"Magical Grandmas"
A case study
Part 1: The Challenge:
Design Brief
Design two "Magical Grandmas": one inspired by the familiar image of a grandmother, and one that deliberately challenges it.
The keyword wasn't magical—it was maybe.
The challenge wasn't to create witches or fantasy characters, but to rethink what a grandmother could be. She could be young or old, adventurous or reserved, an artist, a mechanic or an explorer. The goal wasn't to reinforce familiar stereotypes, but to create memorable personalities that hinted at rich lives and untold stories before a single word had been spoken.
Any sense of magic should emerge naturally from the character itself—not from pointed hats, wands or familiar fantasy clichés. The goal was to create characters that felt authentic, unexpected and instantly memorable.
Part 2: The Process
This is the part I enjoy most: exploration.
I started by collecting references and visual inspiration, exploring different interpretations of what a grandmother could look and feel like today. Rather than searching for a single solution, I deliberately cast a wide net, drawing inspiration from different cultures, professions, personalities and lifestyles.
From there, I moved into rapid sketching, filling pages with loose explorations and associative doodles. At this stage, nothing was precious. The goal wasn't to design the character, but to discover possibilities, test silhouettes, explore personalities and allow unexpected ideas to emerge naturally.
Although the brief called for only two grandmothers, the exploration ultimately led to four distinct characters. Each one offers a different interpretation of the challenge while staying true to the same underlying design philosophy.
Part 3: The Outcome
This is the part I enjoy most: exploration.
Of the four concepts, Graffiti Grandma was selected for the second stage of the challenge. The focus now shifted from character design to visual storytelling. Rather than placing the character into a generic setting, the task was to create an environment that revealed just as much about her personality as the design itself.
The resulting illustration treats character and environment as a single narrative. Every object contributes to the story, inviting the viewer to discover details that reinforce who she is without relying on exposition.
Part 4: Conclusion
This project perfectly captures what I enjoy most about character design: taking familiar archetypes, questioning expectations and discovering new personalities through exploration.
Breaking clichés doesn't mean rejecting them. It means understanding what makes them familiar, then pushing them just far enough to become fresh, surprising and believable. That's where the most interesting characters often emerge.
The challenge itself became the beginning of something much bigger. Graffiti Grandma was selected, and the concept evolved into a future children's book project.
More than anything, this experience reminded me that exploration is rarely time wasted. The willingness to sketch broadly, embrace unexpected ideas and challenge first impressions is often what leads to the strongest characters—and to stories worth telling.
