Periodic Features of Korean Character Designs

Background The character industry is growing significantly in its size worldwide. The Korean character market was dominated by overseas characters in the past, however, characters of purely domestic origins have gradually expanded their domain. The character industry emerges and matures with the advent of a new medium. The present study examines the periodic flow of domestically-produced character designs through the framework of media transition suggested by Marshall McLuhan, It also attempts to postulate the future directions the Korean character industry needs to pursue by predicting shifts in the media environment which the characters will encounter in the future. Method We used the literature analysis and case study methods. We examined media formats through which domestic characters appeared and the peculiarities of the given media environment. We also created a classification system based on formative characteristics and story features, and selected and analyzed representative characters for each period in a given medium. Through the investigation of the representative characteristics for each period, we assessed the period-specific features of characters comprehensively. We then postulated formative features and story configurations for characters in a new media environment where they will make their entrance. Results The analysis of the formative features revealed that figurative appearances gradually moved away from human forms and developed into characterizations of objects or animals. Color usages shifted from simplified flat-color-field composition to the adoption of three-dimensional effect and texture. Story structuring was targeted at preschoolers and was set in a background incorporating both the East and the West. The stories contained segmented educational contents and were planned as a series. Conclusion To be able to achieve the potential for the OSMU expansion in an ever-changing media environment in the future, a character should be built on a solid storyline and should possess a formative uniqueness in its appearance and color. If characters could be planned with an emphasis on formative quality, story structuring, and media environment, the domestic character industry can anticipate accelerated growth within the strong technical infrastructure of information technology domestic market offers.