COMPUTERARTS.CREATIVEBLOQ.COMW
hile much of the character design
world is dominated by those
working on editorial projects or
self-initiated designs (albeit those
that likely lead on to commercial
commissions), certain branding projects often
benefit hugely from the addition of a
character-based approach. Last year, design
and motion studio ManvsMachine worked on a
campaign for prescription glasses retailer
EyeBuyDirect, with one half based on
lifestyle-leaning photography, and the other on
a character that was used to discuss the
specific benefits of the service.
According to Michaeljohn Day, associate
creative director at ManvsMachine, a character
works for brands that “don’t take themselves
too seriously,” and which appeal to a
“switched-on, modern and youthful audience.”
Day reckons that the use of characters has
changed with the proliferation of images we all
now encounter every day. Audiences outside
the world of design and illustration are just as
likely to encounter character design, for
instance, and as such, mascot or brand
personification feels far less jarring or
cartoonish that it might once have.
“We’re used to seeing more content, and
not just curated by ad agencies and companies- everyone has access to Instagram, for
example,” Day says.
The designs for EyeBuyDirect aimed to feel
“designed, not cartoony,” he says. “It’s
simplified and reductive. Do they need arms
and legs, for instance? That simplification keeps
it premium and makes sure it’s fed into the
whole style of the campaign, which is a
contemporary campaign for a fashion brand.”
The project was created entirely in
Cinema4D, and Day recommends with any
such project that you create a “set of rules you
use to define the world you’re working in.
Then you always have something to refer to, so
you know what’s working and what’s not.
Those parameters might be something like, ‘we
wanted the designs to be like sculptures or
ornaments,’ and that guides the way you
design a character.” Day adds: “Keeping this
simple was really good for us. We’d never
done characters before, so we’d never worked
with things like rigging, so we animated almost
in a stop-motion fashion, which turned out to
be a lot more interesting. Don’t feel like you
have to know everything about character
design when you use Cinema4D: you can
approach things in lots of different ways.
There’s often 10 ways of doing the same thing,
and I think that’s helpful for developing a style.”
This spread Character
designs created by
ManvsMachine for
EyeBuyDirect, which
featured in four
commercials and a
series of animations.