The Design That Almost Broke Everything

A conceptual piece testing if art styles can hold in the same world

When I set out to build The Canis, it was to try and solve a few problems at once.
I didn’t anticipate creating one instead.

Enter, the jellyfish.

I did not choose this design. It popped into my head one night.

I have a real fondness for political cartoonists. I grew up on Zapiro in South Africa and enjoy many of today’s artists.

The jellyfish concept was my own little protest. I shelved the idea for a couple of weeks until the jellyfish suddenly slotted into place within The Canis. A condition. Spineless. The enchanted ones.
It represents what confronts us. What we’re up against in The Canis.

Jellyfish nightmares

Spineless

I kept waking up at 5am with the jellyfish fading behind my eyelids. Hating it.
It took me 5 days to do. 3 of those were 7.5 hour sit ins.

The one that ended up on garment is the second third version.

I couldn’t see why. Was it conceptually weak? Probably. Was it good? I don’t know.

Nearly broke The Canis

Five minutes after I’ve built The Canis, I’ve designed a character that broke it. I could not tell if it was pushing one style of art too far.

If I have, which style do I go with, do I need to redesign everything and pick one or will this evolution of story be legible?  My brain was a rolodex of symbols and iconography.

The irony is this is exactly what Spineless represents

The conditions that spread and fracture our systems, that push to the brink and force change.
I bit the bullet and released it into the wild. I still hated it.

I mocked up the world. I needed to see conceptually if it held. No one knows that the Raptor design is really a sleeping geometric creature. No one knows that the Sun Eater doodle has morphed into a formidable Token. No one knows how dangerous it is. The fragments are only just being unearthed.

It didn’t break

To my surprise, it held. Even if the AI concept mock-up has gone a little literal with Raptor…He was inspired by the Bio-Raptors from Pitch Black. Still some of the best creature sound design ever made.

Spineless

The enchanted. Because pressure always finds a form. The condition. Organic streetwear for those who recognise.

The next 5 designs are planned.
The next fragment is being unearthed.
I thought the jellyfish was going to break The Canis.

It didn’t.
I like it now.