You’ve tried shape language, color theory, exploring the lore of your character, then one day, unleashed it for the world to see and… crickets. Why? And now, you’re maybe wondering: how did some characters become so well loved that they took over the internet by storm, while some stay in our minds for years on end?
What’s their secret? Why is it easy to forget life for them? What’s the science?
While shape language and color theory are crucial in the craft, what separates the good from the unforgettable is more than the meanings behind colors, or what shape design has us think. They’re artworks that’ve been given life through personality and other crucial details that serve more than just striking images but also a source of comfort, a mirror, and even the most satisfying punching bag ever known in the history of Cinema.
“And that’s not just writing?” Exactly. The unforgettables are often a combination of both design and writing. But the way we mix the two giants together eloquently, effectively, through science and empirical studies is what sets you apart. And in this article, we will cover just that.
First, What is Character Design?
In essence, it’s the vessel for stories. A tool for storytelling, as put by Character Design Forge. It assigns a body or visual that ties down personality, story, thoughts, ideologies, together. The art of character design has begun since the dawn of storytelling, the dawn of mankind.
Take cave people for example. They are the true pioneers of these types of visualizations, with figures having different elements for easy recognizability, making them the ‘first’ character designs. This proves that we as a species have always craved storytelling, and characters are the pawns: the cave drawings made to anchor an image to its listeners. This is the reason why every character tends to fall into tropes, and why they often work, despite them crossing to the land of redundancy.
Moreover, people in general have always been attached to characters. It’s what humanizes the abstract, creating an object to socialize with. Which explains the level of parasocial craze that can happen involving characters and their stories.
In the era where everyone blasts loud visuals at each other, whether it’s companies and even character design, a designed character for trends will be as short-lived as the trend itself. So now, what makes a visual that stands out from other unique designs?
Components of Good Character Design
There are plenty of tried and true formulas. One of the most famous is The Pixar’s Rules. Most of them are made as guides and to not be seen as a strict checklist to measure success. Let’s elevate character design to another level with the help of storytelling and neuroscientific psychology.
Shape Language
Many have always seen curves as smooth and harmless, while triangles are seen as dangerous and imposing. But knowing its scientific reason would allow true freedom. A professional character designer, Mitch Leeuwe, concisely illustrated this comparison below. And as you can see, different shapes really changes the pig.
Smooth:
The curves never harm anyone; ingrained into human psychology. Usually used for docile heartwarming kind characters. Think of Winnie The Pooh.
Cubic:
Reliable, sturdy, associated with how people interact with cubes; how versatile and strong it feels when interacted with. Used for strong sturdy characters. Think of Wreck-it-Ralph.
Sharp:
Represents fangs, needles, thorns; they’re often seen as harmful for its pointy sides. Often used for unstable or villainous characters. Think of Dr. Heinz Doofensmirtz.
Look no further from graphic designers for proof of why shapes are crucial. The main reason why fonts are perceived differently, and in turn used for different purposes, are also for its shape, and how they quietly communicate to their readers. How to apply this knowledge? Walt Disney Family Museum has compiled the Tips and Techniques: Shape Language here, free to view on pdf.
Color Theory
Many gets the purpose of color wrong. Colors are not just there to attract attention, but it also improves memory! The National Institution of Health (NIH) has done a study called: The Influence of Color on Memory Performance. It says that colors, especially bright ones, can improve memory. Some colors even bring up different emotions, according to London Image Institute on: How Do Colors Affect Mood & Emotions?
But an overuse of bright colors can overstimulate the brain, according to another study in the NIH: Brain Response To Color Stimuli. In the study, they analyzed how long people can look at certain colors. The study shows that people couldn’t stare at bright colors longer than 10 seconds, compared to calmer colors like gray which is 60 seconds. It supports why the image above, one done by Ann Maulina, is easy on the eyes. Check out her guide to character art: Guide to Create Color Schemes.
The art of using colors sparingly is always more impactful than a random assortment of colors, as it concentrates the focus onto one important part. See it as a strategy to appeal, as opposed to being blindly unique. Because having gauche rainbows and awkward designs would sort you into the “Mary Sue” category.
Keep in mind: the psychological nature and science. Be considerate of not just colors but overall design. And if the character relates to a culture, make sure to pay attention to that to respect the culture you’re referencing from.
Minor Character Design Details
The majority of storytellers and animators usually wouldn’t bother with this aspect, except for game character designers. However, these three, while appearing worlds apart, can blend their values together.
| Game Designers: | Uses lots of striking unique intricacies to get an overall shape, although more universal in games similar to Gacha, with Pokemon as one of the exceptions. |
| Novel Writers: | Favors impactful emotional impacts through subtle facial quirks and dramatized movements that blend with character habit and personality. Usually for symbolic and poetic purposes. |
| Animators: | Uses bold shapes, movements and subtle ticks that represents character’s personality |
Design Composition
When designing characters, the best way is to be very intentional about it. Either be as honest as possible, or use your authority as the designer and find things to swipe the rug below your audience’s feet. In this case, psyche.
But to do this, you need to ask these questions:
Where do they live?
Worldbuilding is more than just a genre or a culture. It’s a real home for your characters. Characters who don’t look like they belong tend to rip the immersion away from your audiences. Unless there’s an in-world reason or logic. Yep, you guessed it. Despite being fiction, there must be consistency and logic applied to the world for believability. This logic must be present in every aspect of the character design. To get started, here are types of worlds a character can originate from:
The Real World
Purely set in our modern society, this worldbuilding type hinges on familiarity. Designers typically mustn’t stray too far from reality, and each unique element needs to be believable enough not look out of place. It usually covers dramas, sports, comedy, slice of life, but sometimes fantasy, horror, and much more.
- Kim Won-Seok’s When Life Gives You Tangerine
Historical
Designers must do a ton of deep research, curate different period attires from specific eras and be as accurate as possible. Fans of this genre are mostly passionate on the topic and can be ruthless on pointing out inaccuracies.
- Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice
- Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer
Otherworld
This type of worldbuilding is one of the most versatile, yet not without its demands. While this type leans into fantasy and science fiction, the freedom also has its limits. Designing characters of this type of world requires hinting out information about said world. Reflecting the world’s fictional culture, geography, status, and politics from their unique memorable designs. But they also need to shine on the character’s personality. Who they really are.
- Tolkien’s Lord of The Rings
- George Lucas’ Star Wars
What’s their story?
Pay attention to their journey, how it changes the character or the world, and their role within it. There are multiple types of character arc you can explore to create an unforgettable unique character design:
Hero’s Journey
Out of the mundane life, our hero was called to greatness, met the wise mentor, faced challenges: antagonizing obstacles and/or temptations, then came out triumphant.
- Luke Skywalker from Star Wars
- DC’s Superman
Rags to Riches, or Riches to Rags
Depending on their origin, both are still changes to one’s status and their journey to get there. Some covers the aftermath of this change, while some doesn’t. Although most of the time, they discuss what happens after.
- Disney’s Cinderella
- Fiona from Shrek
Role Swap
It consists of two characters or more. They typically wouldn’t understand each other in the beginning. But later on, they swapped roles and changed for better or worse.
- Joy and Sadness from Inside Out
- Barbie’s Princess and the Pauper
The Underdog
They begin as the weakest of the bunch; the bottom of the food chain, looked down and underestimated. But then the protagonist came out powerful through various means, be it deserved or by pure chance.
- Frodo Baggins from Lord of The Rings
There are many other story arcs out there. And by adding character archetypes, a character design would have a basis to go off from. From my observation, I find that a balance between the familiar and the new tends to click better. Because through mixing the two, audiences can have a clear base on what to expect, grasp a quick understanding of the character, right before said expectations are subverted.
While it’s not often the main priority, choices driven by symbolic or poetic context have their own fans, and can brew high engagements to the point of dedicated niche forums. Arcane is one of them; with global fans that dissects their artistic direction and character designs, and how it fits to the overall plot of the story.
Conclusion
Character design is a complete visual cover of a character’s aesthetic, personality, behavior, and overall appearance. Its purpose is more than to elevate storytelling, but to breathe life into a character, making them easy to grasp. This means that every aspect of a character such as shapes, color palettes, and details are chosen for a specific reason. The details of a character’s personality often inform character designers on the visual attributes of a character. Principles such as color theory, shape language, and even general psychology all help an artist create an effective character design.
Keep in mind, these ingredients are best used with utmost intention. The only way to do that, is to craft a compelling story for your characters, and most of all, have the most fun. Design what only you would love to see, bring that authenticity out to the world, and be unapologetically passionate.
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