Cutting Edge Creative Team Talk Character Design

Cutting Edge creative team, Zenon Kohler (pictured right) and Ian Anderson (pictured left) have created dozens of characters for brands and commercials. Campaign Brief Asia is keen to find out what companies are doing in the current COVID-19 environment and put some questions to the duo.

As a duo you have designed dozens of commercial characters. I see that you have worked on Wally for Rugby Australia, Steve for Betadine and Borobi, the Commonwealth Games mascot. What’s the secret behind your partnership?

Anderson: I like to think we bring the best out in each other. We challenge each other as we strive for unique and fresh designs.

Zenon: In a nutshell, our skill sets complement each other. We’ve worked together for nearly 10 years and when you collaborate with anyone for that long, you develop a kind of shorthand, a mutual respect for each others’ creative contribution to a project.

We also have a team of creatives, 2D and 3D animators and designers, all of whom bring something special to each project. You need to right people behind these kinds of projects.

Why do you think characters are important for brands?

Anderson: A really good character gives a brand just that – character. The great ones are memorable. They give a brand personality, make a brand more tangible.

Kohler: Good characters are ones that people connect with. You feel like you know them instantly. You love them right away or you love to hate them. They get a reaction.

So, how do you make a character ‘good’?

Kohler: We have a process that we feel makes ‘good’ characters. It’s not witchcraft. There is no scientific formula or mathematical equation; just a few rules that help guide us as we make decisions about the semiotics that embody the personality of our characters.

Anderson: On a totally superficial level, we’re talking about first impressions. And that’s where semiotics come into play. We are drawn towards a character subconsciously through visual cues that communicate who they are.

Kohler: We strive to make sure our characters are fully formed, and unique enough to be memorable. As the character is developing, their back story begins to form. We work to understand who they are and their motivations. This guides us as we develop their look and movements.

What is your favourite character you’ve created and why?

Anderson: The Betadine character, Steve, was a particular favourite for me. Steve, is a nasty pliable germ that captures the slap-stick antics of a Tex Avery cartoon character. He was such fun to create and animate and because of the flexibility of his design and character meant that we could squash, splatt, pop and squeeze him to his death without feeling too sorry for him, but yet he would still engage the audience in a ‘that’s so cute’ moment.

Kohler: Creating Borobi was a long but enjoyable journey. I think he’ll always be my favourite. We researched the history of previous Olympic and Commonwealth Games mascots at the beginning of the process to determine what made many of them loved or hated. You can’t please everyone, however, we wanted to give Borobi the best chance of being loved and the results speak for themselves.

You seem excited about this kind of work. Who are you working with?

Kohler: Yes we love it. Creating these characters is some of the most fun we have. We form a real connection with each of them along the way and it’s very rewarding when the public fall in love with one of our characters.

Anderson: Our work comes from both national and international clients. We have offices in Australia and Japan and it is very common for us to share projects across studios. Our pipeline allows for that seamlessly. Our Australian based design and VFX team is currently in the middle of an exciting large scale project out of Japan.

In the current climate it’s a bit of a no brainer – our clients are already discussing this kind of work. Animated projects have never looked better and the production is unaffected by remote working conditions.