Ambient Background System

UX Creative Director   |  Made at Amazon Devices, 2021

Dolphins Live Action by Sam Nuttmann at Motion State

FireTV 4K QLED Series
Turning a Black Screen into a Living Canvas

My Role:
For this project I led creative direction, oversaw vendor collaboration, aligned cross-functional leadership, integrated motion design, and facilitated team experimentation workshops.

The Team:
Leadership: Daniel Rausch, Chris Seifert
Photography Curation: Natalia Peschiera, Cameron Campbell
Sound Design: Sam Koch, Bevin Kelley, David Orr
Illustration: Josh Powers
Motion Designers: Jake Rossilli, Sergey Kisselev, Adan Ronzon, Greg Kaufman, Leo Dominguez

Motion Design by Amazon Devices Design Team

In less than 3 months, I led the creative direction for Fire TV’s Ambient Background Experience, transforming the idle screen into a living canvas that brings motion, art, and atmosphere into the home. This work spanned the curation and production of over 1500+ high-resolution background visuals, including the first-ever slow-motion ambient pieces with Motion State and custom looping work developed with our internal motion and sound teams.

Our goal was to evolve the empty large black TV screen from passive to purposeful. We defined the system’s visual tone, drove concept generation, and managed cross-functional collaboration across design, engineering, and product teams. I also led vendor relationships, managed our in-house photography curator, and ensured on-time, on-budget delivery.

I oversaw our internal motion team in producing mesmerizing, seamless 4K ambient loops that were designed to feel visually rich without being intrusive. These pieces became a defining element of the platform’s ambient aesthetic. To support voice-forward interaction, I also led a small team effort to curate and craft metadata for each piece that powers the "learn more" experiences to surface more information about the displayed content.

To expand the platform’s versatility, I also designed ambient zones for branded partnerships. These included experiences for Disney and NASCAR. We also collaborated with internal R&D teams on delivering voice enabled AI-generated background themes as generative image technology rapidly emerged.

The Problem

Idle TV screens often dominate a room visually without offering value. They often appear as dark, static rectangles that disrupt the flow and feel of modern living environments.

01  Elastic Gradients, Illustration & Motion by Greg Kaufman
See it on Amazon Design Dribbble

Objective

Reimagine the passive screen as a dynamic ambient surface that delivers art, motion, and contextual information while showcasing Fire TV’s performance on 4K QLED displays.

Approach

Define Design Principles
Defined the motion and visual design principles of ambient experiences. Focused on clarity, range of expression, and slow movements.

Curate & Create
Led the delivery of 1,500+ visual assets, blending curated artwork, photography, and custom ambient motion sequences.

Lead Motion Design Team
Directed 5 motion designers to create seamless, high-fidelity 4K loops designed for ambient display.

Designed for Voice
Curated and structured metadata to support Alexa-powered voice-forward interactions, allowing users to learn more about artwork, artists, and background themes.

AI Experimentation
Rapidly introduced generative AI visuals as a next-gen direction for personalized and adaptive ambient themes

Managed Multiple Vendors
Oversaw vendor relationships and internal content teams to ensure consistency, quality, and strategic alignment across all content.

Enable Brand Partnerships
Developed flexible visual templates for ambient branded experiences (e.g., Disney, NASCAR), preserving editorial integrity while supporting marketing goals.

Deliver at Scale
Ran QA and asset pipelines that ensured consistency, performance, and polish across the full content library. Delivered the experience on time, and within budget in under 4-months.

02  Light Leaks, Illustration & Motion by Sergey Kisselev
See it on Amazon Design Dribbble

03  Vibe Collection, Illustrated by Josh Powers, Motion by Leo Dominguez
See it on Amazin Design Dribbble