What's a Character Design?

• TLDR: They're customized artwork, made uniquely to your tastes.

But let's begin by: What is a Design?

In case you didn't know, a design is (from the dictionary): 

1. : to plan and make decisions about something that is being built or created. To create the plans, drawings, etc., that show how (something) will be made. A team of engineers designed a new engine. It was a badly designed building. She designs clothes.

It is the moment when something is taken out of your mind's eye, and made into existence, into reality, even if it's only on paper.

You can design nearly anything, so long as you can imagine it.

Will it be feasible for execution? As in, can it be made into a 3D object made out of wood, metal, glass, fabric or some physical, tangible material within our realm of possibilities? 

The answer is: Not always.

But thankfully, for conceptual art, anything is possible.

Okay but... what is conceptual art? The same thing, really, but before anything has been put into concrete, or decided for good.

It would be the first time exploring a new land. Figuring out where to find the water, how to set up camp, how to navigate these ideas.

Usually, when you're brainstorming a design, you're thinking about the message or the purpose it'll fulfill. Be it a need for a specific aesthetic, a product you'll sell, an outfit you'll sew, things you wish to use or create in order to meet a want or a necessity.

It can be for money, for pleasure, for convenience.

Designs can be versatile, complex, simple, anything you'd like them to be. Often, we live our lives experiencing other people's design.

How a city is built, how a house is made, how your clothes fall on your body, how a meal is prepared. All of it, is part of someone's Design.

Sometimes, you won't like it. You'd do it differently. 

THAT is what we call a custom design. Made to fit your standards, to please your tastes and to be the best way for it to exist, in your opinion.

So again, what is a Character Design?

It's when an artist is hired by a client, to create a character's appearance and what or how it'll translate to their viewer, aka' the target audience. The audience might be the client themselves, or a group of people who shares the same view as them, the same taste.

Just like any other product, it is designed by color, silhouette, pose, a purpose and a goal. So, let's say you want to make a novel, and it is getting serialized as a Netflix show, amazing right?

But how will all those descriptions you've written really look on TV?

How will that character you've described as a tall, short-haired, lively and cheerful twenty year old something dude, really look like? Will he have scars, maybe freckles, perhaps a tendency to use lipstick in order to express his progressive fashion tastes as a statement?

All of that is decided when you hire an artist to bring to life that character of yours out of the imaginary and into the visual plane. 

The artist, with all their knowledge on color theory, composition, human figure studies, an eye for gesture and anatomical expression, and much more than you might ever realize or comprehend, will work their best to make your character exactly how you picture it.

Kinda like when you imagine Mickey Mouse, you don't imagine one of the three blind mice from Shrek, right? (Although those are pretty iconic too, let's not lie.)

No, you'll most likely picture something like this:

And that's all because the person who created this design made sure they would leave an ever lasting impression behind. One that would make the audience remember Mickey's sillhouette, his voice, the colors that make him who he is, what he stands for, for a very long time.

And although appearances are not everything (contrary to popular belief, let's be honest) they have a hell of a part on influencing people. As it's been show, time and time again, on every piece of media and content available across the whole wide world.

So, having your own to call yours?

That's a pretty special deal, in my opinion.

Then again, what are you paying for in Design fees then?

That'd be the entire back and forth between a Creative and their Client, which can be divided into a few phases as you can see below:

1. The Artist makes one rought sketch without color, based on the image references and written descriptions given by the Client, who'll be consulted throughout the entire process, from the beginning to the end.
2. Done that, the Client will then be asked if there are any necessary revisions or adaptations to be edited in the first draft.
3. Finally, the Artist will then begin the Lineart and Base Coloring process, which they'll also consult with the Client all through the process to ensure it'll be to their liking.
4. Then the last few details to be discussed will be the Rendering of their artwork if it was requested and other possible variations of effects, background, etc. If not, then the commission will be done as soon as Shadows and Lights have been cleanly applied to the artwork so it can be delivered.

You're basically paying for the entire process we go through until we finally reach the Final Design most suitable to your tastes and needs.

Other artists might do it differently, and that's fine! Just make sure to know what you'll be getting when contracting them for their services.

I hope this has been of help to anyone wondering about this topic in specific, as I've been asked about it quite a few times over the years in my interactions with clients, and I've hopefully managed to turn it into something easy to digest! 

Thank you for reading and good luck in your journey, traveler ♥