Iman Shamsuddin’s Guide to Purposeful Character Design

AICREATIVV
12 minutes ago
4 min read

Why Good Character Design Starts Before the Sketch

When most people think of character design, they picture pencils on paper or an artist hunched over an iPad. And while Iman Shamsuddin readily admits she did begin that way, she soon realised that the true work starts far earlier. Before any sketching takes place, she focuses on understanding a character’s appeal — what makes them likeable, relatable, or memorable.

For Iman Shamsuddin, this often means shaping the character’s sense of cuteness from the outset. She develops this through research, deliberate refinement, and even by asking others whether the character evokes the “cute appeal” she intends. This clarity becomes a guiding principle throughout the design process. In her view, a character isn’t simply designed to look good; it is crafted to feel a certain way the moment someone encounters it.

This foundational approach proved especially valuable when Iman Shamsuddin took on two of AICREATIVV’s major character-focused projects: the Wadokai mascots (Tata Ao & Tata Aka) and the expansive world of UsinWise featuring the adventures of Sprouts and friends.

Finding Personality Through Culture, Research, and Relatability

When designing Tata for Wadokai, Iman Shamsuddin knew the character needed to feel Bruneian. Not in a cliché way, but in a way that karate kids and parents could instantly connect with. That led her down a research rabbit hole into local wildlife, eventually discovering the Surili monkey. It was small, expressive, adorable, and full of personality — everything she needed as a base for the mascot. On the other hand for UsinWise, the personalities already existed in the brief, but she had to translate abstract traits into actual visual forms.

This is where one of her biggest strengths comes in: turning personality into shape.

A stubborn character? Bamboo: tall, rigid, grounded.

An overthinker? Pakis: messy, curly, always moving like gears inside a busy mind.

A cheerful soul? Corn: bright, fun, and instantly joyful.

This “object association” became a core methodology in how the mascots came to life. The characters weren’t created randomly; every vegetable, leaf curl, and silhouette had a reason behind it.

From Sketchbook to Vector: Building Characters Layer by Layer

Contrary to what people assume, character design rarely appears in a “beautiful first draft.” For Wadokai, Iman Shamsuddin began with mind maps, bouncing ideas with then-intern Audrey Shafeqa. For UsinWise, they drafted countless ideas, Audrey Shafeqa in her sketchbook, Iman Shamsuddin on Procreate before turning their favourites into vector forms in Illustrator. This is where technical refinement happens: smoothing shapes, defining silhouettes, adjusting proportions, and ensuring the design works whether printed small on a sticker or blown up into a mascot suit.

One of the hidden challenges Iman Shamsuddin highlights is consistency. Characters must look the same across different angles, scenes, and animations. That means preparing turnarounds, expressions, guidelines, and (if needed) a whole internal lore explaining who the character is, how they behave, and why they matter.

“Designing visuals is only half of it,” she explains. “The other half is giving them a voice and story.”

The Balance of Locality, Practicality, and Emotion

Iman Shamsuddin believes that local storytelling is not optional — it’s necessary. In a world filled with global influences, what makes a character stand out is its connection to culture. But culture alone isn’t enough; the design has to be practical too. A cute character can become a nightmare if its shapes are impossible to animate or its structure is too complicated for a mascot.

This is why she pays close attention to silhouettes and shapes. A great character must be recognisable even in shadow. For Tata, the monkey-like silhouette carries playfulness. For UsinWise, each mascot carries a clear, distinct shape that immediately signals its personality.

And throughout all this, Iman Shamsuddin never forgets the small details such as the props, the accessories, the tiny cues that make a character feel “real.” To her, these little elements are not decorative; they are storytelling tools.

Growing as a Designer: What New Creatives Often Miss

Something Iman sees often in new designers is the urge to jump straight into execution without understanding the “why” behind the character. The result? Characters that look good but mean nothing. Her advice is simple: take time to understand a character’s purpose, personality, and emotional impact before thinking about colours or linework.

She also emphasises the importance of variety in shapes, sizes, moods, and silhouettes; especially when designing a whole cast. A group of characters should feel like they belong together without feeling like clones.

Her universal tip to beginners?

“Don’t forget their tiny props and important details. They’re small, but they make your characters alive.”

What We Can All Learn From Iman’s Approach

Character design isn’t only for designers. Marketers, business owners, and storytellers can learn from Iman Shamsuddin’s process too:

Start with intention before visuals.
Understand your audience deeply.
Use culture meaningfully, not decoratively.
Build characters with story and function in mind.
Let curiosity lead the early drafts — refinement comes later.

Behind every memorable character is a designer who cared enough to give it personality, purpose, and a place in the world. And at AICREATIVV, that designer is Iman Shamsuddin — someone who believes that characters are more than drawings; they are the emotional bridge between a brand and its audience.