If you are looking for the right character to introduce your product within your target market or you need to design a character to implement your creative ideas in the field of game and animation production, stay with me.
The concept and application of character design
Character or personality design is contributed to introducing a brand, product, game, or animation. It is also applicable for festivals, fairs, and sports competitions. In this section, instead of character design, it is called “Mascot”.
Preparations for accepting character design orders
The client explains the context, main idea, purpose, and theme for the illustrator, and if he/she has a particular work sample or style in mind, sends it to the illustrator as a visual sample. The client must clearly provide illustrator with the details of the order, including dimensions, material or print media, age group of the audience, product market, and its application along with the desired technique so that the illustrator can make the final decision about the cooperation and express her opinion.
How to conclude an agreement
After preliminary talks about the details and the order such as timing, cost, the format of the output file, presentation method, etc., the parties would agree and two copies of the official contract prepared by the illustrator will be given to each party after signing.
How to pay the contract price
During the signing of the contract by the parties – under the terms specified in the contract – half of the contract price should be paid by the customer to the illustrator for the validation of the contract and the rest will be deposited after the delivery and before sending the final files. For the small and single frame projects, the total amount should be paid by the customer when concluding the contract. Besides, in animation projects, the cost of character design is received for all 4 main views (side, front, 3/4 front, back view). But in other projects such as games, if the client needs to design a character in other scenes, according to the contract, another price should be paid (often equal to half the cost of the design in the main view) for each view.
Provide initial etude
In all of character design projects, the illustrator draws 3 etudes from the main view (front view) linearly and with full details (no color) for each character. If the etudes require minor changes; Like hairstyles, eyes, height, size and type of clothing, only up to 3 changes are possible, and if the changes are general, such as whole new character etude with a different shape and image; The customer has to pay the same basic cost for each new design for each new etude.
Color implementation of character design
After coloring the frames and presenting it to the client, if it requires very minor changes (with the discretion and opinion of the illustrator) such as changing the size of the elements inside the image, or color and texture, the illustrator applies these changes up to 3 times. But if the requested changes are more than this; Such as a general change in character design, location, or addition of new visual elements, etc. the client must pay an extra 10% for each change in addition to the original amount of the frame (according to the terms of the contract).
Production Schedule
The timing of the production of artwork usually begins after finalizing the contract, as the illustrator may be working on other orders. Scheduling in projects of single-themes, advertisements and games that only include one view takes 5 to 20 working days (from the initial stage to full performance), and animation projects take extra 4 to 5 working days for each view due to the numerous views which are added to the main schedule; For example, for illustration of an animation character in 4 scenes, a minimum of 17 and a maximum of 40 working days are required.
Delivery of final / printed files
Output and final files are delivered in the size and formats specified in the contract, such as JPG, PNG, and in special cases (if stated in the contract) in PSD format after the final settlement; and they will be sent to the customer by mail (on a CD) or via the Internet.
Important points in the production of artworks
On-time and correct submission of documents and all the items involved in the project, such as determining the exact size and dimensions of the print, correct text editing without any typographical errors, necessary color standards, auditing (clothing and veiling of characters, etc.) and other similar items are under the responsibility of the customer.
Copyright and intellectual property rights of produced works
All copyrights and intellectual property rights of the works are reserved for the illustrator to use on the site and on her personal pages in social media, to participate in national and international exhibitions, competitions, festivals, educational and public seminars, festivals, et. It should be noted that the customer does not have the right to use and exploit artworks as a single frame or part of it in environments other than the original illustration such as exhibition decoration or TV program, animation, games, printed and online advertisements, websites, mobile applications, etc. (Violation of this case is equivalent to legal prosecution and filing of legal and judicial claims by the illustrator)
Sending samples of produced artworks to the illustrator
The customer is obliged to send at least 3 printed products or a copy of the productions such as animation and game in a form of CD or DVD after the implementation and production. If the animation or game produced include a poster or any kind of printed advertisement, the customer should send at least one sample of the above to the illustrator.
Important requirements and points before submitting an order
Big projects do not necessarily mean big discounts! For example, if you want to order 3 character designs, it does not include a discount, because the illustrator does not sell finished products! The illustrator’s full name and website address or full contact information should be mentioned in all of the advertising, printed, and online works. For the videos, animations, and games, it is necessary to write the name of the illustrator in the initial and final titration of the animation. the identity card of the artwork should be included in the information section of the games and on the cover and packaging. For advertising the artwork through the magazines, billboards, and web-based environments, just mentioning the name of the illustrator along with the printed image is sufficient. In other similar cases, it is necessary to refer to the terms and conditions stated in the contract.
Portrait Character Design - (Single face) - Head and neck, shoulders
- Main view (front)
- Dimensions: up to A5 Size
- color type: CMYK / RGB
- file format: JPG
Character design for the book
- Main view (front)
- Dimensions: up to A5 Size
- color type: CMYK / RGB
- * The character can only be used in the book and the file will not be delivered
- file format: JPG
Character design for mobile games (two-dimensional)
- Main view (front)
- Dimensions: appropriate to the size of the game and the corresponding platform
- color type: RGB
- file format: JPG-PSD Open layer
Character design for Products
- Main view (front)
- Dimensions: up to A3 size
- color type: CMYK / RGB
- file format: JPG
Character design for animation (two-dimensional)
- In 4 main views (front, side, 3/4, back view)
- Dimensions: corresponded with the video format
- color type: RGB / fits the video format
- file format: PSD Open layer for animation
Mascot character design
- In 4 main views (front, side, 3/4, back view)
- Dimensions: up to 2 meters
- color type: CMYK / RGB
- file format: JPG
No – the character design is also used to promote a product or brand, athletic and cultural festivals, the production of board games and mobile applications, specialized books and articles, etc.
No – the customer can only use the characters in the original atmosphere and subject of the contract, using the character or part of it in other cases such as exhibition decoration or TV program, games, printed and online advertisements, websites, books and magazines, mobile applications, and animation are not allowed except for the terms stated in the contract.
Yes – artworks with different dimensions have different prices corresponding to their size, but if the dimensions are beyond the standard sizes of printing and production; it is required for the customer to pay more.
Advertising characters are commonly used for promoting a product, brand or service, etc., this advertisement may be performed in a variety of atmospheres, such as animation, posters, brochures, stands, and so on.
No – there are no limitations. However, the customer must negotiate with the illustrator about the order and the costs.