Final Project Brief and Prototype Characters

So, onto the final project. As I said in my last post, it's all pretty much done, so this is just dotting the i's and crossing the t's.

As I've also said a couple of times, my final project focused on designing new original gaming icons based on what I'd learned from all the redesigns I'd done. I wasn't originally sure about how I'd go about doing this, but after talking with Jim (one of my tutors) it was decided I'd design a group of characters based around a couple of game genres. 

3 Genres, 6 Characters each. 18 Characters in all

The characters I chose for this were all ones I felt had grown stale and could use a new, original 'icon' or two to reinvigorate them. The genres I chose were Platformer, Horror and First-Person Shooter.

I started by creating several pages of prototype characters for each genre and then picking a slect few to develop further. You can see these prototypes below:-

Platformer Prototypes

These characters were each designed with their own specific game mechanic in mind

FPS Prototypes

These characters were each designed around variants of having a projectile weapon of some kind

Horror Prototypes

These characters were designed as enemies and are intended to be scary as hell

The next 18 posts will be about each of the 18 characters I chose and designed. First up is the Platformers. I'm going to try and keep them relatively short, so don't worry about having to read several walls of text.

Redesign Conclusion/ Classic Monsters Brief

So, after about several months and about 5 different characters, the Redesign Project comes to an end. Went on a little longer than I intended it to, but hey, I got some good work out of it.

As for what I've learned (what, did you think I was just messing with these characters for the hell of it?), I now have something of a theory surrounding what makes a particular character design iconic. My formula is as follow:-

• 2-3 Unique Characteristics - An iconic design is mainly the result of a few easily recognisable details, preferably things that can be seen on a silhouette. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are a great example of what I mean; doesn't matter how you alter the designs, as long as you have the bandanas, the turtle shells and the ninja weapons, you will always be able to recognise the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The same principle applies to other iconic characters

• One Characteristic on the head - Building on the last point, at least one of the defining characteristics has to be placed on the character's head. Examples include Mario's hat, Master Chief's helmet, Hellboy's horns and even Cloud Strife's spiky hair. It can be anything, just so long as its a major detail and its on their face or noggin. Again, it's best if you can see this detail in the silhouette

• 1-2 major Colours - The colour pallete of an iconic character is predominantly made up of only one or two major colours. These colours can appear in different shades, and others can be used for minor details, but the main colours are always the most apparent. Sonic is blue, Pikachu is yellow and the Incredible Hulk is green. Now, I'll admit, this one isn't as iron-clad as the others (some characters don't have a defined colour pallete, some have more than 2 colours etc.) but it certainly helps

• And as Always, Less is More - This last one is just a general rule of good design, really, but it's still appropriate. Basically, the design can't be too complicated. Adding in little details and textures is fine here and there, but never use 100 shapes/ lines etc. when 5 will do just fine. Some of the most iconic characters often have very basic designs

Now, at this point, this is just a theory, one I intend to test further with future projects. Speaking of which...

My next project is going to be based on Classic Monsters.
Basically I'll be taking a few particularly well-known creatures and monsters and apply the same treatment to them as the redesigns; alter their designs while trying to retain the essence of the character. The four monsters I've chosen all follow the 'iconic character' guideline from above (more or less). They are:-

• The Jabberwocky from the poem by Lewis Caroll
• The Elder God Cthulhu from the works of H.P. Lovecraft
• Medusa the Gorgon from Greek Mythology
• Satan/ Lucifer/ The Devil from Catholicism

I've already cracked on with the first one, so you shouls be seeing that one soon. I'll probably also do a quick case-study before each one just to give a quick overview of the lore surrounding them all.

Now, if you don't mind, I have some work to do

Project #2: Redesigning Iconic Characters

Ok, next project. I've decided to just skip ahead and do the Redesign mini-project. Also I'm calling it a project this time around, as it's less about proving something right and more about messing around to see what will happen.

Look at the following Iconic Characters and redesign them:-
1. Mega Man
2. Master Chief
3. Mario

I may also do a few more, depending on how long the first 3 take. The extras (should I choose to do them) will be :-
- Sonic the Hedgehog
- Samus Aran
- Batman (yeah, I know he's technically a comic-book character, but he has appeared in a lot of video-games so...)

Hopefully this one won't take nearly as long as the last one...

Style Practical Brief

Josh suggested I write up a quick brief for the practical investigation before I start, so here's what I've come up with:

Style Practical Brief
Design two visually distinct characters to test Style Hypothesis

Character 1

• Must be presented in a semi-realistic style (exaggerated proportions, emphasis on shape etc.)
• Human
• Fantasy setting - something Swords and Sorcery-esque, like Conan the Barbarian
• Burly Barbarian/ Warrior
• Must have a massive weapon (sword/axe)
• Rear view must be as interesting as front

Character 2

• Must be presented in a realistic style
• Human
• Futuristic/ Sci-Fi setting - early Space Age
• Mechanic/ engineer
• Must be equipped for zero gravity/ vacuum
• Rear view must be as interesting as front

And that's about the sum of it. You should see some of the work towards this over the next couple of days