Inspiration & Ideas for Character Design

Alchemy of Character Creation

Character design is more than just drawing—a blend of art, psychology, and storytelling. A great character reveals their identity through their look, posture, and subtle details, long before they speak.

Think of Totoro’s gentle smile, Shrek’s tough-yet-tender vibe, or Elsa’s regal grace hiding vulnerability. These characters stick with us because their designs tell a story all on their own.

Nature: The Ultimate Character Designer

It’s hard to top the natural world regarding inspiration for character design. After all, Mother Nature has been crafting wild and wonderful "characters" for millions of years—each with its strange charm and evolutionary flair. Just take a look at these real-world oddities:

1. The axolotl, with its ever-present smile and feathery external gills, feels like an adorably alien creature straight out of a fantasy world.

2. The lionfish, with its dramatic, flowing fins and venomous spines, is practically begging to be reimagined as a flamboyant underwater aristocrat.

3. And then there’s the naked mole rat—bizarre, wrinkly, and somehow lovable. It’s the perfect blueprint for a comically ugly but endearing sidekick that audiences can’t help but root for.

   

   The Power of Personal Experience

   Some of the most powerful character designs come from personal experience. Think about people you’ve known, emotions you’ve felt, or moments that shaped you. Those real-life details—expressions, postures, moods—can give a character a sense of authenticity that resonates far beyond surface design.

   For instance:

   1. That grumpy neighbor who’s always yelling at kids to stay off his lawn could transform into a cranky—but ultimately lovable—mentor figure.

   2. The blend of fear and excitement from a first day at school might inspire the design of a young character setting off on their first big adventure.

   3. A first encounter with the ocean could inform the wide-eyed innocence of a character seeing the world in all its vastness for the first time.

By drawing on personal memories and emotions, we can shape characters that feel genuinely relatable and emotionally resonant.

Unlikely Combinations: The Magic Ingredient of Super-Memorable Designs

Some of the most iconic character designs are born from unexpected combinations. By mixing elements that don’t typically go together, you can create something truly original and memorable. Here are a few mash-up ideas to spark your creativity:

The key is finding a mix between familiarity and novelty. Your character should be familiar enough for the audience to relate but unique enough to make them stand out.

From 2D to 3D: How to Design for Other Mediums

As the animation industry continues to evolve, character designers are often asked to think beyond traditional 2D formats. Designing for 3D animation—or even live-action/CGI hybrids—introduces a whole new set of challenges and opportunities. Characters must not only look appealing from every angle but also be functional in a three-dimensional space.

• Consider what the character looks like from all angles

• Consider how they move and their relation with the environment they are in

• Take notice of textures and how these are going to translate into 3D rendering

• For example, perhaps one of the characters is designed to have wild, carefree hair that defies gravity; this would look good in a 2D sketch but turn into a headache when animating it in 3D. On the other hand, 3D animation brings very fine textures and lighting effects into a character, breathing life into it in a way that 2D animation cannot.

The Evolution of a Character from Concept to Final Design

Rarely does a character design emerge fully formed on the first try. It’s almost always an iterative process—shaped through multiple sketches, revisions, and refinements. Here’s a typical workflow that many character designers follow:

1. Initial Concept Sketches – Quick, loose drawings that explore a range of visual ideas and silhouettes.

2. Refinement – Narrowing down the most promising concepts and developing them with more detail and structure.

3. Feedback & Revisions – Sharing the designs with the team, gathering input, and making thoughtful adjustments.

4. Color & Texture Exploration – Testing out various color palettes, materials, and surface textures to find the best fit.