---
title: 'Video -minW2AejQw'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=-minW2AejQw'
video_id: '-minW2AejQw'
date: 2026-06-14
duration_sec: 0
---

# Video -minW2AejQw

> Source: [Video -minW2AejQw](https://youtube.com/watch?v=-minW2AejQw)

## Summary

This video presents three key guidelines for designing a VTuber model that stands out: strong silhouette, selective color palette, and the big-medium-small principle. The host demonstrates these concepts by designing a Cybernetic Cat VTuber, emphasizing clarity and personality in the design process.

### Key Points

- **Introduction to VTuber Design** [0:00] — A great VTuber design only needs three guidelines, which will be walked through to help viewers design their own dream model.
- **Choosing Themes and Traits** [0:30] — Suggest choosing 1-3 themes and a few supporting personality traits for clarity on first impression.
- **Creating a Reference Board** [0:43] — Use Pinterest or a blank canvas to collect reference images related to your ideas.
- **Drafting an Initial Design** [1:02] — Keep the initial draft loose, as it will undergo many changes. Focus on the upper half since that's what's shown during streams.
- **Silhouette and Identifiable Shapes** [1:28] — Strong silhouette offers clarity and can signal personality. Use circles (friendly), squares (reliable), or triangles (dynamic).
- **Exaggerating Key Features** [2:10] — Exaggerate features like head, jacket, and shoes to make the silhouette more iconic.
- **Color Palette Limitation** [2:21] — Limit colors to one main, one secondary, and a few supporting colors for clarity.
- **Color Associations** [2:49] — Colors can signify traits (e.g., red for energy, yellow for happiness), but associations are guidelines.
- **Using Color Theory** [3:11] — Use color theory (analogous, complementary) to find harmonious combinations. Neutral colors (black, white, gray, brown) can enhance variation without disrupting balance.
- **Big, Medium, Small Principle** [4:05] — Design elements should be arranged in a hierarchy: main visual element, secondary elements, and supporting details, with rest areas for the eyes.
- **Final Design and Next Steps** [5:36] — The design process takes time but is worth it. The final design is shown, and viewers are directed to a next video on separating drawings for Live2D.

### Conclusion

The three guidelines—silhouette, color palette, and big-medium-small—provide a solid foundation for designing a distinctive VTuber model. The process requires planning and iteration but results in a strong start for a VTubing journey.

## Transcript

This is how you design a VTuber model
that stands out against the crowd.
A great design only needs three guidelines.
I'll walk you through all of them,
so you can design your very own...
DREAM VTUBER MODEL
It takes a few week to fully plan,
draw,
and rig a model.
A solid design can save you time
and also give you a strong start to your VTubing journey.
If you're new to the channel, welcome!
I love all things VTuber.
And on this channel, I'll give you the complete guide to become a VTuber yourself.
Let's get started!
For this video, I will be designing a Cybernetic Cat VTuber.
I suggest choosing 1-3 themes and a few supporting personality traits.
CLARITY on first impression is your goal
Before we get into the specific guideline,
you should create a reference board.
You can do this by creating a Pinterest board
with images relating to your ideas.
Pinterest is nice because as you build up your references,
it recommends similar images based on what you already saved.
Likewise, you can organize your own set of images in a blank canvas
if that works better for you.
Next, draft an initial design.
Keep it loose.
We'll have it undergo a lot of changes throughout the video.
And also, keep in mind,
when you're streaming, you'll most likely be showing the upper half of the character.
So, don't go too crazy on the legs...
(unless, you want to)!
*knock knock*
*door opens*
*distant voice* ʸᵉᵃʰˀ
Oh, it's- it's Ollie.
How did we figure out it was Ollie
even BEFORE we see her?
Of course, it's because of her silhouette.
Characters are recognizable through their silhouette because of
IDENTIFIABLE SHAPES
Strong silhouette offers CLARITY,
and they can even offer a sense of their personality.
You can lean your designs into circles, triangles, or squares to signal certain trait.
Circles tend to exude comfort and friendliness.
Squares are strong, sturdy, and reliable.
Triangles are sharp, unpredictable, and dynamic.
Consider covering your design in a black silhouette,
and evaluate what you  can push or exaggerate to make it more iconic.
A small tip- it can be just as simple as a small visual flair near the head.
For my design, I exaggerated the head, jacket, and shoes.
I also pushed angular and circular shapes as I see fit.
With that done, we can move to the color palette.
Hold up!
Don't add too many colors.
Why don't we narrow our choices juuuust a little bit?
With an array of colors to choose from,
how do we decide what color works best for us?
There are many ways to approach color,
but I recommend picking
one main color,
one secondary color
and a few supporting colors in the end.
Be SELECTIVE.
CLARITY is what we strive for with our colors,
and that's best achieve by limiting our palette to a few choices.
interestingly, colors by themselves can signify a range of character traits
such as red representing energy and passion
or yellow representing happiness and youth.
Of course, color associations are more like guidelines.
So while yellow might signal happiness,
it could signal danger to others.
If you have trouble coming up with the color combination,
we can use color theory.
Color theory is thought of as the harmonious relationship of colors on the color wheel.
Some examples include
"analogous" where the colors are next to each other
or "complimentary" where the colors are opposite of each other.
I have included the link to the website,
so you can try for yourself and see what works.
One tip about colors is that black,
white,
gray,
and brown are neutral colors.
Neutral colors aren't on the color wheel,
but they can compliment your palette
without disrupting the balance of colors.
They can enhance variation,
soften vibrancy,
and highlight focal point in a piece.
My favorite example of this is Bae
where her general design is based on the concept of chaos
and further inspired by the Japanese temari ball.
The blue, yellow, and red are loud and clashing, but the black and white ties her palette together in a more
𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 chaos for her design.
For my own design,
i thought that the robot was... kinda boring.
so I took inspiration from a...
lamp unexpectedly.
What has more appeal?
This...
or this?
Most people will say that the bottom set of boxes
have more visual appeal than the top set of boxes.
Why is that?
This leads to the final guideline big, medium, and small.
When it's applied to design,
we can think of it like a stage.
The main visual element is sharing the stage
with the lesser secondary element
which is being further supported by details.
For example,
in IRyS 2.0 her main design is concentrated on her head and her dress.
This is gauged upon on first glance.
The secondary elements that support these main elements
are her horns, her ruffles, and her flowers.
Some of the smaller details include
her crown, her lacing, and the bows in her hair.
While all of these elements are on stage
taking place on her head and her dress,
her legs serve as point of rest for our eyes.
Otherwise, there would be competing elements with one another.
A lot of this is subjective,
so what you may consider to be "big", "medium", and "small",
may differ from mine.
I find that most VTuber designs
tend to have their main elements,
but struggle with some of the more supporting details.
Perhaps you can add accessories to the hair,
have wings in unique places,
Or have...
a nice hat!
Be CREATIVE.
The design process takes a while, but it's well worth it.
Here is the final design I came up with.
Watch this next video to learn how to separate your drawing for Live2D.
It's super easy.
I promise.
Feel free to support me by subscribing to my channel,
Or checking out my live stream here on YouTube.