Hello! For my SPA I have created a short ressource on the basics of character design. This was originally a presentation I gave to my friends, since character design is a passion of mine. To answer the question, character design is a visual storytelling technique used in media such as animation, video games, comics, etc. The three key elements this page will help explore are shape, colour, and identity and how they are used in the process of character design.
Shapes are often used in character design to complement and illustrate the role of the character. The shapes/combination of shapes makes it easier for the viewer to understand what the character has going on.
Colour often works similarly to how shape is used, colour theory is always good to keep in mind when doing a visual design, something that is also used in advertisements. Sometimes though, colour is also used to help the character fit in with their environment and show their alligiance within the story.
red
fire
warm
passionate
orange
energetic
yellow
happy
sun
green
nature
grounded
youthful
blue
water
calm
cold
purple
magic
royalty
intelligent
Who the character is as a person or being will obviously inform the entire character design, but with this we're specifically talking about aspects of them that may inform their fashion, physical characteristics, and general self expression. For example, if a character comes from a specific country that's going to influence the way they present themselves in one way or another.
