Character designers create some of the most well-known characters we see in cartoons, films and advertisements.

They use their artistic skills and cultural knowledge to create realistic or imaginative characters that people can connect with and find entertaining, educative or inspiring.

By understanding the role of these kind of designers in creating different, memorable characters, you can decide if you might enjoy working as a character designer in the long term.

What Does a Character Designer Do?

In order to learn the answer to this question, it helps to understand that they plan, design and create characters for animation, advertisements, films, television shows, books, comics, cartoon strips, games and toys.

They take character briefs from clients or directors, review story scripts and make notes about the characters’ personalities and physical traits, then use the information to come up with various design ideas for the characters.

They give each character specific facial expressions, physical movements, clothing styles and colour schemes, which make it easier to convey the character’s personality visually and make them unique.

The designer may depict these characters in different poses, at different angles and with various props. For doing this well, character designers require excellent drawing skills, an in-depth understanding of anatomy and a good knowledge of perspective.

They can also benefit from knowing about different cultures, costumes, accessories and styles to include those appropriately in their character drawings and make them seem more authentic or relatable.

After making character design roughs, the designer submits them to the client or director for approval and then works on the final versions and sends them on the specified deadline.

What Are They Good At?

A character designer is good at depicting the physical build, personality, temperament and mood. To thrive in this kind of job, it is necessary for a 2D character designer to have a good grasp of the following:

• Drawing
• Anatomy knowledge
• Shapes
• Line movements
• Body poses and movements
• Head movements and facial expressions
• Body and hand gestures
• Eye movements
• Hair movements
• Cloth drapery and movements
• Colour schemes
• Light effects
• Perspective
• Psychology
• Moods

What Skills Are Necessary?

• Drawing skills: Since the work involves drawing characters manually or with digital tools, it is essential to have excellent drawing skills and the ability to draw almost anything.
• Anatomy skills: A good understanding of human and animal anatomy can help to depict various characters in different positions and movements.
• Observation skills: Character designers can benefit from having sharp observational skills as these can help them add nuances and depth to their characters and make them more distinct and memorable.
• Creative skills: Being creative can enable to devise unique character concepts and design entertaining and attention-grabbing characters.
• Technical skills: A lot of character design work requires advanced knowledge of and proficiency in various design software and digital tools, so having technical skills is essential.
• Communication skills: Excellent verbal, writing and listening skills are necessary to understand their work requirements and discuss work progress.
• Interpersonal skills: As part of their work, they interact with designers, animators, writers, directors and other creative personnel. Knowing how to get along well with different personalities can benefit them.
• Time management skills: Most character design projects have strict deadlines for completion, and it is necessary to create and deliver the final character designs within the specified time.

Fuente: Indeed

Bachelor’s Degree in Graphic Design

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