Collaboration: Influence Maps

In order to create characters and set design, we had to create influence maps to inspire the different concepts we had.

This is Olivia's influence map for the character of Skye. In terms of inspiration, Olivia took to looking at features commonly found in and shared amongst 'tall' characters and people. For example, in fictional characters, limbs tend to be exaggerated and their clothes are quite long to accentuate their height. Alongside this, the studio decided that although Skye is tall and arguably 'larger than life', we could contrast this with her personality and having her feel quite small in situations (in other words, anxious).

This is another influence map Liv created for the character Cici. Originally, Cici started out as having her design reference Grease (1978). The concepts had mostly been inspired by iconic outfits from the film and the 'bad girl' stereotype, however, the studio began to experiment with the idea of Cici being a blind character prompted by the 'cool shades' idea.​

This is an influence map for the character of Victoria created by Shannon. For Victoria's physical appearance, Shannon looked to various old films for reference, which was where we felt there was a specific aesthetic matching the 'posh' stereotype in regard to dress and hairstyle. As well as this, women such as Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe, and Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman (1990) were the main source of inspiration. ​

For the character of Penny, Shannon created this influence map. For Penny's look, the Shannon relied on symbolism to help convey Penny's personality. There was a focus on incorporating greens and clovers into her design to help illustrate this. Inspiration for her generally joyful personality was found in romantic comedy actresses such as Amy Adams.​

For the character of Lucky, Shannon made this influence map. Regarding the character's physical appearance, the studio wanted him to appear smart and sophisticated to act as a contrast to his awkward personality. The studio also looked at various characters originating from comedy shows such as Mr Bean.

Lastly, Karris created this Influence map to help design the set for the animation to take place. The restaurant was designed to be typically fancy and luxurious seeming as to set the mood for the dates. Since they usually exhibit a calm and/or romantic atmosphere, it serves as a contrast to the chaos that the main character causes. Influences were drawn from movies such as Ratatouille  (2007) and real-life restaurants.