Industry Practice & The Mechanics of Systematic IP Design
During the animation and IP design internship at Bilibili, I was responsible for the character design and serial output of the core IP. ZHANZHAN(Figure 1) is an IP character responsible for psychological guidance, so I used the elements of the sun and warm color matching, which is in line with its healing emotional effect. The simplified lines are also designed to facilitate the industrial and commercial development of subsequent IP. Standard IP turnarounds, precise color specifications, dynamic sticker packs for digital messaging platforms, and dynamic action libraries for various production pipelines have been successfully produced, from which I learned how to capture emotional points with the principles of squash and stretch animation within a short, efficient number of frames.
In the graduation project, I also integrated this systematic IP development idea. My graduation project was inspired by the contemporary trend revival of Tamagotchi, trying to reshape the deep sense of companionship and interactive connection of electronic pets. I chose characters with simple lines, which is highly conducive to the subsequent series output, such as dynamic sticker packs, character assets, and animated mini-theaters with episodic short narratives. Visually, I use classic polka dots and dreamy visual effects to accurately cater to the female demographic and lifestyle tastes of Generation Z. In the future, I will continue to develop these two unique IP characters across multi-media platforms.(Figure 2, 3)
I also observed that the ultimate vitality and commercial longevity of an IP depends heavily on the empathetic emotional resonance between it and the audience. For example, with the boutique, highly popular IPs Bibi and Fufu(Figure 4), which have been very popular recently, both the visual effects and the IP animation plot content are accurately in line with their target audience, reflecting their daily psychology. Therefore, I have established the firm career aspiration of IP animation and creative direction. At present, I am reconstructing my portfolio into an industry-ready pipeline proposal, delivering it to leading companies in the corresponding industry, and actively operating my personal IP account on social media, trying to prepare to become a professional IP producer who perfectly balances artistic value and the commercial industry.
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