CHIYAO.LIEN
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CASE / AUTOMOTIVE UI / 03THE MILL · 2023

BUICK
BETTER THAN THIS.

Buick — Better Than This imagines a near future where technology integrates seamlessly into everyday mobility. Working with The Mill, I independently designed and animated all user interfaces featured in the film—from the in-vehicle HUD and autonomous parking system to valet, mobile, and environmental displays. I developed a unified visual and motion language that made each interaction feel intuitive, responsive, and believable within Buick's vision of the future.

ROLEUI Design
Motion Design
Visual Development
PROJECTFuture Mobility Film
The Mill
2023
01 / FILMFUTURE MOBILITY / THE MILL
BUICK — BETTER THAN THIS / FILM BY THE MILLALSO ON VIMEO ↗
02 / BRIEF

A car that explains itself without shouting—technology present at every surface, but never tactical, mechanical, or sci-fi.

03 / INTERFACE LANGUAGE

The design avoids a tactical HUD aesthetic. Organic curves, translucent layers, restrained icons, and responsive depth make the technology feel calm and human.

01 / FORMORGANIC CURVESBuick concept car with flowing organic body curves
02 / MATERIALTRANSLUCENT DEPTHTranslucent glass interface layered in a kitchen environment
03 / ICONOGRAPHYRESTRAINED MARKSRestrained circular HUD icon on the windshield
04 / FEEDBACKMOTION AS STATEBuick transparent mobile interface showing a live state card
04 / INTERFACE SYSTEMHUD · PARKING · VALET · MOBILE
Buick in-vehicle HUD in daylight, showing translucent navigation and status layers
HUD / DAYLIGHT — PRIMARY DRIVING VIEW
Buick HUD at night with responsive depth and iconography
HUD / NIGHT — ADAPTIVE CONTRAST
Buick autonomous parking interface with spatial guides
AUTONOMOUS PARKING / SPATIAL FEEDBACK
Buick valet mode interface state
VALET MODE / STATE CHANGE
05 / MOTION BEHAVIORSTIMING · TRANSITIONS · CONTINUITY

Every surface behaves on the same clock: information builds on and clears with intent, states transition rather than cut, and feedback confirms without interrupting.

MAIN SCREEN / MOTION TEST — WAVE FIELD
CONSOLE SCREEN / MOTION TEST
Placeholder still for the autonomous parking transition loop
PARKING TRANSITION — LOOP PENDING
Placeholder still for the valet mode state-change loop
VALET STATE CHANGE — LOOP PENDING
06 / FROM RESEARCH TO MOTIONVISUAL DEVELOPMENT

Material, color hierarchy, depth, and legibility were tested against real automotive context before a single frame moved.

Buick UI visual research and development board with reference frames and color palette
RESEARCH BOARD / REFERENCE, DEPTH & LEGIBILITY STUDIES
BLACK#000000
PUNCH#DE3548
BIZARRE#EBDED8
WALKAWA GRAY#5C8A95
APRICOT#E89363
WHISPER#EAE5F0
07 / APPLICATION AT SCALESYSTEM AT SCALE
Portfolio presentation mockup of the Buick HUD shown at large scale
PORTFOLIO PRESENTATION MOCKUP — NOT AN ORIGINAL CAMPAIGN PLACEMENT
CREDITS

Client: Buick · Studio: The Mill · Role: UI Design, Motion Design, Visual Development · Designer & Animator: Chiyao Lien · Year: 2023
Official case study at The Mill ↗

NEXT / BRAND MOTION
Hilton
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