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Thesis
The visual language of cartoon eyes: aesthetics & associations of eye design in animated characters
Master of Science (M.S.), Drexel University
Jun 2025
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/00010986
Abstract
Visual characters are everywhere in media, and animated characters in particular are used for entertainment, advertising, interactive experiences, gaming, and user interfaces for children and adults alike. It is intuitively understood that character designs will tend to have some similar design qualities when used for similar purposes such as the target audience of the media, but this has not been studied from the perspective and methods detailed here. The objective in this study was to confirm whether there are types of character designs predominantly used for specific purposes like target audience, and to explore further synthesis of the information gathered to increase understanding of the possible reasons for this phenomenon. The methods were to analyze an example character from most of the animated series produced in the last five years in the US market, 425 in total, using the design of the character's eyes specifically as the factor examined. First, a literature review was completed to establish psychological importance of the eye as the vector of emotion, empathy, and social connection among humans, and extend this thinking to the iconography of cartoons, connecting the eyes and cartooning both as powerful ways to engage human attention with characters. Second, the example characters' eye designs were categorized according to their shape, relative size to head, relative placement from each other, level of detail, and relative size of pupil/iris to eye as well as their intended target audience age (Preschool, Jr./ All Ages/ Adult). Third, example images of the characters were visually charted into clusters of similar qualities to explore additional ways to see the data. Fourth, professional animation designers and producers were interviewed on the subject for further insight. Fifth, critical making methods were used to create new personal work reflecting on elements of this study. The results of charting and analyzing the data did support the common understanding that certain designs tend to be associated with certain target audiences while the background on eyes added a way to discuss the resulting clusters of association with added nuance. In conclusion, the larger study including background, interviews, and critical making, supported the idea that similar eye shapes and design factors are used repeatedly for similar purposes not solely for economic or uncreative reasons, but because visual language is a collectively learned and understood language that is larger than any individual production or person.
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Details
- Title
- The visual language of cartoon eyes
- Creators
- Christopher K. McDonnell
- Contributors
- Emil Polyak (Advisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Master of Science (M.S.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Number of pages
- viii, 65 pages
- Resource Type
- Thesis
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Digital Media; Drexel University; Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts and Design
- Other Identifier
- 991022057738104721