Tips on Making an Effective Vtuber Design

Hiya, I’m Iiji, and I’m a professional 3D modeler and illustrator, among other things, and I've got some tips on vtuber character design for ya.
I am but a humble art teacher and not a businessman, but I hope this is helpful! Let me know if there are any other vtubing or art-related concepts you'd like me to cover too.
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If you'd like to see more of my content:
Twitter: / squiiji_3d
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Throne: throne.com/squiiji_3d
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Credits:
Free to use music: Noiseless: World noiselessworld.net/en
Stock footage: Pixabay
Vtuber background and model: Me! (:

[@squiijivt]

Thank you for all the interest in receiving critiques on character designs! I got 30+ DMs about it overnight and figured it might be more manageable to made a video or two going over my thoughts on designs! If you're interested in a critique and alright with having your design featured in a video, submit it here: forms.gle/49Vuj4S9Vn8NqDq56

[@KindlyKobold]

Very interested in submitting for this, is there a deadline for submissions? I haven't finished my ref sheet, but can probably get it done tomorrow or the day after!

[@squiijivt]

There's no deadline!

[@NecrochildK]

First time seeing your channel and I absolutely love your inky cap design. It's so cute!

[@auxtaku3449]

​@@squiijivtI can tell who those 2 silhouettes are that you didn't say one is. finana, and the other one is silvervale.

[@GuuchanCh]

I never thought that "marketable plushies" could also be useful for determining successful character design instead of just being cute gremlin merchandise. Thanks for the video!

[@squiijivt]

I'm glad you liked it! It's a fun little exercise for learning simplification (:

[@Saincisco]

Heck yeah!

[@fursuitjumpscare]

Me, who does not have the money, patience, art skill, equipment/software or even a substantial reason to create a v-tuber model: "Hmm, this looks interesting."

[@jamamatr]

Me with a broken pc and no skills: "relatable"

[@HumanzSuck]

Me, a broke preteen with no artskill, or software or any reason to have one: I agree completely

[@SlimeyZockt]

I have to say, Pikamee probably was the only V-Tuber I came to because of the design. Never really watched anyone else. Here design was so unique and amazing, it was like that simplified manga style I really love. I stuck around because of who she was and it was really fun. If I ever would have to make a V-Tuber, it would be a design similar to that of Pikamee

[@squiijivt]

Pikamee's design was really smart because of that! I agree that her design also initially drew my interest in watching her

[@RustySpoke]

ME TOO! I always liked the thought of a 2d amazing world of gumball looking vtuber model and it looks just so good

[@SolaireIntensifies]

You might like Rosedoodle then. She also has a pretty simple design but is super expressive and nice to look at. Almost the same color palette too

[@SlimeyZockt]

@@SolaireIntensifies seen a bit of her before. Doesn't really strike my fancy

[@StorymasterQ]

Sometimes I can still hear her, kettling over at Henya's streams 🤣

[@kaveman421]

Don't know how many people will see this, but my additive piece here is to design a character entirely in black/white/grays because almost all art programs nowadays allow you to adjust the colors based on the values you put in. A strong value contrast will lead to a strong color contrast.

[@iota_4]

art class was always my least favorite class at school due to the teachers always complaining about how i would do it wrong and generally be demotivating, but this video like holy moly ive never been so inspired to draw something in my life i dont expect to ever become a vtuber but its so fun thinking of ideas of what my model could look like. amazing video thank you

[@squiijivt]

Aw I'm so glad you enjoyed it! I'm sorry to hear that your teachers were so dismissive, they never seem to realize how strongly that can act as a deterrent :(

[@jtetsuya]

Yes, you're such an engaging teacher. I could listen to you all day and be inspired!

[@jeanpierreruiz6393]

Tips are good not only for vtubing but for desing in general. Hope you can make more content, your content as of now feels straighforward and comfy in a good way :]

[@squiijivt]

Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying my videos (:

[@AFKei]

I was always so conscious on how 'mundane' my persona looked, but knowing the appeal in simplicity and cleanliness reaffirmed myself on my design choices.

[@catinacafe7105]

Squiiji is peak v-tuber design.

[@squiijivt]

Aw I'm glad you think so!

[@Kreativedragonling]

Agreed

[@Workloadz]

Mushroom girl peak

[@Vilverna]

A pixel art model?! how did I not think of that! that's an incredible idea!

[@gardenofskeletons]

i have next to zero interest in vtubers, but as someone who likes to draw i found this to be a useful guide for character design in general!!! thank you sm for doing this!!!

[@Eibarwoman]

I've noticed at the smaller end of Indie VTubers that there's a surprising amount of effective designs and even entertaining personalities where the issue would be they're not gachikoi bait to most straight men or deliberately are out as something that makes them only have specific gachikoi (think being openly LGBTQ or a male VTuber for example). As in some of them are fairly successful but if one moves further from the anime mold like GamerGoblinGary or my honorable mention not featured of ZozoHorrorshow of a non-anime effective VTuber design the biggest showcase outside of their usual realms might be as a design success. I am quite glad you at least included GamerGoblinGary, Iiji.

[@squiijivt]

I 100% agree! I've seen so many amazing indie designs, and yes both Gary and Zozo are great! There are a lot of pieces involved in success and character design is only one of them, but they're winning at it! I didn't really want to get into the gachikoi angle in this video, but it definitely also has an impact on vtuber design success in it's own way, and I don't blame a lot of individuals for staying away from it because it can be an uncomfortable position to be in.

[@AtariOni]

I really love your view on 'good' art versus 'effective'. Totally using this in the future.

[@ghostinablanket6032]

I just want to say one thing: thank you for being so considerate to everyone's model design! People can get so critical to the point where they are just straight up rude. It's okay to not like something, but unwanted criticism isn't. Love this video, helped me a lot even though I don't plan on debuting

[@Sobbouka]

I really appreciate how you end by discussing the variety that exists within vtubers. As well as mentioning the difference in cost and work for high-detail vs. low-detail models. Honestly, thinking about it, I'm not sure where I learned what I know about character design, but having designs that are easy to recognize when simplified really go such a long way. Especially for non-artist people like myself, who want to do some art of my own characters but don't have the skills to pull off anything more complex than simplistic chibi or adventure time style art without hitting a wall.

[@KiyoshiArts]

I plan on redesigning my sona and something that always threw it off was definitely the ladder example. It’s too perfectly separated, which isn’t too good when I’m aiming for a monster-like design

[@muzammilshakeel9224]

Hey there, You want to revamp your sona may I ask you did you redesigned your model but yourself?

[@lizwicksonata9884]

I am NOT a vtuber but I really liked your points about making a strong silhouette and I will keep them in mind when designing my character. Wide parts near thin parts, straight lines near curved lines. I’m having a bit of trouble understanding the latter design point but I’ll get it

[@Kreativedragonling]

I actually just recently finished my first custom VTuber model for myself and looking back I realize just how unique the design ended up being compared to other VTubers. The way I design things in general is pretty different than other popular styles simply because it's, well, "simple". I have a fairly distinct style that comes from doing mostly traditional art all my life. It has a lot of limitations and you often have to sacrifice tiny details because you can't just zoom in to add them. I also just prefer simple styles because they're easier to draw repeatedly. In fact, as I was working on the model I realized the niche I should fill: a traditional art VTuber. While art is oversaturated, physical art is woefully underutilized. I was also inspired by Onigiri combining VTubing and cooking.

[@wuxian1]

I SEE A KENJI PLUSHIE!!! I LOVE KENJI REPRESENTATION

[@baeber]

heck yeah we love kenji he's great

[@mintyyling]

This definitely made me appreciate the thought that goes into my favorite streamers' models! I also gotta say that I love Matarakan's roach concept. Such a unique silhouette & I appreciate that she and her artist went for a mono-pink palette to soften the look.

[@squiijivt]

I agree, I really love her design too! It's really unique in concept and silhouette and all that, her designer did an amazing job (:

[@Zcmb1e]

my most common tactic to check if my oc is as original as possible is that I put her thru google image search and see if anyone comes up

[@catmage]

One of my favorite designs is Miss Lala's. It works really well in its simplicity. If it were in the context of a hollywood movie, it could even be called generic, but take it out of that context and it's incredibly unique. It helps that she plays the character really really well.

[@plsenteraname6624]

Taking notes for improving my oc designs ✍️

[@ArchiveRagtagMoe]

I am biased to my oshi of course but Korone and Subaru's simple, comfy looks are my cup of tea. No exaggerated designs, no oversexualization, and completely wearable irl.

[@Meh_thefifth-nm5zu]

I may join the Vtuber community in a decade or so (before anyone roasts me, yes I understand how difficult, expensive, and demanding. This is just a thought) and I’ll have to reference this video if I do.

[@-yili]

"so you've just decided on your vtuber concept" yeah, uhm, about that-

[@M0D3U5_Electronica]

im young and i want to be a vtuber so ur tips always help!! thank you!! and i love ur model its so cute and adorable!!

[@muzammilshakeel9224]

Hello there, That's the great thought you want to be a vtuber, maybe you have your original character right now?

[@vilatile]

yo these essays awesome i love the way you speak your points and show examples

[@mangosday]

This is super helpful for any character design and I like that you provided examples for your points too!

[@skiyoshiVT]

Thank you so much for these tips, it's super helpful

[@willempmatheson]

Super well done and really helpful/easy to understand video! Comparison examples helped a ton too!

[@seacoloredsky]

i'll just say your design is adorable i really love it

[@lyrakae]

been studing characteur desing casually fora while and honesly it's one of the beast vids in the field! i never heard of "ladder desgin" before and it helped me find problem with my own oc. thank you Iji!

[@zephyrartch]

So much good design knowledge in here! Ahhh so good!

[@Spiritsdie2]

Please more videos on designing, they’re so educating!

[@TrainerIndigo]

This actually helped me so much and even gave my vtuber character concept some notable changes

[@NoitHub]

this an awesome video~ i like your current model concept too, its funnily unique 😄

[@sonoci]

This was such a FANTASTIC video! All of these concepts were explained so positively and in easy to understand terms. Instant subscribe :>

[@cammy4119]

Excellent video. Even removed from the specific context of VTuber designs, there's a wealth of great knowledge on character design here and I learned a lot from it. Thank you!

[@dryelene]

I've practically exhausted any and all character design content on youtube, and suddenly this blessing of a video shows up. I love the way you presented it as much as i love your own character design! Like, i adore the mushroom hair, very nice drip, very nice silhouette, love it

[@yangly0381]

this was a nice great summary of creative thought when designing, thanks so much!

[@zoruasnivy]

This is a good checklist and refresher, I've been drawing my own model and I'm hoping the fact that it's in my own artstyle will help it stand out 🙂

[@olivem.5249]

This was such an enjoyable and informative video. Your voice is so clear and bright, and I really admire how respectful you are of Vtubers and their models! I am not involved with the Vtuber world myself, but I love character design and I will definitely be watching more of your videos in the future!

[@itskiggu]

Thanks so much for explaining these design techniques in a clear and concise way. All the example pictures you used helped a lot in understanding better so thank you so much for going into the effort of adding them all into the video! The color palette and ratios also opened up my eyes to the importance of how the colors help emphasize certain aspects. I learned a lot and am going to buff up my design with these new methods!

[@jordan.zewede]

Thank you for making this video! It was so clear and helpful; I found it very easy to understand the concepts you were explaining! You make an excellent teacher! :D Also congrats on reaching 1000 subscribers!🎊

[@spooki3382]

Thanks! I could really need this for a vtuber design!

[@maidenoftheabyss5448]

thank you for your words, i am doing my best to make something that fits well and is comfortable for me. gotta figure somethings out and your videos have been really helping

[@YamAlbat]

I learned a lot, thank you so much for making the video~

[@Corvus0u0]

I honestly love your videos. They have great tips and tricks I can follow and I specifically like playing them in the background whenever I'm sketching or drawing (Though I usually do that with every video lol). I've been wanting to start streaming for some time now and the part I really struggle with is color pallet, color spacing, contrast, and over designing/under designing characters so seeing visual references I can look up at and see instead of just a wall of text/only a voice is very helpful :D

[@doofie.doodle6475]

i honestly thought this was going to be like a vtuber meta video and I'm so pleasantly surprised. I love character design and this taught me so much, genuinely brought out a notepad for everything i was learning. I'm so inspired now

[@beebs9483]

good video naice and simple explanation while covering all the bases very pog ill keep an eye on this in the future

[@wuxian1]

wonderful video, i can see that u put so much work into it! ur a cool teacher and u talk about the topics im interested in which is a win win for me! thank u so much, i love this kind of stuff! the only thing i could suggest is if u could make the images ur showing stay on screen for at least a second longer, that would be super cool, cuz when u were showing vtuber design pictures they were going away SO fast, i had to rewind and pause to "examine" them!! thank u for the amazing content u put out! so useful!

[@Ribbonjoyland]

Thank you for putting this is such a simple way that i can understand on such a complicated topic. I came here to watch good examples of vtuber models, i’m gonna close this video with new skills to create my characters- even if they’re not a vtuber thank you for the tips!

[@mossv]

These are great tips for character design! Can’t wait to try these strategies with my own designs. Keep up the great work!

[@squiijivt]

Thank you! Good luck!

[@ShadowTheLight]

watching this really gets me excited to redesign my vtuber guy when i get time to go through the rigging process again. when i made the first model i just watched a game dev video about the importance of silhouette in animation so it has a strong one, but the color balance and mouth size could use some work. thank you for making a video covering this many aspects, its a good review for design.

[@unofficiallysev8998]

your videos are always the first thing i click on when they appear on my youtube home page! :D another lovely video, thank you

[@squiijivt]

Aw I'm honored!

[@blurrybagel5991]

holy shit just dropping in, but your model is one of the coolest 3D models I've seen!

[@madcatanime4999]

Amazing tutorial! I think it helped me better grasp some concepts that I haven't been able to understand for literal YEARS of my life as an artist. I might try to dm to ask for critiques! A lot of people said my design looked fine, but I can't lie, I'm nervous I'm doing some things wrong, and this video helped a lot! Definitely subscribing!

[@The_unlucky_doll7777]

This is super cool and helpful!

[@Hasmekiel]

I learned more in 16 minutes from you than from the elective I took in uni. Thanks for the great tutorial!

[@clown-adict1094]

listening to you talk about art and character design in great detail is very motivating! listened to several of your videos in a row while working on an art piece, it helped me get threw it^^

[@lyrad24]

Thank you for this! ❤

[@wet0wl]

Wow I accidentally did a lot of these which is very reassuring. The extra tips here and there were still extremely helpful though, I appreciate it!

[@sawyertaras1180]

I don’t usually comment but this video is actually very helpful and really well made, I’ve been drawing since I was 9 and character design has always been something I’ve bumbled through

[@AngelicAkumaAcchan]

This will help loads! Thank you! :D

[@espresso5990]

Your model is so cute and unique!! Aaaaa!!❤️🌹🍒‼️ Also Thank you for the tipss!❤❤

[@RozgaArt]

This was a wonderful video!

[@Hatsune-Miku_Fan]

I love rewatching this video

[@Chocibunny]

The one step on my new main outfit I'm struggling most with is def colour palette! This video was very helpful in showing so many examples of the different stages, it was very insightful and helped me visualize what you meant much better.

[@squiijivt]

Color palettes are hard, I'd consider them my weakness too! It takes a lot of practice haha but I'm glad the video was helpful!

[@m0yasi]

This video was fantastic!! Also I love YOUR design so much oh my gosh

[@squiijivt]

Aw omg thank you so much! I love your design too, you have such a nice and unique art style! 🧡

[@m0yasi]

@@squiijivt AA THANK YOU 😭💚

[@73greenz]

Great points for both Vtuber design and character design in general! Slayyyyy

[@squiijivt]

Oh? Vincent from hit stop motion film Roadtrip? Thank youuuu

[@WolvenSwiftwind]

This is so good. You are so underrated

[@mynameusedtobelong]

Congratulations for 1K subs!

[@squiijivt]

Thank you! 🧡🧡

[@aly_914]

"be kind to yourself" 15:45 i always forget that mistakes ARE unavoidable as i am learning all the way. thank you for this! the whole video is informative and well detailed

[@amyloops]

your character design is so good!!!!!!!!! i cant stop looking at your model

[@Eshanakmalam]

Yeah i love the mushroom hair

[@Mycabbages9]

I’ll probably never make a vtuber model for myself but if I’d ever want to create vtuber models for others I think this video helps for sure! Also in my own character design in general since I’m not always great at color theory or making recognizable characters and their silhouettes. Thank you very much for making this video! I think it’s super helpful :D and sometimes my color palettes are honestly just a mess and there’s too much going on with the colors lol so I appreciate this video a lot

[@melodiusalien]

Happy to have come across this video. I was feeling so depressed about my Vtuber design. I felt like I was terrible, it was "too late" for me, etc. But, I watched this one and your previous one on design. It really got me back into the swing of things. Thanks, Squiiji. You helped me get out of my mental drought lol.

[@squiijivt]

Aw I'm so glad I could help! It's never too late, I promise!

[@pasteladream]

Thankyou so much! Surprised this doesn’t have more views the video felt very professional

[@squiijivt]

Thank you! I appreciate it!

[@pasteladream]

@@squiijivt OMG Hiii! I’m rn struggling with my vtuber design, I like soft designs and my design so far is very soft but I feel like it lacks contrast, do you know how to add contrast to a softer design?

[@dice19439]

i have a vtuber dragon concept for a while now i felt like something was missing this helped me a lot thanks you

[@himignicest1571]

seriously tho ive recently binged ur videos AND BESIDES THE FACT THAT THEYREPRETTYY GREAT, i wanted to comment how well designed ur vtuber is, like on a technical level??? im no vtuber coding expert but dang that looks 3D (unless it is 3D which DOES NOT minus from the amazing model it is)

[@BCHANARTS]

I ADORE your design. I've always loved character design. I have my PNG look for when I stream, but I am still afraid to stream. I will have to go back and give my girls design some love.

[@BlueFayt]

This video made me go get my sketchbook from the other room to note the ladder thing down, thank you for such a helpful video!

[@squiijivt]

Aw yay I'm glad you liked it, avoiding ladder design is a GAME CHANGER and I was shocked when I learned it b/c of how much it helped

[@colinehasaki]

Amazing video I'm keeping it safe in my playlist to watch it a hundred time a send it to all my friends Thank you so much

[@Nenes_Batteryless_Nenerobo12]

As a inde I have been worried about my charter design, and after watching this video I looked at my own concept for my model and definitely need to fix a lot, thank for these helpful tips

[@Kakuren]

I randomly found your channel and got to enjoy your videos and really liked this one in particular. I was then randomly recommended another vtuber named Hypa Vox and thought "wow this has a great silhouette" only to find out you helped with one of her models. Small world

[@squiijivt]

Ah thank you, I'm glad you liked the video! And yea, Vox is awesome! For how big the vtubing community is, we're all pretty interconnected (:

[@UsaretamaImako]

This is the first vid of yours I came across and I absolutely LOVE your character design so much!!! My first foraged and cooked mushroom was the Shaggy Mane mushroom and it was delish 😋😋

[@squiijivt]

Ah thank you so much! I actually just found some when I was out not too long ago too, they're my favorite kind (:

[@DepressolittleNico]

i am just now starting out as a vtuber, now creating my character and all, and finding this now has helped so much since I thINK my design might wqork out i happu lmao grart video ngl

[@kistunesweets]

I've always wanted to make mine ukiyo-e style but it's so hard w no reference except the traditional works and how textures work since not as many play w that, it's so cool though, thank you for the advice!

[@HawaiianBoy808]

After watching your video, I feel a little more confident in my character design. I'm an average sketch artist, but my color palette is balanced & I have a pretty solid concept. I definetly need to make a few minor adjustments, but all in all I'm happy with what I've come up with.^^

[@noodle_vt]

lovin the vidyoooss

[@squiijivt]

Thank you!

[@semiengima]

As someone with not only long but Fluffy hair, my silhouette is legit garbage. However, My hair being a big floof is actually someone people often tell me that they like. I also have a very simple color palette [Black, purple, white and gold highlights and brown if you include my skin] . I am fond of my design since it's not silhouette based when I change outfits I don't suddenly become a different character.

[@darknesseternal2473]

I was discussing with a friend who is willing to redesign my Vtuber for me on how to best tackle redeseigning someone's plainly human to make her stand out when i start when this video popped in out of nowhere. I was aftaid to make her unrealistic, makd her non human in a sense becaue of complexity, but hearing you talk about complexity and less realism is making me want to sit down with my friend and go all out... So, thank you! Truly thank you!

[@Khxi_0]

Vox is the one that got me into Vtubing =], im designing my model and im planning to add some stuff i dont see on other models, i've done tons of research on the community and such0 (it tooks me like 2 hours just to color in some parts of my model- i didnt even design the clothing yet- but i'll get to it eventually!)

[@TheD404]

My design will now grace the halls of the louvre, thank you 🙏😔

[@sailorenthusiast]

Funnily enough, I’m currently working on my own vtuber design. It’s currently just in the “let me get this idea down on paper and fiddle with it” stage, so listening to this video has been a nice help. I’ll definitely wanna look into ways of helping her silhouette stand out, as she’s gonna have massive wings in place of hair. Like, the wings are literally attached to her head and cascade down behind her. Because of this, if those wings are included in her silhouette, her body gets completely lost. So I’ll definitely wanna play with color to help the torso stand out over top of the wings. And speaking of color, though I do have certain color pallet in mind, I’m not quite so sure how to go about distributing those colors. It’s mostly a lot of pink and purple, with varying values. At most, I’d tried having the wings be a dark purple, the body be a pastel purple, and then have the eyes, nails, and outfit be a bright pink. Now I’m thinking I should dial back the pink and reserve that for accents, with the purples being more dominant.

[@fynnlamanske6682]

This was such a helpful way to take on making my possible character! I want to make them myself and I’m honestly not even sure if I will stream but I’ve always loved @shenpai and k want to do things like her.

[@Mordred14394]

good thing this got suggested to me~ i've been playing with the idea of the painterly artstyle, similar to that of Arcane, and my obsession to the Maria Clara dress fashion I've been thinking if these things would work with vtubing character design, especially the silhouette because the silhouettes of 19th century photos of people wearing the Maria Clara dress are basically just a triangle so perhaps hairstyles and hair accessories would enhance that…? I'm not sure, but this video is a good thing as reference

[@LockHeavenly]

Your videos are so helpful 💯💯🗣🗣

[@oranlander99]

bruh as a person who likes drawing and working to make my designs better i have to say this helps a f ton

[@andrewreynolds912]

Ive been putting a lot of effort and research into making my Vtuber character from color, shapes, symbolism, semiotics, items, clothing, etc the most ive done this for is my mascot with the future gonna put as much effort to my mascot as into my vtuber model tho the model still looks fine and not outstanding but updating and changes are expected in the future. Of course i tried to make sure the details arent too much.