Commercial characters
Character-based art is one of the most popular design genres: in recent times the world has been flooded with cute, wide-eyed creatures, cool DJ chicks and cuddly monsters.
Character design is now taken seriously enough to warrant major exhibitions in prestigious art galleries, but unlike a lot of fine art, character design also has a mainstream market, meaning that it’s possible to make a career of commercial character design – and many creatives do.
I explored this market in a feature for Digital Arts Magazine, interviewing a variety of artists from around the world and gaining some insights into how they work and just what makes a successful commercial character. It features a number of short case studies and includes an interview with Rob Reger, creator of ‘Emily The Strange’
