Production Designer

The lowdown

Creates the look of an animation project, develops the characters, environments,

props, colour schemes and any other design elements.

On smaller productions can undertake the role of Art Director also.

Is this role right for me?

To do this role, you will need to:

have imagination, artistic flair and talent to produce the best design solutions for a
project
be able to understand what is going to be achievable further down the line by the
animation and post production teams
be able to work to a schedule and budget, and prioritise their own work and that of
others
have good people management and leadership skills
have good communication and presentation skills
be able to take direction, give direction and work as part of a team
be able to work without supervision
be able to receive and address constructive feedback
be able to interview and assess work of potential art department member
be able to work long hours and, if required, work calmly under pressure
have knowledge of the requirements of the relevant health and safety legislation and
procedures

What does a Production Designer (Animation) do?

Production Designers create the 'look' of an animation project, visually interpreting the
script, developing characters and environments that will both illustrate the narrative and
enable Directors to realise their vision.

In the early stages of a project, they are likely to work in close collaboration with the Director
and, sometimes, in conjunction with the Producer and/or client.

They start with the script/treatment, and any other form of brief, when producing the original
designs. For most types of animation, they develop designs in a 2D format initially and
present then as drawings or paintings regardless of the final technique, even for projects
that are destined for CGI. Either alone or with a team, they will establish the environments,
characters, props, colour schemes and any other design elements required for the
production.

While establishing the stylistic theme, they also consider the technical resources available
on the production and any budgetary and scheduling restrictions.

On some smaller productions, the Production Designer's role may be combined with that of
Art Director which means they have an on-going involvement with the project. They may
also function as the character designer and/or background designer.
 Brainstorming Roles

Strengths Weaknesses

- Drawing and Conceptual Design - Clean, finalised designs

- Idea generating (Cross pollinating) - Too many links/too complex.
- Music / Sound Design - Task Organisation (work too hard/too long on one
- Research (Visual library, aspect.
photography etc.) - Translating concepts to Maya- simplifying models.

Roles Im comfortable with:

Concept Art/Production Designer,
Art Director (overlooking the overarching style),
Researcher
Sound Designer,
Storyboard Artist
Cg Modeller,
Editing
Animating

Roles/tasks Im not comfortable with:

Organisation
Screenwriting,
Rigger,
Texture Artist,
Orthograph for Modelling (consistency on all 3 sides)