PICKPOCKET
Currently writing an animated series targeting teens and young adults. PICKPOCKET follows protagonists Mia and Indusa as they discover themselves while navigating a dystopian near future ruled by gambling and consumerism.
synopsis
In a society stratified by social credit and powerful abilities, every year the annual Roulette designates a Pickpocket to participate in a bloodsport designed to bar access into the best high school in the nation. After a tragedy frames two girls from opposing social castes as fugitives, Mia and Indusa have to outwit Rapa City as the unwavering police force pursues them.
CHARACTER ART
mia
A former Pickpocket who was successful and now goes to Legacy Academy free of cost. Born and raised in Rapa City, Mia wants to use the opportunity given to her by winning the Roulette in order to game the system and help out her Mom. After helping the current Pickpocket, Indusa, brandishes her a fugitive, Mia finds agency within a found community and strives to dismantle the system instead of work within it.
Apathetic, cynical, rebellious, good natured
indusa
A member of the Founding Families who was disowned after being marked. After being disowned Indusa is named the current Pickpocket and has to learn how to survive the ruthless city life. After learning more about the real Rapa City, Indusa becomes radicalized and begins to use her family name to help those wronged by the system.
Optimistic, naive, stubborn, hard working
Carrion
The leader of the Debt Collectors’ Special Division who is sent after the girls for the duration of the series. As the girls continue to evade capture, he becomes more and more ruthless until he eventually goes rogue and hunts the girls on his own terms. Everyone who is captured or killed by Carrion is scarred on half of their face.
Vengeful, perfectionist, sadistic, obsessive
Debt Collectors
The Debt Collectors are a militarized police force who man inspection stations across Rapa City as well as perform regular police duties. These stations monitor one’s credit and if that amount reaches zero, a bounty is placed that the Debt Collectors come to collect. Those who are zeroed often end up disappeared. Who knows where they end up?
LOGO DESIGN
The design process for Pickpocket’s logo was challenging because I wanted to incorporate two opposing aesthetics to the design. Since Pickpocket is set in a dystopian future and the series has sci-fi elements, I needed to hint at that within the title. Sci-fi typefaces are usually sleek, uniform, and segmented and often evoke technology like alarm clocks, digital interfaces, or industrialized factories. On the other hand, the heart of these characters is a punk attitude which determines the tone of the series. Punk typefaces are usually jagged and sharp or extremely inconsistent. They evoke band logos and concert promotion posters. The only thing uniform is that nothing is uniform.
Two bring these two contrasting aesthetics together I decided to focus on the sharpness of both styles and the idea of distorting the technological aesthetic.
