Character Design Task 1 PERSONIFICATION

 Yang Yang / 0363575

2025/9/24- 10/26

week 1 - week 6

Character Design  / Bacherlor of Design in Creative Media

Task 1 PERSONIFICATION

Week 1:

This week, I finalised the world for the character I wish to create. I'm rather fond of DC's hero and anti-hero designs, particularly Nightwing and Red Hood, so I intend to craft a new anti-hero based on their concepts.

Week 2: 

This week I have undertaken a preliminary overview of the DC universe—or rather, primarily Gotham City's world-building and power dynamics—establishing a foundational background for the character I'm creating, whilst also examining DC's character design aesthetic.

Feedback: Mr Muhiddin suggested I seek a more specific role to reference within my original concept, thereby providing a starting point for my design.

Week 3: 

This week I began experimenting with sketching and designing various outfits and looks, but encountered some difficulties during the design process. Although I endeavoured to align the elements with the original style, most lacked distinct character traits, leaving me somewhat perplexed.

Feedback: Mr Muhiddin suggested I explore designs based on the Red Hood character I've chosen, such as belt concepts and ensuring continuity and consistency in the character's attire. The current designs feel somewhat “underdeveloped” for a fully realised character. I need more grounded, story-driven concepts that align with DC's aesthetic – not necessarily confined to the costume itself, but particularly in the accessories. Regarding the mask, which should emphasise the character's anti-hero traits, Mr Muhiddin advised me to explore further possibilities.

Week 4: 

This week I refined the character's backstory and motivations, and revised the uniform design in line with the teacher's suggestions from last week. Building upon this, I also designed corresponding weaponry and mask styles.

Feedback: Mr Muhiddin suggested that I combine several of the designs and refine them.

After multiple rounds of adjustments and experimentation with different combinations, I finally settled on the character's overall appearance and uniform design. I spent considerable time refining the proportions, materials, and colour balance to ensure all elements aligned with the DC aesthetic.

Once the final look was confirmed, I proceeded to create the definitive multi-angle view, showcasing the full-body design from various perspectives.

Overall Character Concept：

Reflection

In this project, I learnt how to translate narrative concepts into visual design, blending storytelling with aesthetic principles to craft compelling characters within the DC Universe. Developing Verion taught me the critical importance of balancing symbolism with practicality—from costume silhouettes to weaponry design, ensuring each choice had a clear purpose and rationale made the character design process more logical. Concurrently, my command of human anatomy and drawing techniques advanced significantly during this phase.

I gained heightened awareness of how subtle details carry immense expressive power: a scar, a posture, a tonal nuance often resonates more profoundly than a thousand words. The final artwork's creation compelled me to refine visual consistency relentlessly, compelling me to consider the narrative behind the appearance more rigorously, rather than merely rendering it.

Overall, this assignment reinforced my creative direction and technical decision-making. It reaffirmed that exceptional character design transcends mere aesthetics, serving as a vessel for narrative threads, dramatic tension, and emotional depth.