Illustration and Visual Narrative Lecture Report / Task 1
8.4.2022 - 15.4.2022 (Week 2 - Week 3)
Takuto Hozumi / 0354047 / Bachelor Of Design (Hons) In Creative Media
Illustration and Visual Narrative
Lecture Report
INSTRUCTION
Lecture Report Task 1: CHARACTER DESIGN BASICS (10/4/2022)
Fig.1: Suica Penguin
© East Japan Railway Company (JR東日本)
The first time I used this card was when I was a student going to junior high school by train. My first impression for the character at the time was simply "lovely". Conversely, there is not much to dislike elements in this design. I researched the history of this character and the rationale for its design.
Fig.2: Suica Card
© East Japan Railway Company (JR東日本)
Approximately 20 years ago, an electronic payment system is not common, then the company owned the railway currently created the cheerfulness character to help to infiltrate the new system for our lifestyle. They did character-driven business and advertising and it was successful. Now, everyone knows the character.
Fig.3: 20th Anniversary image
© East Japan Railway Company (JR東日本)
His frontal face is also intended to be utilized as a logo. Simplified icons are easy to use for any designs, the monotone color match any background. It is a "Highly versatile" character design.
He/she has no name. This is to avoid giving the viewer unnecessary impressions because his concept is "The card you bring out every day, you can call him freely". If a male name were given for the character, he/she would be a boy at the moment. This design was created in anticipation of the fact that people of various ages, genders, and thinking, such as those on public transportation, will see it.
I am considering, as a same reason, the designer dared to choose not to use color for this character. From the lecture of week 2, circular silhouette makes positive representations like "good" and "soft".
Fig.4: Products of Suica Penguin
One of the outstanding points of this character is the ease with which character items can be produced. The design was widely accepted by people, and as a result, contributed to publicizing the electronic payment system. Now, not merely a mascot for the promotion of the system, the character has already become an official character of the biggest public railways in Japan.
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