radiumlowi [2014-06-18 14:24:52 +0000 UTC]

Recently I've been characters based from radioactive elements, I give them a new dash rather than the mainstream mutant design. I base on the elements characteristics and even history for their designs. Example Polonium's a young girl in Polish traditional dress and has a very rigid, serious personality (deep inside she's very soft). Also planning a back story about how they got along with the stable elements and adventures around them...

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joeabuy1000 [2014-06-15 00:37:37 +0000 UTC]

The technical term for this is "anthropomorphic personification," or in some circles, "humanization" (though that has meanings in more formal discourse), because it turns into a human image what is typically an idea or a concept. It's been around for some time but it came into prominence in DeviantArt circles due to the popularity of certain series that rely on anthropomorphic personifications:  the most prominent are Hetalia and Scandinavia and the World while others include OS-tan and Afuganisu-tan, which have smaller but sizable fandoms themselves.

I'd like to add something to the part describing the outfits and one thing on narrative. As you've mentioned, individual details count since most people who do personifications, including myself, usually incorporate some form of allegory into the character. Depending on what's being personified, the outfit and its details can range from plain but referential (concepts, websites, ideas, nations) to elaborate yet descriptive (animals, foodstuff, technology, items). Hetalia, for instance, personified nations (mostly those involved in WWII) and their primary outfits are based on stylized historical uniforms; likewise, Font Conference and Font Fight by College Humor used visual puns on the font names in the form of their costumes, which are essentially otherwise regular clothes.

Adding a narrative to the personification (i.e. a description, or a series, depends) gives a bit more depth to the personification and if done, helps the transition of the idea into a living, breathing person. Doing one's research pays off here since it allows the image to reflect more on the history behind it. If one were to add a personality in this description, it should reflect in some way on the object and the culture behind it. Research is your friend, and so is experience.

That being said, the HowTo captures the gist and process of creating an anthropomorphic personification pretty well.

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