Trustnode, a small software company in San Francisco, creates cartoons that teach how employee benefits work. I proposed a visual redevelopment which would allow their characters greater mobility and flexibility, which was a great hinderance at the time. The old characters had short, stubby arms and hands that couldn’t grasp objects. Interactions with the world around them seemed uncomfortable, at best.
This proposal details some of the visual improvements I made. The eventual outcome was somewhere in between the original and redesigned version, but since this is my portfolio, I’m only showing what I consider to be my best work. The redesigned characters maintained the simple “egg” shape of the originals, however I incorporated more organic lines and coherent color pallets. I also designed the body parts to be interchangeable, so that an animator could work from a more manageable library while still showing diversity in the people.
Also check out a sample of props and backgrounds I illustrated for Trustnode.
The old characters were unappealing and inflexible.
New characters have consistent style and proportions.
Swappable elements make animation and diversity easy.
A few changes in hair and clothes makes new characters.
Early sketches exploring proportion and shape.
