Many strange characters lurk the streets of Unvale…monsters…vampires…fairies…and many others! But another kind of spooky OC comes from a distant land…a different planet from your own...Alien characters! These Sci-Fi sillies can be found in all kinds of different media! You might recognize different alien characters such as…

• The Xenomorph
• Yoda
• Stitch
• Groot

Alien characters are pretty popular! Sometimes they serve as a scary monster antagonist, other times they’re a friendly being investigating humans! So how do you go about designing a cool alien character? Hop in the nearest UFO… and let’s talk about it!

What kind of alien is your OC?

First off! What kind of alien are you designing? There’s many different kinds of aliens, from cutesy ones to scarier ones! Depending on what you’ll use your alien for, and the story you want to tell, you’ll probably have to design them a bit differently than you would a different kind of story! You can try coming up with questions such as…

• What kind of story is the alien in? (Horror, Comedy, etc!)
• Are they more humanoid, or more creature-like?
• Are they meant to be intimidating, scary, cute, or something else?
• What’s their personality like?
• Are they good, evil, or morally grey?
• What’s their home planet like?
• What's the culture like?
• Are they more, or less, advanced than humans?

Considering questions like the ones above will give you an idea of how you can go about designing your alien! If you need a scary antagonist alien, you can really lean into the creepy factor! If you want a more friendly alien, you could give them a more friendly look! (Or, you could do the opposite to surprise your audience!)

Trying to think of answers to the questions above, or think up some questions of your own, as we go through this article! You can think of different aspects of your alien’s design based on your answers!

Give your alien a cool fit!

If you’re looking to create a more humanoid alien, giving your OC a cool outfit can really add to their look! Usually aliens have a Sci-Fi or otherworldly fit!

Try a fun and futuristic aesthetic out on your alien!

First off, choosing a cool aesthetic to base your alien off of can really add to their character and make them feel more fitting to their story! Often, aliens are portrayed as having more advanced tech than humans, and so futuristic aesthetics work well! If you need some ideas, you could try aesthetics such as…

• Sci-Fi
• Cyberpunk
• Solarpunk
• Atompunk
• Cybergoth
• Raygun gothic
• Futurism
• Retrofuturism
• Future Funk
• Vaporwave
• Mecha

Looking for cool aesthetics can help inspire you and get you motivated to design your alien, and there’s many more than just the ones above! Not every alien needs a futuristic aesthetic though, but there’s plenty of other aesthetic options to choose from as well!

A good example of using aesthetics. For an alien design would be aFrogInAHat’s OC Calbyián! Calbyián has a cool Solarpunk aesthetic!

Another good example would be Lyntown’s persona Lyntown! Lyntown has a Cyberpunk aesthetic!

Give your alien some stylish clothes!

Now that you have some aesthetic inspiration, you can give your alien some fitting clothes! There’s plenty of different clothing pieces you could use for your OC, and it can play a big part in your alien’s design! The kind of clothes you give them can help the audience know what kind of alien they are, and the role they have in the story! If you need ideas to help you start, you could consider clothes like:

• A sleek black leather outfit
• Cool knee-high boots
• A one-piece suit with light-up details
• A sci-fi space suit
• Mech armor
• A metallic dress
• A futuristic organization uniform
• A long robe

Picking some cool clothes will help give your alien an interesting look! Depending on what your alien does, you could choose based on that! Is your alien part of a galactic council? Maybe give them a long and elegant robe! What about an alien who’s part of a scout team? They could have a cool uniform to match that! There’s plenty of different things you could do!

A good example of using clothes for an alien design would be Cyan’s OC Pacif’k! Pacif’k has a cool spiky robe!

Another good example would be SeiKittea’s OC Anavin! Anavin has a cute bubble dress!

Add some fun accessories to your alien’s design!

Another way to add to a cool alien design is to add some super cool accessories! Since aliens often have a more futuristic theme, they often have access to cool technology that we don’t have! You can utilize this for cool futuristic accessories! You could give them different accessories such as…

• A futuristic gun
• A futuristic blade
• A futuristic crown
• A cool visor
• A Sci-Fi headset
• Fun-shaped glasses/sunglasses
• A belt with unique tools on it
• Space themed charms
• An ethereal cape
• Metal bracelets
• A jacket with lots of zippers
• A mask with light-up details

There’s so many types of accessories you could use for an alien design! Accessories can create some more interest in your alien’s design, and make your OC stand out!

A good example of using accessories for an alien design would be Artgelic’s OC Konor! Konor has a cool mask and other accessories!

Another good example would be Myra’s OC Elowen! Elowen has various gold accessories, even some decorating her antennae!

Use your alien’s appearance for a cool design!

One of the most important aspects of an alien design might be their appearance! Since aliens are from another planet, they have unique appearances and features that are meant for their environment! 

Play around with your alien’s build!

One thing you can consider is the build of your alien! Since they’re from a different planet, their build might be different from a human! It could be anything from them having a more animal-like body, or just longer limbs! You could try different things like…

• Longer arms
• Longer legs
• A build that’s bulkier than a human’s would be
• A build that’s thinner than a human’s would be
• A taller build than a human’s would be
• Animal legs
• Insect legs
• Animal paws/claws

Using your alien’s build to enhance their design can be a fun way to make them seem more alien-like! 

A good example of using build for an alien design would be Kite’s OC Kallex! Kallex has a sleek mech build!

Another good example would be Roxirin’s OC C1PH3R! C1PH3R has a cool jelly-like build!

Try out a cool hairstyle for your alien!

Hair is another fun way to add to an alien design, especially for more humanoid ones! Since aliens aren’t human, you can give them all kinds of wacky hairstyles and colors! You could play around with ideas such as…

• Super twirly pigtails
• Multicolored hair
• Extra long graceful braids
• Floating hair
• A retro bob
• Hair made from something that’s not hair
• Cutesy space buns

There's lots of fun options when it comes to hairstyles for aliens! You can mix and match different hairstyles to create an extra unique look as well!

A good example of using hair for alien design would be BrainR0t’s OC Vrávny! Vrávny has cool floaty hair!

Another good example would be wizzardpantz’s OC Candice! Candice has cool messy green and black hair!

Add some unique extra features to your alien!

A part of alien designs that’s really fun, and my personal favorite aspect, is unique features! There’s lots of different things you can add to an alien to help them look more, well, alien-like! If you need inspiration, you can consider things like…

• Fun-shaped antennae
• Unique skin colors
• Cool skin patterns or tattoos
• Extra eyes
• Extra mouths
• Extra teeth
• Extra arms
• Extra legs
• Pointed ears
• Translucent jelly-like limbs
• Fins
• Sharp teeth
• Animal ears
• Animal tails
• Bug wings
• A unique eye design

The sky’s the limit when it comes to alien features! Or, er, past the sky I suppose!

The details can have to do with the environment of their home planet, or it could just be based on the rule of cool! 

A good example of unique features on an alien design would be WR10’s OC Zal’ni! Zal’ni has cool scales, antennae, and other features!

Another good example would be Reagzan’s OC Pterois! Pterois has cool antennae, patterns, and other features!

Creating an alien character can be a lot of fun! Leaning into aesthetics, picking out cool clothes and accessories, and giving your OC an interesting appearance can all help you design a unique and creative alien character! Don’t stress too much about your alien’s design, and remember to have fun with it!

Need some more ideas for your alien character? I mentioned eyes earlier, and there’s an article dedicated to eye designs here if you’re interested! If you need some backstory ideas for your alien, try this article on using fear in a backstory here!