Understanding Comics

As a character designer I was already aware ahead of time of some of the concepts that the Understanding comics book was trying to address. I already knew that in order for a character to be successful the audience needs to be able to identify with the character in some way, by putting themselves in the characters shoes it lets them imagine that they are the character.

Immersion and relation are the perfect ways to make a character successful, if there is nothing for the viewer to relate to then they are more likely to ignore the character and what the character is trying to display or say. Humans are indeed selfish creatures, we fight over land and try to communicate our ideals just so we can make our egos seem bigger than they are. That is why human characters or characters with human emotions are much more successful.

We project ourselves into these blank slates so that we can live our fantasies through them. I wholeheartedly agree with the book, successful design plays off of this as well. A product that the consumer is able to see themselves using is more likely to sell than a product that is foreign to the consumer. We are more likely to go with what we are comfortable with and what we can see ourselves using than something that could be of unknown origins.

That is another issue when it comes to character design, because we fear the unknown characters that do not play to a trope or a stereotype makes it harder for the person to relate to. That is why I try to avoid the tropes, I know humans are selfish, I believe if I can create something that goes AGAINST what others want it will make it a much more refreshing experience for those who are willing to experiment. I am about experimentation, about making the regular public mad. I am not here to serve your desires, I am here to provide something for everyone not just you.