Adventure Time DVD Design
Being one of my favorite shows of all time, I thought it was fitting to do a post about the Adventure Time DVD set. The design of them is very fun and full of creativity. The set contains 8 DVDs each pertaining to a particular character. Each DVD has the case itself as well as a cardboard sleeve that covers it. This sleeve shows the outward appearance of the characters, this is how they present themselves for the majority of the show. When you remove the sleeve, it shows a different version of the character. This variation more or less shows how the characters evolve over the course of the series. The inside of the DVD continues this story. There are typically two discs inside the case, one shows the character’s skull, the other shows the character’s brain/spirit. Each of these designs is unique to the character and ranges from designs of a human skull and brain to a candy skull to a robot heart and computer disc. The last piece inside these DVDs is a paper slip that contains a list of all of the episodes in the season. These lists also contain a drawing with the muscular structure of each of the characters, giving you a better sense of what these characters actually are. I think that this is a fascination choice for the design of a kid’s show DVD set. They are literally dissecting the main characters of the series and continuing to build upon the story by doing so. Just this design choice gives another layer of depth to the series and I absolutely love it.
Lauren! I agree wholeheartedly with your love for Adventure time. The complex stories and themes contained within this show hit home for many people. Like you mentioned, the characters of this show are one of its greatest qualities. The varying personalities showcased have been infused within each individual part of the set.
Within the basics of character design, there are 3 underlying shapes that you use to visually convey character personality traits. The triangle represents a dynamic, powerful, unstable character. The circle represents a soft, cute, innocent or unified character. Finally, the square represents a strong, stable and balanced character. These shapes are infused within the character at the beginning of the design process and used to construct the overall shape of the character. A combination of these various shapes can create a more complex character.
I find it ironic and also fitting that the two characters showcased on the cd boxes are the characters BMO and Princess Bubblegum. Within the show BMO is a sweet childlike character who in times of trouble, can be leaned upon by their friends. Princess Bubblegum is a leader of her people who creates amazing experiments but can become stressed out and frustrated sometimes. BMO’s design is primarily composed of squares; however, they have circular shapes throughout them, and some of the squares are slightly rounded. This reflects BMOs stability but childish nature. PB (Princess Bubblegum) is primarily composed of a long rectangle, however connecting her head to her shoulders are two inverted triangles, representing her dynamic and sometimes unstable nature, but she can still lead despite that and takes great efforts to protect her people. Primarily these characters are square based.
The part that I found ironic about this box set is the shape in which the characters are framed within the DVD box, it is a rectangle. The shape centrally associated with these characters, from a design aspect, is the shape of the box that they are found in. While this is most likely a DVD-industry-standard I still enjoy the coincidence and am thoroughly amused by it.
Source Used
https://www.conceptstart.net/art-tutorial/improve-shape-language-silhouette-in-concept-art-design-illustration
Don, The. “Shape Language & Silhouette in Art & Design.” ConceptStart.net, Concept Start, 2020, http://www.conceptstart.net/art-tutorial/improve-shape-language-silhouette-in-concept-art-design-illustration.
Formally yours, Noah Weaver