Compose styles
Rather than blending styles toward a middle, this gives them roles. The first one carries the structure, the next comes in as the accent, and anything after that shows up in a single detail. Where they fight each other, it says so before you start.
How to divide the work
- Composition
- Follow Kawaii: One large face centered, space kept clear all around it
- Type
- Set in Kawaii's manner (Rounded gothic, wide letterforms, even stroke weight), and let Kidcore's lettering (Big rounded letters, hand lettering) appear only where you want the eye to catch.
- Material
- Ground in Kawaii's material (Desaturated pastel and white, matte rather than glossy); bring in exactly one thing from Kidcore (Red, yellow, blue, plastic, thick outlines).
- Colour
- Build on #f4e5f3, #e24aa1, #3f2d2a and admit one accent from #ffdf32, #f33f56, #2f75d6.
Where they fight
- Kawaii and Kidcore both belong to Pop, so the difference is small. Push the roles further apart than feels comfortable.
Caution
- Kawaii Assuming that bigger eyes and paler color make something cute loses the tension in the contour and leaves only a slack face.
- Kidcore Don't confuse child-directed with childish. Mind age-appropriateness and safety.
Image prompt
Produce four original images that take their structure from Kawaii (aesthetic, 1970s–) and their accent from Kidcore (style, 1990s nostalgia). ## What to make Make the kind of thing Kawaii exists for: guidance and warnings for children or beginners that must not frighten, or designing a municipal or corporate mascot meant to last for decades. Choose one subject and hold it across all four. ## Structure comes from Kawaii - Faces of circles and empty space - Big eyes, elided mouths - Pastel softness - Looseness and defenselessness Composition: One large face centered, space kept clear all around it. Type and lettering: Rounded gothic, wide letterforms, even stroke weight. ## Accent comes from Kidcore, used sparingly - Primary colors - Smileys - Rainbows - Toy shapes Let one material quality come from it: Red, yellow, blue, plastic, thick outlines. ## Colour and feeling Build the ground on #f4e5f3, carry the structure in #e24aa1 and #3f2d2a, and let a single accent come from #f33f56. These are read off real works, so a direction rather than a fixed palette. Feeling to carry: intimacy, play, nostalgia, exhilaration. ## Where they fight - Kawaii and Kidcore both belong to Pop, so the difference is small. Push the roles further apart than feels comfortable. ## What goes wrong - Kawaii: Assuming that bigger eyes and paler color make something cute loses the tension in the contour and leaves only a slack face. - Kidcore: Don't confuse child-directed with childish. Mind age-appropriateness and safety. ## Across the four Keep the roles fixed in all four. Vary the framing, the scale and the arrangement so the set shows what this pairing can do rather than four versions of one picture. ## Constraints - Do not imitate, reference or name any specific artist, studio, brand, character or copyrighted work. - Do not reproduce the composition of an existing work. - Produce original compositions in the general period languages described above.
Related entries
- Kawaii 1970s– / Aesthetic / Pop
Japan's aesthetic of round contours, big eyes, pastel and looseness that summons the urge to protect. From girls' handwriting and fancy goods it softened the surface of an entire society, from public signage to corporate mascots.
- Kidcore 1990s nostalgia / Style / Pop
Recalls toys, stickers and school supplies in unconditionally bright color.
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