Animation Design

What makes a character unforgettable? Is it the way they look, the way they move, or the story they carry with them? In animation, every choice—from the shape of a character's silhouette to the way they stand, gesture, and react—can reveal something about who they are.

In this course, students will step into the role of animation designers, developing original characters from their first sketches to fully realized personalities. They'll explore how artists use shape, proportion, color, expression, pose, and movement to communicate character and tell stories visually.

Each week will focus on a different element of character and animation design, including creating memorable silhouettes, designing personalities, expressing emotion, developing heroes and villains, and bringing characters to life through movement. Along the way, students will look at characters from animation and explore how professional artists use visual choices to make audiences understand and connect with a character.

By the end of the course, students will have created their own cast of original characters and begun to imagine the animated worlds and stories they inhabit.

Students will:

• Develop original characters using shape, silhouette, proportion, color, and distinctive visual features.
• Explore how visual design can communicate personality, emotion, relationships, and character roles.
• Analyze how animated characters are designed to communicate stories without words.
• Develop character backstories, motivations, and relationships that give their creations depth.