Character design is becoming more and more important in the form of figures, for advertising purposes, in street art or even as toys and
costumes. It is not just the possibilities for media that are interesting, but also the very basis of the characters, their inherent life-like quality, that is so fascinating. The Pictoplasma conference has established itself as a renowned and popular platform for character design professionals. We spoke with Lars Denicke
of Pictoplasma, Berlin, about the trendy and
outlandish figures.
Interview by Lars Harmsen. Photography by Andres Lejona.
Lars Denicke studied cultural sciences, with a major in media, at the University of Berlin. In 2003 he teamed up with Peter Thaler, who three years earlier had founded Pictoplasma. Thaler was an animation film draughtsman who wanted to know »what was happening out there«. He thought there must be more than Brsel, Mickey Mouse and the Michelin Man. He founded a website initially as a collection of characters and artists. Today, the site's archive comprises over 6,500 contemporary character designs from over 1,000 artists, designers and companies around the world. Its catalogue permits a range of search functions, cross-referencing and comparisons etc. As a result, the first book, published by Gestalten in Berlin, appeared in 2001. But the duo's idea of to hold a conference where artists could gather and meet, proved to be even more popular than a publication. The first Pictoplasma took place in Berlin in 2004. Over 60 percent of the participating artists and visitors arrived from abroad for this celebration of character design. The conference was repeated in 2006 and the next rendez-vous is provisionally scheduled for 2008.
The list of speakers at the first two conferences was quite similar (e.g. Rinzen, Friends With You, Gary Baseman, Doma Collective). How is the selection process carried out?
Since the 2004 conference, a sort of family of designers and artists has emerged. Pictoplasma 2006 was a happy reunion. A Revisiting Friends section allowed everyone to deliver a brief update of what they had been up to during the past two years. In addition, it made the experience easier for new speakers, given that everyone introduced someone else.
Let us first talk about character design. What differentiates them from designer toys?
Designer toys - that is, figures created by artists in vinyl - are simply one production aspect of character design. Personally, I am not a fan of designer toys. Maybe it is the material, which is primarily plastic. These figures are made for glass showcases, they are cold and do not display so many emotions. Even if I don't play with characters, their expression and tactility have a foundation in something living; in other words they have character. You could even call it an almost romantic look. Designer toys simply represent a manifestation, so they possess a certain sculptural quality. Characters, on the other hand, have many faces. They can express emotions and posture. The faces of characters differentiate from those of people in film, in that they are static, abstract and reduced.
Character design is based on a whole range of influences. Obviously, comic figures were a great model, but so were the mascots of the burgeoning advertising industry in the 1930s and 40s in the USA. However, figures such as Donald Duck or Mickey Mouse always had background narratives. This is not the case of characters. Of course, a figure like Hello Kitty fulfils commercial requirements
and can easily be marketed on purses, bags, t-shirts etc., even though there is no evident story or narrative.
How have characters developed over the last 20 years? Is character design something new, or is it simply an old-hat that has been redefined?
We really only deal with contemporary Character
Design. The growth of network communications
has clearly played a major role in this. Characters have become a means of communicating
beyond language barriers on the Internet.
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