Shanghai Fortress

Here’s a look at the UI work by Territory Studio (Blade Runner 2049, Avengers Infinity War) on the latest film Shanghai Fortress.

The UI designs are great and very Pacific Rim-esque (Pacific Rim Uprising by Territory Studio). The layout and the mix of flat data paired with 3D schematics makes good use of holographic displays.

Depth of field is used to help keep the UI legible to allow for the futuristic look that a transparent interface provides.

The hexagon pattern used to form irregular grids and transitions is really nice (the HUDS+GUIS icon makes a cameo in there too :) )

The biggest thing that stands out is the pairing of modern UI designs with very old looking instruments.

I have a few thoughts on this. Firstly I’m very much in favour of using tactile controls for any instrument that deals with life threatening situations. The ability to feel is so often overlooked these days in favour of sexier looking touch interfaces. For example a kill switch or cancel button for any potentially devastating action should never be on a touch screen. I saw an example of this in a film once, where the room was filled with smoke, and the fact that the character was able to hit the kill-switch on a touchscreen with zero visibility was absolutely ridiculous.

Secondly, I’m not sure why the controls had to look so old. Fighter jets use tactile controls but they look much more modern than those in the film. I admit I haven’t seen the film myself yet, so it does give the idea that perhaps the film is set in an alternate version of Earth? Otherwise the coloured LED buttons and moulded joysticks reminds me of 80’s arcade simulators (not necessarily a bad thing!).

I’d love to hear what you guys think!

Also check out the exclusive images below courtesy of Territory Studio.