What We Do >  Character Art & Illustration

Character Art & Illustration For Toy and Entertainment Brands

Visually Expressive Artwork That Captures and Elevates Brand Personality

At Design Force, Inc., we specialize in character art and illustration that brings toy and entertainment brands to life. Our artwork is emotionally engaging, brand-accurate, and licensee-friendly. Whether we’re developing key art for a new IP, illustrating legacy characters for a style guide update, or creating artwork for the front panel of a toy brand’s packaging, our work is rooted in visual storytelling and executed with precision. Our character art and illustration work reflects each brand’s voice, inspires innovative products, and elevates shelf presence across consumer product categories.

Iconic Character Art and Illustration Designed for Visual Impact

No two brands are the same – and neither is the artwork we create to support a toy or entertainment brand’s package design system or licensing program style guide. Each brand demands a unique stylistic approach. Therefore, our team doesn’t have an identifiable illustration style that we force to work on every brand. Instead, we determine the most appropriate style, whether executed by our in-house team or external illustration partners, to create emotionally resonant imagery that supports both licensed and non-licensed brands.

We go beyond surface-level appeal to craft artwork that works perfectly for all usage scenarios. From highly-rendered CG artwork to full- and limited-color vector artwork, we ensure that everything we create is rendered consistently while retaining the flexibility to meet a variety of design needs.

With brand licensing in mind, the artwork we create can easily be implemented by licensee partners across a broad range of products – ensuring visual consistency, creative flexibility, and adherence to brand guidelines.

OUR CHARACTER ART & ILLUSTRATION EXPERTISE INCLUDES

  • On-model character illustration in CG and vector
  • Turnarounds, expression sheets & action poses
  • Key art development
  • Illustrated scenes & backgrounds
  • Artwork for packaging & in-store promotional materials
  • Licensing-ready illustration systems

CHARACTER ART & ILLUSTRATION FOR TOY AND ENTERTAINMENT BRANDS

From Concept to Final Art Execution: Our Workflow

We begin with an in-depth review of a brand’s illustration needs. If it’s character artwork, we educate ourselves on the character’s backstory, brand voice, and visual history. If we need to illustrate a scene, background or a toy product’s play pattern, we develop a clear understanding of what needs to be conveyed to the target audience.

Based on that insight, we explore pose direction or create compositions, then determine the most appropriate stylistic approach. Once stakeholder approval is achieved, we then execute final artwork that aligns with the brand’s overarching marketing strategy and meets each usage scenario’s requirements.

Ready to Create Character Artwork That Engages and Inspires?

Let’s create character artwork that celebrates your brand and drives fan excitement. We’ll deliver imagery for licensed products and packaging that inspires purchases.

Our Character Art & Illustration Portfolio

Volar case study thumbnail image

Concacaf

Concacaf Mascot
Design

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Blippi Core Style Guide Thumbnail

Moonbug Entertainment

Blippi Core Style Guide

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NHL Stadium Series Marvel Mascots Design thumbnail image

Marvel Entertainment

NHL Stadium Series
Marvel Mascots Design

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Volar comic book thumbnail

Marvel Entertainment

Volar Comic Book

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Jumanji game package design refresh thumbnail

Spin Master Ltd.

JUMANJI 30th Anniversary
Package Design

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MiLB Marvel Team Logos Thumbnail

Marvel Entertainment

MiLB x Marvel Team Logo Designs

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Baldur's Gate III Style Guide Thumbnail

Wizards of the Coast

Baldur’s Gate III
Style Guide

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spidey and his amazing friends style guide thumbnail

Marvel Entertainment

Spidey and his
Amazing Friends
Style Guide

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Star Wars The Force Awakens Style Guide Design - Portfolio

Lucasfilm

Star Wars:
The Force Awakens
Style Guide

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Dungeons & Dragons Halloween Capsule Thumbnail

Wizards of the Coast

Dungeons & Dragons
Halloween Capsule

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Dungeons & Dragons Winter Holiday Capsule Thumbnail

Wizards of the Coast

Dungeons & Dragons
Winter Holiday Capsule

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Dungeons & Dragons Dark Alliance Character Art Thumbnail

Wizards of the Coast

Dungeons & Dragons:
Dark Alliance
Character Artwork

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magic the gathering dungeons & dragons adventures in the forgotten realms style guide thumbnail

Wizards of the Coast

Magic: The Gathering
Dungeons & Dragons
Style Guide

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Wakanda Forever African Street Art Thumbnail

Marvel Entertainment

Wakanda Forever
African Street Art

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Outfit7

Talking Tom and Friends
3D Mini Style Guide

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Monsterror Style Guide Design - Portfolio

NBC Universal

Monsterror
Style Guide

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Plants vs. Zombies Style Guide Design - Portfolio

PopCap Games

Plants vs. Zombies
Style Guide

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Star Trek Universe Style Guide Design - Portfolio

ViacomCBS Consumer Products

Star Trek Universe
Style Guide

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The Twilight Zone Illustrations - Portfolio

ViacomCBS Consumer Products

The Twilight Zone
Illustrations

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Team NASCAR Style Guide Design - Portfolio

NASCAR

Team Nascar
Style Guide

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Seuss Chef Style Guide - Portfolio

Dr. Seuss Enterprises

Seuss Chef
Style Guide

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Hatchimals Style Guide - Portfolio

Spin Master Ltd.

Hatchimals
Style Guide

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Etch-A-Sketch Style Guide Design - Portfolio

Spin Master Ltd.

Etch-A-Sketch
Style Guide

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Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark Character Artwork - Portfolio

ViacomCBS Consumer Products

Scary Stories to
Tell in the Dark
Character Artwork

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Transformers Dark of the Moon Style Guide Design - Portfolio

Hasbro

Transformers
Dark of the Moon
Style Guide

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Nickelodeon UK

Blaze and the Monster Machines
Style Guide

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