Kristopher Ballard

Kristopher Ballard

Hometown: Mobile, Alabama

Culture Shock Trading Cards

Character design has an impactful part of the graphic design process of creating shows and movies, comics, and video games. They can provide the visuals needed to make a wide arrangement of characters that can assist with compelling stories. Cultures can also affect the way that a character is designed reinforcing the connection to the viewer through it. Your interest in it or your inclusion within it makes the use of the culture along with character designs make them more relatable and understandable. This also applies to the superheroes and supervillains and the roles that they reflect. Heroes and villains that echo the traits of culture can provide a refreshing outlook, a new perspective, or a resonating appeal. I have always been drawn to the fusion of culture and character design. The combination of the cultural themes and motifs along with superhero and supervillain designs can drive your attention to them.

My project "Culture Shock" is a collection of artworks used for trading cards. Each design is reflective of one of four cultures that are used as a basis. America, Japan, Russia, and Brazil are the countries with cultures used in this gallery. Each culture has four designs to help illustrate them with one main hero, one main villain, and two side characters. I have also included some information about the heroes/villains to help show the driving force of the designs and their symbolism. Cultural designs that have the modern take on both the past and the present. The aspects of these cultures are seen through symbolism to strengthen the connection. Every design having a way to resonate with each culture from its own perspective.