Character Design

Fall 2023

Concept & Development

I revised an original character I had for a couple of years, buried in my oldest sketchbook, and crafted a new narrative, environment, and the rest of the cast for his story. Byte is a teenage boy living in a futuristic world where technology has advanced and humans can transfer their consciousness to robots to avoid their morality. As the son of a council member, he is encouraged to follow in his footsteps but refuses to. He sees no value in becoming a politician like his old man. 

With his best friend, Terra, Byte spends his time with conspiracy theories about his current issues and using his homemade gadgets to hack into systems. Occasionally, he finds himself in trouble with his father from all the hijinks, but what kind of robot kid doesn’t have these days? Certainly not him!

During the concept phase, Byte’s original design had darker elements, so I conducted a color study to compare the color scheme with the personality I wanted to depict. Then, I began world-building, creating his bedroom, environment, and a maquette.

Finally, I further developed the other characters included in the narrative, exploring different expressions and body types. I organized an expression sheet with Terra and a complete character line-up for the three additional characters and Byte. Focusing on how to make a unique silhouette to distinguish each character from the other.