Kaiju - Character Design

The following is an account from the Character Design Lead for Kaiju Delivery Service, Gabe Dimagiba.

Character Design Team:

Lead: Gabe Dimagiba

Members:

• Lisa Janred

• May Duong

• James Lu

• Zsofia Katona

• Bianca Perez

• Maria Mavez

As character designers, it is our job to make these characters look as memorable as their actions. This semester, we had the ambition of creating/finalizing turnarounds, action-poses, and facial expressions for the 5 characters that composed our main cast.

Our process consisted of listening to the other teams, primarily narrative, and exchanging various iterations and ideas of the characters until we gained approval. In our time together, we were able to finalize ⅘ of the main cast as well as some additional poses and expressions, which was a feat in itself and should not be overlooked!

Although the character design team had varying levels of experience, I can definitely say that each member brought their own strengths that helped contribute to the larger picture. Whether that be through creature design, color palettes, costuming, etc., the combined efforts and talents of everyone really allowed us to excel and create a diverse cast of characters.

In addition, I’d also say that the time I spent with my team, was just as enjoyable as designing the characters themselves. Being the new character design lead and first-time member, I had a ton of insecurities; feeling high expectations from my cohorts who had been here since the inception of the club. However, through the various meetings and encouragement with my team and officers, I was able to find my own rhythm fairly quickly!

A big thank you to all the members that contributed to the team, my fellow leads, and exec board. And a big kudos to the ones that stuck around to the very end! You all have made my first semester here at AFPA a memorable one and I’m so proud of all the work we were able to accomplish! I can’t wait to see what next semester brings! -Gabe D.