Technology and business magazines can't stop extolling the benefits the "metaverse" will bring once it changes commerce, technology, art and everything else defining our daily lives. Companies are investing billions of dollars hoping to construct the next-generation, mass populace, interactive platform and it is hard to ignore. All of the major tech firms have put their hats in the race and inspired a wave of startups prospecting for acquisition gold in the process. The future is only redesigned every so often, so it is worth asking, what will this new technology look like, and how can pioneers protect their user-facing innovations that will define this emerging space? Design patents are the answer.