About Andrei Marius
Origin Story
Like many ’90s kids, my creative journey started with doodling my favorite cartoon characters. My first real “aha” moment came when I was eight, stuck at home with the mumps for a couple of weeks. Just me, nonstop cartoon re-runs, a stack of paper, and a handful of pencils. After plenty of failed attempts, I nailed my first decent cartoon drawing: Blinky Bill.
That small win sparked something. I kept sketching, experimenting, and slowly building a collection of drawings. Along the way, I explored different mediums and techniques, from ink drawing and calligraphy to watercolor and oil painting. Still, I never considered art as a career path until I discovered digital design.
Beginnings
My journey into digital design began in my first year of college, when curiosity led me to explore HTML and CSS before gradually moving into tools like Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash, InDesign, CorelDRAW, and even a bit of 3D modeling. Each one taught me something different, but Illustrator was the one that truly clicked.
After about a year of experimenting and refining my skills, I published my first tutorial on Envato Tuts+: How to Create a Realistic Vector Building Illustration - a milestone that began an unexpected journey.
Over the next decade, that first tutorial grew into a library of more than 500 educational pieces, spanning vector illustration, icon design, text effects, branding, UI design, motion graphics, and visual storytelling. Working across tools like Illustrator, Photoshop, After Effects, Figma, Sketch, XD, Affinity Designer, and Graphic, I developed not only a broad creative toolkit, but also a deep appreciation for clarity, structure, and making complex ideas easier to understand.
Collaborations
In 2014, I started collaborating with Autodesk Graphic (now Picta Graphic), helping shape the UI/UX of its vector design app across Mac, iPad, and iPhone. My focus was on simplifying complex workflows, improving interface consistency, and creating a more intuitive product experience that felt cohesive across devices.
I also redesigned the entire Graphic website (graphic.com) from the ground up, improving navigation, visual consistency, and product storytelling across key landing pages. In parallel, I developed a comprehensive user guide for the Mac, iPad, and iPhone versions, helping to align documentation with real user needs and evolving product features.
Also worked on custom design projects, tutorials, animations, and short videos to promote the app and showcase its capabilities, which sparked my interest in video production.
Expanding into Video
Alongside written tutorials, I expanded into video as a natural extension of educational content, combining animation, narration, and visuals to make complex design concepts easier to understand.
This shift allowed me to deepen my skills in Adobe After Effects, editing, motion graphics, and video production, while exploring new ways to communicate product workflows and creative techniques more clearly.
It’s been a fun way to give back to the design community, while also sharpening my own skills along the way.
UI/UX Design Transition
Starting in 2014, my collaboration with the Graphic app team deepened my focus on UI/UX and product design, contributing to interface improvements and a consistent experience across Mac, iPad, and iPhone.
This evolution eventually led to Monexe, a money management app I designed to help people track expenses, set budgets, and take control of their finances. From interface design and interaction flows to onboarding and tutorials, Monexe brought together my experience in product thinking, usability, and communication into a single end-to-end product.
Bringing it to life marked an important step in my journey, not just as a designer of interfaces, but as a designer of complete user experiences.
Dipping toes in Game Design
With Monexe out in the world, I wanted to put those same skills to work on something more playful. Games are, at their core, interfaces people choose to spend hours in, and that made them the natural next challenge.
That curiosity became Galaxy Exodus, an idle space strategy game I’ve build for Steam. Players conquer planets, grow a fleet, mine resources and manage fuel to complete the galactic exodus in the best time they can.
After Effects brought visuals to life, while my UI/UX work kept a sci-fi control panel clear and intuitive. It’s still a first step into game design, but it’s the project where every part of my path finally meets.
Today, I enjoy working on products where design, storytelling, and user experience meet, especially tools that empower people to create, understand, and work more effectively.
If you’ve got any questions, feedback, or want to work together, feel free to email me.