UNIVERSAL APPROACH TO CHARACTER DESIGN

This paper serves as an introduction to the field of character design and is the first part of an ongoing exploration of this topic. It follows the approach of practice-led research and proposes the strategy of visual observation as a method for data collection. Through this approach, the "character map" was developed, which records the variety of visual characters and the mediums in which they are presented, providing a comprehensive overview of the field of character design. The characters are not limited to the conventional mediums such as animation, comics, and video games, but extend to other forms of visual arts and visual communication. Overall, the paper concludes that character design is a multidimensional and multifunctional field that, due to its breadth, can be considered an autonomous artistic domain with a variety of applications.