Overview of Character Development
Character Development is the process of creating and building characters with unique personalities and distinct visuals, based on the ideas and direction of clients and/or creators. Characters (IPs) are seen as effective recognition faces, making a strong impression on viewers and can be developed in various forms such as movies, books, games, and many other entertainment formats.
In the entertainment and arts industry, especially in animation production, developing animated characters is a crucial area that helps studios/brands/businesses create unique products with distinctive features that attract audiences and consumers. Successful animated characters bring immense value to brands/businesses, such as:
- Creating Connection: Unique and appealing characters help audiences/consumers easily connect with and remember the products.
- Expansion Potential: A successful character can open up many opportunities for merchandise like toys, books, and video games,…
- Building Brand: Animated characters can become symbols for the brand, creating long-lasting value.
The Process of Creating and Developing IP
Developing animated characters is an important part of the production process at HFL Animations. With creativity and passion, we are committed to delivering unique, engaging, and lively characters that contribute to high-quality animated products. Let’s explore the world of IP and how to develop these interesting characters!
To create and develop an animated character IP, the process includes the following main steps:
1. Research and Idea Generation
Identify the target audience and requirements: Understand who the main viewers are to develop suitable characters. Learn about the needs, desires, and touchpoints of the viewing group.
Survey trends: Investigate current trends in the animation industry.
2. Character Design
Shape and color: Sketch the shape, colors, and outfits of the character. The character needs to have distinctive traits that leave an impression on viewers.
Personality: Determine the character’s personality, motivations, and backstory to help the audience connect easily.
3. Story Development
Relationships between characters: Build relationships and conflicts among characters to create appeal.
Script: Write scripts for situations that the characters will experience, highlighting their traits and personalities.
4. Testing and Adjustment
Audience feedback: Conduct testing sessions to gather opinions from viewers and adjust the characters as needed.
Optimize design: Based on feedback, improve the design and personality of the character for refinement.
5. Release and Using
The release and using of animated character IPs is a complex process that includes various steps and strategies. It plays a key role in bringing the product to users, so reliable plans and partners are needed to ensure this process is optimally planned, suitable, and effective.
Business Activities from IP
At HFL Animations, after creating and developing character IPs, we will exploit/advise on business activities based on those IPs. The process of developing and exploiting IP goes hand in hand, supporting each other. Promotional and business exploitation activities include, but are not limited to:
- Marketing and Promotion
Marketing Campaigns: Set up multi-channel marketing campaigns (TV, social media, live events) to introduce the character IP and their story, using the character in advertising campaigns to attract customers.
Audience Interaction: Use social media to engage with fans, create contests, and encourage fans to share content.
- Licensing IP images for merchandise: Produce and distribute toys, clothing, and accessories featuring character images (like character-printed shirts, packaging with character images, etc.).
- Digital Content Development: Create video games, mobile apps, or online content based on the character.
- Content Production Development: Create films, animated series, short films, books, and comics featuring the character.
Investing in the design and development of animated character IPs is becoming a trend with great potential, serving as a “brand personality” pathway for businesses and contributing to creating impressions and memorability among audiences.
