Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
you have to fi nd a way to make it fresh and original—to use it in a way that has not been
done before. Research and know your references. Strive to be memorable.
Rule #5: Create a Memorable Character
Shrek, Hogarth, Nemo, Woody, Howl—we remember them all. Why?
Memorable characters are ordinary enough for the audience to relate to them. They are
fl awed. Their fl aws make them concurrently unique and accessible.
There is “something” about their design and their personality that makes us want to know
more about them and makes us empathize with their plight. This is called
appeal
.
In the short, we rarely even know the character's name. Still, they stick with us for the same
reasons. Memorable characters are characters that we care about.
The test of a good character is that he cannot be replaced in the story with someone or
something else. Replaceable characters are fl at. You can swap them out (a boy for a girl
or a squirrel for a squid) and it doesn't seem to matter to the story; but, when you fi nd the
right character, it is diffi cult to extract him from the story because it is
his
story.
Poor Bogo
, by Thelvin Cabezas, Ringling College of Art and Design
