Character Design / Shapes

The way in which characters act, move and just generally look, gives the audience an idea of the nature of the character:

Characters leading with Chest:

            Superman

Batman   

If a character sticks their chest out, it shows them as a strong and confident individual. Here 'Superman' and 'Batman' both lead with their chests to promoted that they are strong and confident.

Characters leading with knees:

This character leads with his knees; this shows him as being a coward, as he is trying to get his body away from the action.

Characters who lead with their pelvis:

Characters who lead with their pelvis are considered lazy. Here, Homer from 'the Simpsons' is shown leading his body with his pelvis, showing he is laid back and not bothered

Characters who lead with their head:

Characters who lead with their heads, or who have big heads are considered intelligent. This works as people assume cartoons with big head have bigger brains, hence making them look more intelligent.

Use of shapes in Character Design

Circle

 - Fun, bouncy, jolly, round, no sharp edges, soft, worldly.

Circular or rounded shapes are considered to the friendliest as they have no sharp edges or corners. In nature, most circular shapes are soft and harmless; the evoke friendly and likeable characters

Square

 - Strong, stable, structure, even-handed, rigid, stiff

Square like shapes relate to straight vertical and horizontal lines. Communicates strength. They can be large and scary or small and nervous. Depicts steadfast characters which are dependable. 

Triangle

 - Sharp, pointy tall, accented, evil, quick, direction, sharp

Triangles have strong, angular lines; they are the most dynamic of shapes. Typically, super-villains are based on triangular concepts or depicted as triangular to show a sense of evil about them. The appear malicious, sinister and overpowering to show aggression. Often used when depicting antagonists.

Russel

Russel from 'Up' is a chubby, bouncy, fun character, who is always full of excitement and joy.

His character shape is circular, which comes across as friendly and harmless to the audience.

Shrek

Shrek from 'Shrek' is a dominant character; he is a strong, and courageous character, and this can be shown by his rectangular shape. He may be a bit fat, but his tall rectangular shape shows that he is dominant.

Gru

Gru from 'Despicable Me' is supposed to be shows as evil. His triangular shape shows this, as his tall physique, and broad shoulders make him look dominant.