Gift Guardian | Emma Simpkins

The inspiration for this project came from my time working at Target. One day, a mother and her two young children approached me after they had misplaced a gift card somewhere in the store. That moment made me realize there had to be a better way for families to keep track of children's gift cards from birthdays, holidays, and other special occasions.

I wanted to create a solution that kept kids involved in managing their own gift cards without requiring parents to download and manage multiple store-specific apps. The result is an interactive, kid-friendly app designed to help children organize their gift cards, track their spending, and build healthy saving habits in a fun and engaging way.

Problem and Salution:

Examples of: UX/UI, Motion Graphics, Logo Design, and Concept Creation

Project Type : Personal Growth

Logo :

Final Prototype Video:

Moodboard:

Sketches:

After developing the initial concept, I followed the same process I use for every new project: research, mood boarding, and sketching. I find that putting my ideas on paper—whether through quick notes or rough illustrations—helps me organize my thoughts and visualize the direction of the project before moving into digital design.

As I built the mood board, I realized I wanted the app to have a friendly mascot that could guide and encourage young users throughout their experience, similar to how Duo from Duolingo helps engage learners. The goal was to create a character that felt approachable and fun while motivating children to track their spending, save their gift cards, and learn healthy money habits in an interactive way.

And then Ozzy the Gift Guardian Dragon with Born!

Wireframes:

Making Assets:

I wanted this project to showcase my motion graphics skills, so I looked for opportunities to incorporate animation throughout the app experience. By weaving subtle motion into various elements of the interface, I aimed to create a more engaging, interactive design while demonstrating how motion graphics can enhance both usability and visual storytelling.