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been working on this for a while now. Since there are a variety of people groups and nations in the story, I am doing my best to work on making each nation have shapes (roughly) specific to them. not last airbender level or anything where “this country only wears red clothes”, but still. it’s a hard balance to keep in mind. at the very least, distinct clothing and silhouette elements that represent one nation I’ve been trying to keep separate from other nations.
Up to this point the comic has only covered a single nation, Allano. In hindsight, I probably should have limited the variety of their clothing, but you live and learn. That said, I am consolidating the core ‘essence’ of what the allanos wear and trying to differentiate it with the other groups. i’ve dabbled with the designs of other nations here and there but the past little bit I’ve really been trying to make a concerted effort to make things decently distinct.
In real life of course there is a lot of trends that carry on over the border, but sometimes it is necessary to limit that just so the audience can tell where the heck this character is supposed to be from. at the end of the day it is a loose guide and I won’t lose too much sleep if it isn’t an airtight system.
my main strategy is using designs I like the best on places where I will spend the most time and filling out the rest from there. everything is heavily subject to change as always. I choose to hold off on giving away too many details to avoid spoiling anything interesting later 😉
was looking up conjoined twins the other day. i don’t know why.
as an american with the name callum, I have received a lifetime of blank stares in response. is that anywhere equivalent to being born a conjoined twin or dwarf, having to live your life with people awkwardly trying to be polite? probably not. I find the personal dynamics those conditions create as more interesting than the conditions themselves, though the conditions are too. anyone with something ‘odd’ about them eventually just adapts. of course what makes one different may be more obvious than another. if you’re not weird, you’re a weirdo, i guess.
i moreso wish i could present people with autism or asbergers or downs or what have you but I feel unequipped. no one in my life that I knew well had any of these traits. for the moment, I will try to stick to sorts I feel I can portray better.
i may have a problem.
or maybe it’s only a problem if I address it??
but the might I wielded before was nothing compared to this new dark power I have discovered. behold!
it’s really interesting how many flags are designed to be off-center towards the pole (the “hoist”). it looks odd when viewed as a static image, but when you see them in motion you realize that they actually look centered since the tail of the flag moves more than the rest. try plugging in the bangladesh or french naval flags into the flag waver link above to see what I mean. there are a lot of design considerations like this to factor in that may not be obvious.
I think that’s a big reason why I appreciate flags so much. They are such a good case study of “practical art”, art that exists to communicate a message as quickly, efficiently, and stylistically as possible. a clear advantage of graphic design/art over other communication mediums is how concise it can be. and I also appreciate them for their historical and societal connotations. they are symbols, and symbols are powerful. they are neat, and I appreciate the minutia of the design of good flags. there are a lot of factors that make a good flag good which post people don’t even realize.