Tips for Designing a Hero OC!
Someone’s gotta step up to stand against the villains of Unvale! Some of the pirates and vampires have taken the evil route, we need somebody to stop them! We need…heroes! There’s plenty of hero characters in media, and you might recognize some such as…
Without heroes, evil would run the world! Heroes are helpful, selfless characters that are found in many different stories. They can range from valiant knights, to powerful superheroes! So how do you design a memorable hero for your story? Let’s talk about it!
What kind of hero is your OC?
Since there’s so many different kinds of heroes, you’ll want to think about what kind of hero your character is! A character in a superhero story probably won’t dress the same as a hero in a medieval fantasy story! Here’s some questions you can consider about your character:
- What kind of story are they in?
- What’s the setting of their world?
- What’s their personality?
- Why are they a hero?
- Do they have powers?
- What kind of powers do they have?
Starting with questions like the ones above can help give you an idea of how you can design your hero! A design can reflect what type of character they are, and help give the audience clues about them!
Different factors can influence the design of your hero and how they dress. As we continue through this article, try thinking about the questions above and how they could influence your OCs design!
Give your OC a heroic outfit!
A key part in a good hero design is the outfit and accessories they have! Different heroes have different kinds of outfits, but a good hero design will grab your audience’s attention!
Try starting with an aesthetic for your hero!
One thing you can consider about a hero’s design is giving them an aesthetic! Not every hero needs one, but it can be a helpful way to bring an outfit together! There’s lots of different aesthetics that might fit different types of heroes! Here’s a few aesthetics to get your creativity flowing!
- Angel core
- Fairy core
- Light academia
- Cyberpunk
There’s all kinds of different aesthetics you could use for your hero, depending on what you want to go for! Aesthetics can be a fun way to add to your character, and help them have a coherent look!
A good example of using aesthetics for a hero character would be Talkymarksig’s OC The Silver Guard! The Silver Guard has a cool sci-fi aesthetic to his design!
Another good example would be Phione’s OC Mamiko! Mamiko has a fun magical aesthetic to her design!
Try adding a motif to your hero’s design!
Another way you can bring a hero’s outfit together is by giving them a motif! Since heroes in fiction often have some kind of power, the outfit they have can reflect that! They can also hint at the hero’s character and their personality as well! A motif can be simple and subtle, or super obvious! Some motif ideas could be things like…
- A snow motif
- An animal motif
- A plant motif
- A star motif
- A lightning motif
- A light motif
- A shadow motif
- A heart motif
Depending on what kind of hero they are, they might have a darker motif too! Some heroes might have a more ominous look, despite being heroes. It all depends on what kind of hero you want for your story!
A good example of using motifs for a hero character would be Annormalartist’s OC Ms. Blue Sky! Ms. Blue Sky has a wind motif throughout her design!
Another example would be Emzy’s OC Tian Hao Sun! Tian Hao has a fire motif throughout his design!
Give your hero some fitting clothes!
The clothes your hero wears will give the audience an idea as to what kind of hero they are! A hero needs an outfit that’s somewhat practical, and easy to fight in. The setting of the story will also be a big factor in what kind of clothes your hero wears! A hero in a superhero story probably won’t be wearing the same kind of clothes a medieval fantasy hero would wear! Here’s some ideas for different clothes you could give your hero:
- A colorful super suit for a superhero
- A fur lined set of clothes for an adventurer hero
- A set of fancy armor for a medieval hero
- A rugged but comfortable set of normal clothes for an apocalypse hero
There’s plenty of different types of outfits you could give your hero! Not every hero outfit has to be super extravagant too! It’ll all depend on the setting, the character’s personality, and what’s available to them!
A good example of using clothes for a hero design would be Jeli’s OC Space Girl! Space girl has a cool astronaut-themed super hero outfit!
Another good example would be Taxcity6’s OC Alexander! Alexander has a cool lighting-themed super suit!
Can you add some accessories or weapons to your heroes design?
Another factor in a hero design is the accessories and weapons they have! Heroes often have weapons to fight with, or accessories to help them out! If you have a superhero character, they might have tools or gadgets to help them fight! A more fantasy hero might have a more traditional weapon like a sword! Here’s some ideas to get you thinking:
- A mask to hide their identity
- A belt with special tools on it
- A bag carrying important items
- A decorative accessory that doubles as a weapon
- A sleek sword
- A large axe
- A pair of daggers
- A bow and arrow
There’s all kinds of different accessories or weapons you could give your hero! You could even go with something unexpected, or something that wouldn’t be normally used as a weapon!
A good example of using weapons for a hero would be Arrow’s OC Soleil! Soleil has a cool glowing weapon!
A good example of using accessories for a hero character would be FazDude’s OC Bombshell! Bombshell has cool pilot goggles!
Appearance
The appearance of your hero will also say a lot about them! It can tell the audience what kind of person they might be, and make them look unique in the process!
Use build and shape language to your advantage when designing your hero!
Shape language plays an important part of character design, and especially so with hero designs! The build of your character will help add to your OC’s appearance too! Sharp shapes are for action! While often used for villains, they’re used for heroes as well! The other shapes can work with heroes too depending on what kind of hero your OC is! Here’s some ideas on how you could use shape language and build for your hero character:
- An thin build and sharp shapes for a quick and agile hero
- A strong build and square shapes for a powerful hero
- Circle shape language and a rounder build for a support hero
Shape language will help give your audience an idea of what kind of person your hero is! You could always do the opposite of what they expect as well, depending on what kind of character you have!
A good example of using shape language for a hero character would be bogwater’s OC Sucrose! Sucrose has lots of round shape language that reflects her kind nature!
Another good example would be Dawn Weaver’s OC Stayvos! Stayvos has lots of sharp and square shape language that reflects his brave personality!
Give your hero a cool hairdo!
Hairstyle can be another way to add to a hero design! While not required, a hero might want a more practical hairdo, that won’t get in the way during heroics! Some ideas for hairstyles more fitting for heroes might be ones such as:
- A ponytail
- braids
- A short side part
- A half-shaved style
- A bob
- A pixie cut
- A bun
A hero doesn’t have to have a hairstyle like the ones above, but it could be helpful to make their design seem more practical or believable! If your story is more fantasy-like or fanciful, something more ethereal might work better! It depends on what kind of story you have, and what your hero character is like!
A good example for using hairstyle for a hero would be Naviaeil’s OC Daiana! Daiana has a cool, short and practical hairstyle!
Another good example would be Alex’s OC Zituile! Zituile has a cool half-shaved hairstyle!
Special details
If you really want your hero character to stand out, you could give them some kind of special details! Maybe your OC gained their powers, or they're not human! They might have some cool features to go along with that! A battle-hardened hero might have more common features too. Here’s some ideas to get your creativity flowing!
- Wings
- Antennae
- Glowing eyes
- Glowing hair
- Extra limbs
- Animal features
- Scars
There’s many different options when it comes to extra details that’ll make your hero stand out! You’ll want to think about how they got these features or why they have them before adding the details too!
A good example of special details for a hero character would be Kyle’s OC Mallory! Mallory has cool antlers!
Another good example would be Kashin’s OC Marcy! Marcy has cool wings and talons!
Designing a hero can be a lot of fun! Thinking about the kind outfit they might wear, the accessories they might have, their shape language, and special features they might have are all ways you could go about creating a memorable hero character! Just create your hero how you want, and remember to have fun with it! Go, send out your heroes to defend Unvale!
Need some ideas for different aspects of your hero character? Try giving them powers or a character trope!