MI5014 - Character Design & Modelling

You will learn through the delivery of an initial contextual lecture series and group discussions, to establish an understanding of the history and principles of character design, branding and 3D modelling.

Research exercises will be set to explore the field of character design and a further research exercise will act as inspiration and application for the development of your characters. You will set up, and periodically add this research, set exercises and design development to a blog (with appropriate reflective annotation) as the device to contain and present your work throughout the module.

Academic staff will work with you in practical classes and workshops, and on project supervision within these workshops to facilitate ‘learning through doing’ in the generation, development and presentation of character design ideas.
You will use tutor guided independent study and student independent study, to execute further practical exercises, to realise design ideas through experimentation and exploration.

Technical exercises will also be set to refine 3D modelling skills using the computer facilities. The final task will be to synthesise these technical skills with character designs and then with brand development to produce a character that embodies the ‘essence’ of a brand.

Small group critiques will be undertaken so that you can present and justify your work and critically reflect on your own work and others.

Class presentations will allow you to see the work of peers and learn to critically reflect in a larger forum on what is successful and how to improve your own work. At the group presentations you will also receive formative feedback, which will focus on the conceptual, research and practical design strengths, as well as areas for improvement.

Module briefs/guides outline the indicative workload of a module with an indication of lectures, design and software workshops. Mini briefs will be issued by the tutor, prompting you to complete exercises by the deadlines set so that you can build on key ideas and principles in the module. These briefs will be uploaded to the eLearning Portal before any module activity commences. Associated learning materials will be available on the eLearning Portal to download and will support your developmental skills. These will be discussed in class first to make sure that you understand the key concepts of the material.

Email support is available throughout the module, especially during tutor guided and student independent learning periods - when you are working alone. You can also make appointments to talk through your work with a member of staff.

The programme has a subscription to ‘Digital Tutors’, the design and technical software support facility, due to the specialist nature of the software that you are required to learn. You will have access to this resource, both inside and outside the university, to help with any problem solving when designing or modelling in 3D. It will include support materials for other creative software such as Adobe CC and Autodesk Mudbox, which will also be required in this module. You will be directed to the relevant Digital Tutors resources on the eLearning Portal, but will be encouraged to solve your own design and technical problems by searching for solutions in Digital Tutors also to encourage independent learning.

The programme also has invested in a 3D printer which can print your models, to support your understanding of 3D space.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. Online reading lists (provided after enrolment) give you access to your reading material for your modules. The Library works in partnership with your module tutors to ensure you have access to the material that you need.

Knowledge & Understanding:

1. Identify appropriate research and show evidence of critical design development and aesthetic analysis for character design.

2. Show awareness of historical and contemporary character design.

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:

3. Generate, progress and communicate design concepts and solutions, through drawing, with traditional or digital technologies.

4. Use tacit and digital design skills in an experimental and innovative way to model characters.

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):

You will present your initial, individual research work to the group, early in the semester, you will receive formative feedback here on MLO 2.

During a mid-point presentation, which will focus on the conceptual and practical design strengths as well as areas for improvement, you will receive more formative feedback from tutor and peers by addressing MLOs 1 & 3. You will have an opportunity to reflect on, and respond to, the feedback before submitting the final project assignment.

You will receive formative feedback throughout the module, this consists of group discussions and individual tutorials and this will help you to reflect upon the conceptual and practical elements of your work with a view to addressing MLOs 1 & 3. MLO 4 should be addressed in the second half of the semester when the majority of the modelling takes place.

Following the final project submission, you will receive written feedback on your achievement against all of the MLOs, using the Faculty Feedback sheet and a final grade will be given. Feedback will be provided within 20 working days of submission.

Your work should be submitted via the eLearning Portal. On the module page in the eLearning Portal, there is a folder called ‘Assignment Submission’ you will find all the necessary links in this folder.

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Please find details of this module in the other sections provided.