Sunday 25 November 2012

Character: Fat Cat Design, Costume & Color Scheme ideas..

With Fat Cat, I didn't want to go with the traditional appearance of a suit, mainly because this takes place in the future and the design of the business suit could have evolved over the years. I took the design of the business suit and altered it slightly in order to come up with these designs below.

Top Left: This design combines abstract folds in the cloth and an asymmetrical design to create something familiar, but also different.

Top Middle: I was very much inspired by the Sith Empire's crew uniform from the 'Star Wars' saga and the outfit worn by Dr. Evil from 'Austin Powers'.

Top Right: I decided to try and see how close I could get to the stereotypical business suit without using all of the iconic features. The collar flaps on the blazer  instead of being two triangular shapes, are now fused into one and the button in the center is different in shape.

Bottom Left: With this design, I combined both the top middle and top right designs.

Bottom Middle: Because of Fat Cat's scientific background, I attempted a Mad Scientist approach, inspired by long lab coats and high collars while also still keeping the essence of a business suit.

Bottom Right: I went all out on this one, throwing in essences of asymmetry, technology/scifi and militaristic backgrounds.


I then begun to think about color scheme, which, for a villain, led me to think about the color red and black. Red is often used to keep viewers alert, which is why it is often used in stop signs. It increases respiration, raises blood pressure and enhances metabolism. When used in the color scheme of villains, it signifies danger, wrath, malice and rage. Black is often associated with the fear of the unknown. It's a mysterious color which is often associated with negativity, especially when used in association with death and grief. Black symbolizes strength and authority, which would be perfect for Fat Cat's character; he's the mysterious, unseen, iron-fisted overseer of the city of Jennisburgh. Red, combined with technology in popular culture, also gives us two iconic characters of science fiction, both of them being villains.

The Terminator Androids (The Terminator 1984)

Hal-9000 (2001: A Space Odyssey, 1968)

After watching these movies, tell me these two characters aren't absolutely terrifying.



However, I wanted to think outside of the box at least somewhat, which is why I began to look at the color green. This color is often associated with otherworldly things and, when used correctly, can be either seen as unnatural or natural. It is also synonymous with infection and disease, which is what one could view Fat Cat as: a disease spread throughout the city. Green is also a symbol of greed and jealousy and greed is something that Fat Cat is no stranger to.

Agent Smith (The Matrix Revolutions, 2003)




This has lead me to either one of two decisions for Fat Cat's color scheme: Black & Green or Black & Red.



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