Robot Concept Design
topics, or possible solutions for a concept design- Pinterest, Inspiration, etc.
» I can create thumbnail sketches of potential designs
» I can create a mind map to organize my thought and ideas
» I can concept my ideas / designs visually, on paper or digitally
» I can create a character model sheet
» I understand the responsibilities and ethics associated with publishing to the internet
» SKETCH: After reading the problem / prompt, take out a clean piece of paper and sketch and/or write-up your initial thoughts and ideas.
» RESEARCH: Collect /research reference images, current designs, inspirational, blueprints etc.
» ORGANIZE: Create a mind map that will help guide you with your design (3+ main branches, 1 branch for each design)
» ORGANIZE: Create a influence map that will drive your design.
» SKETCH: Create Thumbnails sketches of possible robot designs (1+ pages for each design)
» SKETCH: Create 3+ detailed sketches based on your thumbnails, specifications, and mind map. (maybe multiple pages)
» CREATE: create a Influence Map for your main design
» DRAW: Create a finished character model sheet for your design (with orthographic views)
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(Optional) Advanced Level
» MODEL: Create a quality 3D model – designed for print
» RENDER: Render a number of views with materials and lighting to showcase your model
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» REFLECT: You are to create a blog using blogger.com to be used as a “Design Folder”
for all your research (use all “Design Folder” requirements)
THE ULTIMATE GOAL
You are to create a finished detailed Concept Design Model Sheet for an original robot design and pitch it to the production directors.
Time: 4 weeks
Subject: Concept Design
PROJECT BACKGROUND
You are a concept designer at Dreamworks Studios and have been assigned to The Incubator. This department’s mission is to develop new film and animation directions. You are to concept an original robotic character design to inspire their next film or animation. It can be any direction from military to comedic. Explore your design fully and create a full backstory and bio for the character. This should also include a detailed model sheet.
The Design Team is looking for:
Initial Thoughts and Ideas
INITIAL THOUGHTS & IDEAS: After reading the problem / prompt, take out a clean piece of paper and sketch and/or write-up your initial thoughts and ideas. This is an important step that is generally overlooked but is essential for nurturing original ideas and concepts. Make sure look for topics and explore ideas that you are actually interested.
RESEARCH: Collect /research reference images, current designs, inspirational, blueprints etc. Basically find as many as you need, which is at least 20+ sources. I call this phase, the “Virtual Cork Board”. I have found that the best way to do this is to create a Pinterest page with all your resources. This is not only a dynamic collection of resources, but it also retains the source information for later documentation. If Pinterest is not available create a gallery and post it to your PDB.
Here is a cool Pinterest pinboard example . . . << Here >>
Yon need to get inspired! This is one of my favorite stages. Basically you explore what is out there and possible directions you can go. ~Cornell
Click for another cool example.
ORGANIZE: Create a mind map that will help guide you for the prompt / problem. Create a mind map that explores 3+ design options for the project. Each design branch should fully explore design characteristics and specifications. (Assign a label of ‘InitialResearch’)
Create a mind map that will help guide you with your robot design. (3+ main branches, 1 branch for each design)
| Areas you could address:
| Resources: Character Worksheet |
Wow, this is a really well developed character mind map.
(Optional) If you come up with a great design that might not fully meet the specifications completely, share it with them anyways. Create a 4th branch with this optional design
Pixar's Tips For Designing a Successful Character
Research and evaluate
It can be helpful to try and deconstruct why certain characters and their characteristics work and why some don't. Study other characters and think about what makes some successful and what in particular you like about them.
Who is it aimed at?
Think about your audience. Characters aimed at young children, for example, are typically designed around basic shapes and bright colours.
Visual impact
Whether you're creating a monkey, robot or monster, you can guarantee there are going to be a hundred other similar creations out there. Your character needs to be strong and interesting in a visual sense to get people's attention.
Exaggerated characteristics
Exaggerating the defining features of your character will help it appear larger than life. Exaggerated features will also help viewers to identify the character's key qualities.
Color
Colors can help communicate a character's personality. Typically, dark colors such as black, purples and greys depict baddies with malevolent intentions. Light colors such as white, blues, pinks and yellows express innocence, good and purity.
Conveying personality
Interesting looks alone do not necessarily make for a good character; its personality is key as well. A character's personality can be revealed through animations, where we see how it reacts to certain situations. The personality of your character doesn't have to be particularly agreeable, but it does need to be interesting (unless your characters is purposely dull).
Express yourself
Expressions showing a character's range of emotions and depicting its ups and downs will further flesh out your character. Depending on its personality, a figure's emotions might be muted and wry or explosive and wildly exaggerated.
Goals and dreams
The driving force behind a character's personality is what it wants to achieve. TOften the incompleteness or flaws in a character are what make it interesting.
Building back stories
If you're planning for your character to exist within comics and animations then developing its back story is important. Where it comes from, how it came to exist and any life-changing events it has experienced are going to help back up the solidity of, and subsequent belief in, your character. Sometimes the telling of a character's back story can be more interesting than the character's present adventures.
Beyond the character
In the same way that you create a history for your character, you need to create an environment for it to help further cement believability in your creation. The world in which the character lives and interacts should in some way make sense to who the character is and what it gets up to.
Fine-tuning a figure
Question each element of your creation, especially things such as its facial features. The slightest alteration can have a great effect on how your character is perceived.
Influence Map:
Create an influence map for your robot design, this should be a series of images that influenced and/or inspired you. This should not be limited to images; it could be videos, text, music, people, video games, art, basically anything. Also do not limit yourself, if you need more than one page go for it. This is a fun investigative stage, so really spend some time researching. ~Cornell
You can literally put in anything in these squares – photos of locations or people, other artist’s work, artists themselves, video games, TV shows, music, movies and books. You name it; you can put it in there. Fill the grid placing more prominent influences as larger images. ~ Fox-Orian (fox-orian.deviantart.com)
Here is a Influence Map Template adapted from Fox-Orian (fox-orian.deviantart.com)
The Influence Map Template has multiple size image boxes, 3 X 4, 4 X 5, and 5 X 6. It also has custom boxes that are fully adjustable, which lay on top of the existing image boxes.
SKETCH: Design several thumbnail sketch pages of possible product design. For each possible design, create a page of thumbnail sketches based on each of your designs from your idea map.
Here are some thumbnail examples, some are more elaborate than others. Don’t be intimidated the examples, these are just supposed to be light sketches.
Examples
Jaxxon Initial Sketches / Thumbnails
SKETCH: Create 3+ detailed sketch based on your thumbnails, specifications, and mind map. Basically you are draw 3+ detailed sketches where are more detailed version of your best thumbnail designs. You may have multiple pages . . .
Here are some thumbnail examples, some are more elaborate than others. Don’t be intimidated by these examples, these are from professionals or post-secondary students.
The creation of Wall-E was highly complicated as they had to design him to be mechanical and have the mechanisms of a robot while still maintaining a level of humanity.
Jaxxon Refined Sketches
Jaxxon Refined Action Shot
Character Model Sheets:
Create a finished character model sheet for your robot design
It should include:
- 3/4 View and/or Action shot (Perspective)
- Front Orthographic View
- Side Orthographic View
- Top or Back Orthographic View (depends on design)
- Appendages
- BIO Brief
Character Model Sheet with BIO Brief
Character Model Sheet 
Orthographic Image Sheet. Notice the arm is separate, so you can see what the body looks like under the arm.
Here is a great ‘tutorial’ about how to Create Characters (the Design Process). It is about 32 minutes long and walks you through the Jazza’s character design process. I recommend watching it.
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