featured crit
coffee dealer joe
created by: dylan michael
top three notes
note one: facial expression
The facial expression of Coffee Dealer Joe reveals the personality of this character.
note two: coffee items
After seeing Joes’ facial expression, we automatically look at the inside of his trench coat that he is revealing to us. For any coffee drinker, this is a goldmine.
note three: anthropomorphism
We’ve seen a human in a trench coat selling watches (which inspired this character design,) but we haven’t seen a giant cup of coffee in a trench coat selling coffee.
Intro
This is Coffee Dealer Joe. The illustrator Dylan Michael created this character in 2019. After years of never drinking coffee, he finally became a coffee drinker once he started working third shift. While brainstorming a new character to draw, he figured illustrating a coffee character would appeal to a majority of people. When thinking of the addictive effects of coffee, he focused on the visual image of someone selling illegal items in an alleyway. After research, references, and sketches, Coffee Dealer Joe was created. Dylan describes Joe’s characteristics as quiet, slick, and not a snitch. Joe’s target audience ranges from young adults to parents in their 40s. The objective for this character started off as a character design for selling stickers and to eventually be made into a comic series. Recently, Coffee Dealer Joe was a part of a photography project that merged photography and illustration into one.
Conclusion: What are the emotions you feel?
How many people drink coffee? Let’s do the math! Currently, in 2023, there are 7.98 billion people on earth. With 12.6% of them drinking coffee. That’s around a billion people who drink coffee. Our emotions are triggered by past experiences and sensations from the brain’s outside world. When one of the billion people who enjoy coffee acknowledges Coffee Dealer Joes’ character design, most likely their emotions will begin to focus on their own experience of coffee. Then, they’ll begin to understand the personality traits and goals of Joe because of his visual design. By that time, their emotions will be compromised by their love of coffee. If the viewer is a fan of comedy, then those emotions and interest will increase.
On the other hand. There are other billions of people who do not drink coffee. Their emotions will differ drastically. For example, some people with ADHD who are not affected by the benefits of coffee will probably be confused and have a lack of interest in the character.
The character design of Joe focuses heavily on anthropomorphism, facial expression, and character items. Other elements like color and line art could be tweaked, but overall the character design of Coffee Dealer Joe fits well.
