Pokemon Game Boy

Before and after image that shows the design process for the Pokemon Game Boy illustration by Matt Pike

The Story

This started when I was a UI Design Student with CareerFoundry, and we had to design a buy-and-sell app. And, since it was my first attempt at UI Design, it was shit.

Wireframes for a student design project done by Matt Pike while he was a User Interface Design Student at CareerFoundry in 2019
My first ever attempt at User Interface Design as a student with CareerFoundry in 2019

For starters, I've learned that illustrations aren't good icons, but I did like them. This was also around the time when Walter (my son) was born, so I had to find ways to save time, and recycling these illustrations seemed like a good idea.

Examples of icons that became illustrations from a student design project done by Matt Pike
From icons to illustrations — featuring the Fish Family and the Contractor Design Project

Fast forward a few years, and I want to use the electronics one — the Game Boy — and give Figma a try as an illustration software. At first, I was just going to update the Game Boy to make it look more realistic, but as I waited for Figma to catch up with my node movements, cursing Adobe under my breath, I was reminded of my first true love: The Pokemon Game Boy Color. And that's when I knew what I had to do.

Pokemon Game Boy Color illustration by Matt PikeOutlines for the Pokemon Game Boy Illustration by Matt Pike