Creating Game UI Elements in Pixel Art: Buttons, Health Bars, and Icons

Your character sprite might be the star of the show, but great UI elements are the unsung heroes of game design. That health bar depleting during a boss fight, the satisfying click of a menu button, the icon that instantly tells players what item they just picked up—these small details make games feel polished and professional.

Today we're diving into pixel art UI design using Pixelverse. Whether you're building an RPG inventory system or a platformer's HUD, these techniques will help you create interfaces that are both beautiful and functional.

Why Pixel Art UI Matters

UI elements need to accomplish two things simultaneously: look good and communicate clearly. In pixel art, every pixel counts double because you're working with such limited resolution. A health bar that's beautiful but hard to read at a glance? That's a death sentence—literally, for your player.

The good news: constraints breed creativity. Limited pixels force you to focus on what matters, resulting in clean, iconic designs that players can parse instantly.

Health Bars and Resource Gauges

Let's start with the most essential UI element in action games: the health bar.

Basic Health Bar Structure

A readable health bar needs three layers:

Background - The empty container (usually dark)
Fill - The current health level (bright, saturated color)
Border - The frame that contains it all

Quick recipe in Pixelverse:

Use the Rectangle tool (R) to draw your border
Fill (F) the interior with a dark color (#1a1a2e works great)
Create a new layer for the health fill
Draw the fill portion in a bright color (classic red: #e63946, or green: #2a9d8f)

Size Recommendations

Minimal HUD: 32x6 or 48x8 pixels
Standard: 64x10 or 80x12 pixels
Detailed/RPG style: 100x16 or larger

Adding Depth

Plain rectangles work, but a little depth makes them pop:

Add a 1-pixel highlight along the top edge of the fill (lighter shade)
Add a 1-pixel shadow along the bottom edge (darker shade)
Consider rounded corners using the Pencil tool—even 1-pixel corner cuts soften the look

Animated Health Bars

Want that satisfying drain effect when your player takes damage? Create two frames:

Frame 1: Health at current level
Frame 2: Health decreased with a lighter "ghost" showing where it was

Use copy/paste (Cmd/Ctrl+C → Cmd/Ctrl+V) to duplicate your health bar frame, then modify the fill. Export as a spritesheet and animate the transition in your game engine.

Mana, Stamina, and Secondary Resources

Secondary resource bars follow the same principles but should be visually distinct:

Mana: Blues and purples (#4361ee, #7209b7)
Stamina: Yellows and greens (#f4a261, #90be6d)
Special meter: Golds and whites (#ffd60a, #fff)

Pro tip: Keep your primary resource (health) larger or more prominent. Secondary resources can be narrower or positioned less centrally.

Inventory Icons

Icons are where pixel art really shines. You have maybe 16x16 or 32x32 pixels to communicate "this is a health potion" or "this sword does fire damage."

The Silhouette Test

Great icons pass the silhouette test: if you fill the entire icon with black, can you still identify what it is? A sword should read as a sword. A potion should read as a potion.

Icon Size Guidelines

16x16: Perfect for inventory grids, minimal detail
24x24: Good balance of detail and compactness
32x32: Room for shading and small details
48x48+: Full detail, good for item inspection views

Weapons and Equipment

When drawing weapons:

Exaggerate proportions - A sword blade should be prominent, not realistic
Use diagonal lines - The Line tool (L) is your friend for blades and handles
Add a single highlight - One bright pixel on the blade edge sells "shiny metal"

Consumables and Potions

Potion bottles are pixel art classics:

Start with the bottle shape - rounded bottom, narrow neck
Fill with liquid color - leave 1-2 pixels at top for "air"
Add a cork or cap - brown or gray, 2-3 pixels
Highlight the glass - one bright pixel suggests reflection

Using AI for Icon Bases

Pixelverse's AI generation works great for icon starting points:

Try these prompts:

"pixel art sword icon, simple, game asset, 32x32"
"pixel art red potion bottle, game item, transparent background"
"pixel art treasure chest icon, closed, gold trim"

Generate at your target size, then refine with manual edits. The AI handles the basic shape; you perfect the details.

Buttons and Interactive Elements

Buttons need to look clickable. The classic approach: make them look 3D with highlight and shadow.

The 3D Button Technique

Draw your button shape with the Rectangle tool (R)
Add a light edge on top and left (1-2 pixels)
Add a dark edge on bottom and right (1-2 pixels)
This creates the illusion of a raised surface catching light from above-left

Button States

Professional UI has at least three button states:

Normal: The 3D raised look
Hover: Slightly brighter, or subtle color shift
Pressed: Inverted shadows (dark on top, light on bottom) — looks pushed in

Create each state as a separate frame in Pixelverse, then export as a spritesheet.

Text on Buttons

Pixel fonts are an art unto themselves, but for buttons:

Keep text minimal (one word if possible)
Use high contrast (white or black text on colored button)
Ensure at least 2 pixels padding around text
Consider using icons instead of text where possible

Frames, Borders, and Containers

Every inventory screen, dialogue box, and menu needs containing elements.

The 9-Slice Technique

For UI that scales, design your borders as a 9-slice grid:

[corner][edge][corner]
[ edge ][fill][ edge ]
[corner][edge][corner]

Design your corners and edges, and the fill can tile infinitely. Pixelverse's selection tool makes copying these pieces easy.

Border Styles

Simple: 1-pixel line, maybe with corner dots
Double-line: 2-pixel border with 1-pixel gap
Ornate: Decorative corners, varying thickness
Themed: Match your game's aesthetic (stone for fantasy, metal for sci-fi)

Quick Border Recipe

Draw outer rectangle with Rectangle tool (R)
Select interior, delete to create hollow frame
Add corner details with Pencil (P)
Use Copy/Paste to duplicate for dialog boxes, inventory slots, etc.

Currency and Counters

Coins, gems, and score displays need to be instantly recognizable.

Coin Icons

The classic coin:

Circle tool (C) for the base shape
Slight oval works better than perfect circle (suggests 3D)
Inner highlight - arc of lighter yellow
Inner shadow - arc of darker gold/brown

Number Displays

For scores and counters:

Design digits 0-9 as a sprite font
Keep consistent width for each digit (monospace)
5x7 pixels is a readable minimum
Add drop shadow for readability over gameplay

Minimap and Radar Elements

For games with minimaps:

Player marker: Bright, distinct shape (triangle or arrow)
Enemy markers: Red dots or hostile icons
Objective markers: Pulsing or highlighted differently
Terrain: Simple color blocks (blue for water, green for grass)

Keep minimap icons even simpler than regular icons—they need to read at a glance while the player focuses on gameplay.

Pro Tips for UI Design

Consistency is king - Use the same border style, color palette, and spacing throughout your UI
Test at 1x scale - If it's not readable at actual size, add more contrast
Use layers - Keep borders, fills, and text on separate layers for easy editing
Reference real games - Study UI from games you admire, pixel-by-pixel
Limit your palette - UI elements should share colors with your game's palette
Add feedback - Hover states, click animations, and color changes make UI feel responsive
Leave breathing room - Don't cram elements together; whitespace is your friend

Exporting UI Elements

When you're ready to export:

Individual elements: Export at 1x for authentic pixel art, or 2x-4x if your game scales up
Spritesheets: Group related elements (all buttons, all icons) into organized sheets
9-slice pieces: Export corners and edges separately for your engine to assemble
Keep transparency - UI elements almost always need transparent backgrounds

Try It Now

Open Pixelverse and challenge yourself: create a complete mini-HUD with:

A health bar (64x10 pixels)
Three inventory icons (16x16 each)
A button with normal and pressed states (32x12 pixels)

Use layers to stay organized, reference your favorite games for inspiration, and remember: in pixel art UI, clarity always beats complexity. Your players will thank you every time they instantly understand what that icon means or feel the satisfying click of a well-designed button.

Happy designing!