Don't Just Give Objects a Face. Give Them a Desire.

INKTOBER DAY 30: COOKIE

A cookie is just a cookie.

Someone eating a cookie isn't a particularly surprising image, either.

So, how can we make it more interesting?

One technique is called humanizing.

Take an object that isn't alive and give it some characteristics of a living thing.

You can give it a face, eyes, or even human body parts.

Or you can give it an action.

Running. Reading. Thinking. Eating.

Suddenly, the object becomes something more.

But what if we take this idea one step further?

Instead of showing a child eating a cookie, what if we show a cookie about to eat a child?

That's what happens when we think the opposite.

The cookie becomes enormous. Its chocolate chips look like eyes, and the bite taken out of it becomes a mouth.

Suddenly, it looks like a hungry creature.

And if it reminds you of Pac-Man, that's another interesting connection.

We can use shapes and images that people may already recognize to add another layer to our visual stories.

Today's tip:

Don't just give an object a face.

Give it a desire. An intention. An action.

And if you want to make it even more disruptive, reverse the expected relationship.

What if the thing being eaten became the thing doing the eating?