chopstyxvt
Creative Consultant Client
Styx: Vtuber, Editor, and Content Creator
About the Project: My client Styx has been streaming since early 2020 going under the username PandaRiceBowl. He initially expressed his desire to rebrand to suit his new developing Vtuber persona that would incorporate his rich Chinese heritage but also his love of the cyberpunk genre. My job is to work with a clients mix of ideas, sort, organize, and create a character design and brand. The project consists of a character, mascot, and weapon design.
Due to NDA I am unable to discuss client lore or story crafting, however, there are elements incorporated into his design that are pertinent to its proper visual communication.
Client Brief:
-
Chinese characters
-
An emphasis on his Chinese heritage
-
Blue, black, and white color palete
-
A futurist / cyberpunk aesthetic
-
Harmony with spirits / demons
-
White tiger
-
Cyber exorcist
-
A merge of the traditional and technological
Logo: One of my favorite pieces of this design has to be the logo work that I did for the back of Styx's jacket. The idea was to incorporate the white tiger yin - yang, tech, and spirit fire all into one cohesive graphic design. My client wanted me to put a real emphasis on how his character is within the world he has created, against the norm. He has an emphasis on balance especially in the spiritual sense. I imagine that the tiger's electronic form is a hint to his mascot companion's change of appearance and power.
Mochi (Mascot): What new rebranded design is complete without a companion? As the client requested he wanted a mascot that kept the Chinese symbology of the white tiger. Since his character is based in both the traditional and the technological we decided that the true form of Mochi is maleable. He is demon spirit trapped within a robotic vessel.
This is his main form but the explusion of spirit flame within the chasey alludes to him being able to shift form or at the very least possess another cybernetic body. Little Mochi's face acts like an LED screen which will change depending on his emotions and facial expressions.
Guan-dou (Weapon): The guandao is a type of Chinese pole weapon used for combat and martial arts. It can be used in its longer form or seperated into the staff and blade. In keeping with the marriage between new and traditional this weapon incorporates an anti gravity hilt and holographic blade pieces.
The client specifically asked for the traditional shape to be maintained within the futuristic style. In addition there was a desire to add the same spirit flame motiff used with Mochi.
Designing with L2D in Mind: One of the most important aspects of Vtuber projects is the makeability of the design. Live 2 D is a program used to create fully rigged avatars utilizing layers of 2 dimension artwork. This can be used in a variety of ways but one of the most prevelant is for content creators. The technology has grown exponentially in regard to its tracking and animation abilities as such it is a huge factor that determines specific design choices. As such it is my job to not only create a stunning unique design that suits my clients needs but also to handle the logistics and presentation of the character in its entirity.
Styx has multiple accessories in which he can toggle on and off and his design also have hologrpahic peices that have an idle animation when he is chatting with his community. His futurist aethetic lends well to utilizing the full potention of this program but adding animations and toggles to add to a viewers level of immersion. The glowing effects on the hood act as a hologram that rotates various Chinese characters or text. Since the hood has no physical mass other objects can pass through it as well. Styx's hat for example can still be work with his hood up. When he uses his spiritual abilites his eyes will also change to reflect the change. There is so much one can do with concepts outside of a singular image.
The finished design is important but with this technology you have to truly think about all the parts that make the design functional be it fantatstical or not. It is personally one of my favorite parts about working with Vtuber clients because it takes design theory and decissions even deeper then just a singular finished product. The creativity is endless and it will continue to improve opening new doors for those that want to push the marriage of animation and real time tracking to the next level.