How to Design an Appealing Villain OC
Learn how to design a villain OC with an evil look that will match their personality -- using outfits and accessories, as well as eyes, hair, and physical appearance.
This is part of our design series on How to make an OC!–the ultimate guide to character building.
Muahahahaha… It's time for my very evil plan to commence: Giving tips for designing an appealing villain character. Nobody can stop me now!
I love a good villain design, and I’m sure many of you all do too. So how can you go about designing a villain OC who’ll cause problems for your protagonist and look great doing it? Let’s talk about it!
Find Your Villain's Style
First off, you need to know what type of villain you’re dealing with. The kind of design your villain could have will depend on the type of villain your OC is. A corrupt corporation owner in a dystopian city will probably have a different look than the evil fairy overlord of the fae realm.
There’s plenty of unique villain types out there. You have evil tyrants, dark wizards, charming traitors, petty rivals, and so many more! You’ll want your villain's design to give the audience an idea as to who they are. Here’s some different kinds of ideas to get your creativity flowing:
- Sharp shape language for an evil tyrant OC
- An elegant outfit for a charming villain OC
- A wild hairstyle for a crazy villain OC
The kind of villain your OC is can be a good starting point for designing different aspects of them. A twist villain OC might present themselves in a way that makes them seem nice, like dressing fancy or wearing their hair in a tidy style. On the other hand, an obvious villain OC might have lots of sharp, pointed shape language that makes it very clear what their role in the story is. A more morally grey villain character could have a mixture of the two, to show that they’re not the evilest, but certainly not good either!
Aesthetics are another way you can add to your villain's style. You can choose an aesthetic that shows off your villain OC’s personality and also suits the story they’re a part of. Depending on the kind of villain your character is, they might have a different aesthetic than another evildoer. A mysterious and elegant villain might have a romantic goth aesthetic, while an evil inventor villain might have a steampunk aesthetic. Here’s some villain aesthetic ideas to help you come up with some inspiration for your OC:
- A mysterious, charming villain with a dark academia aesthetic
- An elegant and dangerous villain with a dark fantasy aesthetic
- A wild and chaotic villain with a gremlincore aesthetic
A good example of using aesthetic for a villain would be Fullmetalashley’s OC Reeza. Reeza has a goth aesthetic that suits her cold personality!
If you need more help, check out our Tips on Writing Hero and Villain OCs.
Using the outfit, aesthetics, motifs, and accessories of your villain to your advantage will help create an iconic look for them. The kind of villain they are can play a big part into what you choose for them.
Outfit
The outfit your villain wears will tell your audience what kind of villain they are, and make the evildoer look stylish and epic. If your villain is more elegant and royal, they might wear a sharp suit or a form-fitting dress that can show off their status. Their clothes might have a lot of detail or look expensive as well. A more aggressive villain might wear armor or more tattered clothes that shows the audience they are strong and have been through a lot. A villain who fights often will likely avoid clothes that could be a hindrance to them, or care less about how their clothes look. If your villain is a combination of different types, you could merge different styles to show what kind of person they are. Here’s some ideas to get your creativity flowing:
- A charming, royal villain who wears a detailed suit and cape
- An unpredictable warrior villain who wears bone armor and torn clothes
- A dangerous and elegant villain who wears a proper outfit and some armor
A good example of a fitting outfit for a villain would be Charbee’s OC Blaire. Blaire has a dramatic outfit that fits her need for vengeance!
A motif can really tie together your villain’s design. You can base their motif on their character and choose something that really represents them. There’s plenty of different options that can be good for a villainous motif. A fierce and aggressive villain could have a wolf motif, while a sly and cunning villain might have a snake motif. A charming and manipulative villain could have a motif of a poisonous flower, while a powerful and dangerous villain might have a skull motif. Here’s some ideas for motifs to get you thinking:
- A plant motif with symbolism that represents your villain’s personality
- An animal motif that hints at your villain’s strengths
- A symbol motif that shows off your villain’s values
A more subtle motif can be a clever way of showing off more hidden traits, while a more obvious motif can just make a villain look awesome.
A good example of using motifs for a villain design would be Kalaba’s OC King Thron. Thron has a plant motif that shows off his powers!
Accessories
One more thing you can think about for your villain’s outfit is giving them fitting accessories to complete the look. There are all kinds of accessories perfect for villains, and using the motifs and aesthetics you chose can help you choose as well. A corrupt and wealthy villain might flaunt their wealth with an expensive blade, while a wild and crazy villain might have tools made of animal teeth. Here’s some ideas you can consider for your villain:
- Expensive jewelry that doubles as weapons for a tyrant villain
- A dark magic staff for an evil sorcerer villain
- A weapon set made of animal bones for a fierce warrior villain
If you want to learn how to write your villain’s epic fights against the hero, take a look at this cool article right here.
Physical Appearance
Using the build, eye design, and hair of your OC can be a fun way to design a villain that looks evil and awesome. Whether your villain is ruthless or charming, thinking about their overall appearance and how that will make them look can be a good direction for designing your villain.
Build
Shape language is an important aspect of designing OCs. If you'd like a comprehensive guide to using shape language, I have a guide you can read here. Triangle, or sharp, shape language can often be a choice for villains. Sharp shape language can show action or danger, which is perfect for a villain. Combine that with a bit of square shape language, and you have a build that seems strong and imposing. If you have a twist villain, you can use more square or round shape language to make them seem more trustworthy or friendly! Here’s some ideas for incorporating shape language into your Villain’s build:
- A square build to help create a strong, imposing look
- Sharp elf ears to help create a dangerous look
- A round face shape to help create a more innocent look
A good example of using build for a villain design would be Scarlett’s OC Diabolus. Diabolus has a strong build that gives him an intimidating look!
Eyes
Eyes can say much more about a character than you might think, and this applies to villain characters as well. A sharp eye shape can be a great choice for a villain. Depending on how you go about it, the eyes can seem sly and charming, angry and dangerous, or both. You don’t have to stop there though! Another thing you can consider is the pupils and irises of your OC. A sharp pupil like a cat or snake can add a sly look to your character, and a unique iris shape can create a scary or ominous look depending on how you go about it. You can even add unique details to the eyes, such as making them glow, bloodshot, or making them look completely empty. Here’s some ideas for some evil eye designs:
- Glowing eyes and black scleras
- Sharp pupils and a sharp eye shape
- Skull shaped irises and dark circles under the eyes
If you need further tips, we have you covered with an awesome guide to Choosing an Eye Design for Your OC.
A good example of using eye design for a villain would be West’s OC Drakaris. Drakaris has spooky eyes that fit his evil personality!
Hair
Another thing you can think about for the appearance of your villain is their hair. There’s lots of different styles fit for an evildoer. If you have a more elegant and charming villain, you could give them long, flowing hair to match that. A proper, formal hair style can fit a villain who’s sly and arrogant. If you have a wild and unpredictable villain, they could have a crazy and messy hairstyle. If your villain is a mixture of different kinds, you could combine different looks to show that off as well! Here’s some ideas to help you think:
- A long and messy style for a royal, but unpredictable villain
- A short and formal hairstyle for a sly and corrupt business person villain
- A mid-length, choppy hairstyle for a chaotic, dangerous villain
A good example of using hairstyle for a villain would be Thing7567’s OC Elina. Elina has wild hair that suits her wild villain form!
As always, I wrote up a comprehensive guide to Choosing the Hairstyle for Your OCs.
Share Your Villain OC on Unvale
There are plenty of ways to go about designing an epic villain. Giving them a cool outfit, a fitting build, and more can be helpful for creating a villain your audience will secretly want to root for. Remember to have fun with it!
Now go forth, my creative friends, and create some dastardly villain OCs. Muahahahahahahaha! Once you finish designing your villain OC, be sure to share them with us on Unvale. We'd love to see your characters!