Character design plays a larger roll in my work. Its probably one of the things I enjoy most about graphic illustration. There has been a massive trend in design in recent years towards using character design in contemporary graphics, but this character design is not the cute cuddly design of the past.... though it can still be cute, these characters are violent and sexualised. The combination of cute and child-like with the more adult humour and context is probably part of what makes these characters appealing. The new "kidulthood" that seems to be a part of our culture.
Pictoplasma have a great webiste of contemporary character design. Recently whilst in a book shop gandering away at the design books I found the Pictoplasma Character encyclopaedia, and its a beautiful book. In a beautiful embossed cover the book has 325 pages of the most wonderful and exciting character design. These characters are grouped around similar motifs and categorised for comparison. I was struck by this book because it is a beautiful coffee table book, and a great reference for anyone who enjoys or works with character design.
No comments:
Post a Comment