminating 3D effects and textures.

Key Characteristics:

Clean, minimalist layouts

Bold colors and sharp edges

Simple, legible typography

No shadows or depth

Why It Became the Standard: With better performance and mobile responsiveness, companies like Google and Microsoft embraced flat design, helping it become mainstream.

Material Design: Adding Depth Back

What is Material Design? Material Design by Google blends flat design with depth and motion to create more intuitive interactions.

Key Characteristics:

Soft shadows and layering

Card-based structure

Fluid animations

Emphasis on usability and feedback

This hybrid approach improved UX without sacrificing performance.

The Neumorphism Trend: A Fusion of Old and New

What is Neumorphism? Neumorphism, or “New Skeuomorphism,” combines depth and simplicity, giving UI components a soft, tactile appearance.

Key Characteristics:

Embossed look with soft shadows

Muted color palettes

Minimalist yet interactive elements

Rounded corners and subtle gradients

Why It’s Trending: Neumorphism aligns well with dark mode, reducing eye strain and enhancing modern UI elements. However, it faces criticism over accessibility and contrast limitations.

Beyond Neumorphism: The Future of UI/UX

The future of UI/UX is shaped by emerging technologies and evolving user expectations:

Glassmorphism: Popularized by macOS and Windows 11, it adds frosted glass effects and layered transparency.

AI-Powered Design: Adaptive interfaces using AI in UX to anticipate user needs.

AR & VR: Transforming navigation, e-commerce, and gaming with immersive experiences.

Sustainable & Ethical Design: Prioritizing accessibility, energy efficiency, and inclusive digital experiences.

Final Thoughts

UI/UX design has evolved from skeuomorphic realism to flat simplicity, material fluidity, and now to neumorphic softness. As technology and user behaviors continue to change, designers must focus on creating digital products that are not only beautiful but also intuitive and inclusive.

Originally, Rory was just an asgoriel fankid, and not part of the larger AU. Though when designing them, I decided right off the batt that they would be nonbinary, as from what I'd seen, there was a surprising lack of nonbinary characters within the fandom. I decided to also go a different route than most other nonbinary designs, as most are very neutral or more feminine. I wanted them to be more masculine, however I gave them more feminine long hair for a contrasting feature, as well as due to seeing most nonbinary characters having shorter hair.

Their name came from how Asgore and Toriel both had nicknames that ended in "or-ee" (Tori and Gory), and I thought that a similar sounding name would fit. I eventually settled on the name Rory.

This reference sheet was the first time I drew Rory. I had them in my head for a long time before this, but had never drawn them, as I tend to like to get all of the details figured out before I put a character down on paper.

I knew that I wanted them to take more after Asgore, with them having yellow hair and blue eyes. However I originally gave them Toriel's short horns and a long tail like I used in my Toriel design.

I went through a phase for a while where I was really into shading my drawings, as well as starting to try to draw more dynamic poses. This is when I drew Rory next.

At this point, I had added them to my AU where the fallen humans came back as goat monsters. I had decided to draw all of the kids using their magic in combat, however, I only ended up finishing a few.

I gave them Justice magic, as I thought it would fit their personality pretty well. I also imagined them as having a preference for more physical combat than just purely magical, so I drew them using their magic sort of like brass knuckles.

This drawing is what inspired the current lore that they prefer defense rather than offense, as I felt that this drawing looked like they were more on the defensive.

I had changed their outfit to a tank top and tight-fitting shorts, as I felt that those would be better suited for this pose and action than the original t-shirt and long pants.

I did make a few errors of design in this drawing, however it was mainly due to me having limited color-choice at the time. I had used too dark of a blue for their eyes and shirt, as I didn't have a lighter color. I also didn't make Rory as masculine as I would have liked, as I wasn't familiar with drawing different body types, and mainly drew one main base type for all of my drawings.

The third time I drew Rory was for a personal hight comparison reference sheet that I did to make my drawings of my characters more consistent. I had used an online height comparison chart for the base and had drawn over it, so the proportions are a bit weird compared to my other art. Though ironically, I was pretty happy with how Rory looked here.

I kept the darker shirt color from the previous drawing, however I stayed with their original t-shirt and long pants as their main outfit.

The fourth time I drew Rory was when I was fleshing out the AU and doing a pose/body language study.

I couldn't figure out how to draw their hair where it looked right in this pose, so I settled for drawing it up in a braid. However, I ended up really liking how it looked, and it ended up as part of their main design.

I had slightly changed how I drew Toriel and Asgore, and changed Rory's design to reflect that. I also further pushed their appearance more towards Asgore rather than having them be a fairly even mix of the two; I gave them longer horns and longer fur.