Study
/
FUI
/
Identity
Severance: Study
/ About the project
This forensic technical study is a deep dive into the "mysterious and important" design language of the Apple TV+ series, Severance. Driven by the show's unique retro-futuristic aesthetic, I undertook the challenge of rebuilding the interface from the ground up as a functional, expression-driven design system in After Effects.
/ Credits
Client:
Personal Project
Role:
Lead Motion Designer & Technical Artist
Tools
After Effects, Sketch, AEUX, Trapcode Form
/ Year
2022
01
The Aesthetic Logic
Matching "Lumon OS"
With no source assets, I performed frame-by-frame analysis of the series to reverse-engineer the specific easing curves and interaction timing that define the show's 1-bit CRT look.
Systemic Workflow: Designed initial UI layouts in Sketch and utilized AEUX for a non-destructive bridge into After Effects.
Production-Ready Rigging: To manage thousands of data layers, I wrote extensive Expressions and utilized AE Global Renamer 2 to maintain a professional-grade, scalable pre-composition structure.
Physical Integration: Finalized the study with high-fidelity tracking and compositing to seat the UI onto a physical terminal, achieving a realistic "in-camera" feel.
02
Procedural Data Systems
To achieve the "alive" look of the data without creating visual chaos, I moved away from manual keyframing and toward procedural animation.
The Displacement Rig:
Utilized Trapcode Form driven by fractal displacement fields. By restricting displacement to specific axes, I ensured particles drifted organically without clipping through one another.
Z-Space Navigation Architecture:
Emulating the software’s deep-zoom required a custom camera rig. By pushing a camera through Z-space, I maintained control over depth and parallax, allowing for grounded navigation through the data grid.
Custom "Rolodex":
The folder selection cards are fully expression-driven. Start with any letter or number and subsequent tabs adjust automatically. Files within each folder are dynamic and scalable.
03
The Outcome
From Technical Study to Industry Validation
The result was a production-ready MDR terminal template built with the same internal logic as the original series assets. The project reached people with direct connections to the show's production, who confirmed the recreation was accurate and noted that what appears on screen is real software the actors interact with. That response led to genuine conversations about FUI design and the line between fan work and professional-grade technical execution.