In this course you will explore concepts and approaches involved in creating successful character designs that can be applied to video games. Following a first week delving into some foundational concepts for successful character design, each of the remaining three weeks are structured as a master class where you will observe three professional character designers at work in the studio: Andy Ristaino (Adventure Time), Jacky Ke Jiang (Journey), and Robertryan Cory (SpongeBob SquarePants). Each designer will take on two different design challenges on the fly and address the various issues in designing characters for games, such as movement, expression, and technical limitations. At the end of each week you will have an opportunity to try out some of the concepts from that week's lesson on characters of your own design.
Character Design for Video Games
This course is part of Game Design: Art and Concepts Specialization
Instructor: Fran Krause
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There are 4 modules in this course
In this first week of the course, we will explore some of the major concepts involved in creating compelling, unique, and purposeful characters. These ideas will provide the basis for your assignment this week and lay the groundwork for our visits with professional designers in the coming weeks.
What's included
5 videos6 readings1 peer review1 discussion prompt
This week, we visit Andy Ristaino, a character designer who has created many of the ingenious characters for the animated series Adventure Time.
What's included
5 videos2 readings1 peer review
This week, we visit Jacky Ke Jiang, an animator who has worked as a character designer for both Disney Feature Animation and in video games. Jacky will discuss working in both 2D and 3D modes as he completes his challenges.
What's included
4 videos2 readings1 peer review
This week, we see Robertryan Cory in action. Cory is an a character designer known for his work on shows like SpongeBob SquarePants, Ren & Stimpy, and Gravity Falls.
What's included
8 videos4 readings1 peer review
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Michigan State University
University of Colorado System
University of Colorado Boulder
University of Michigan
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Reviewed on Jun 19, 2017
This class was really fun and the assignments were engaging. I think it is a great way to get your mind centered around the idea of character design, not just for games but for anything.
Reviewed on Oct 9, 2022
In this wonderful course, I learned the basics of character design in the best way and understood how to better look at my surroundings to inspire my character designs.
Reviewed on Jul 16, 2023
Concise coverage of fundamentals with great interviews and process from working artists. Could probably do with a little more about the application and styles in games but a great course nonetheless.
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