I can’t believe that I met the Joker in person. OK, I didn’t really meet him, but I did come across his wax statue in Niagara Falls when I went last weekend.

Upon discovering this demented lunatic who was casually sitting in prison and staring everybody down, I was amazed at the level of detail that went into creating a character such as this.

Just looking into his eyes was enough to make me shudder (just a bit). My wife was looking at me rather peculiarly and did not understand my fascination with this deranged murderer. I simply stood there, scouring him from head to foot looking for flaws, observing the level of detail that when into this art piece…I was in awe.

No matter where I surveyed, my eyes kept coming back to meet his. He was staring at me…he was staring right through me…what did I do to him to deserve becoming the object of ravenous death?

I later inquired as to how much this art work would cost to make. The lady at the concession stand replied “Anywhere from $100,000 to $500,000″. She pointed out all the other inmates that surrounded the Joker (Mr. Joker to you) and explained the level of detailed craftsmanship that went into each one that justified the total price. The Joker by himself cost $150,000.

When I had left the Movieland Wax Museum, like always, I began to meditate on the level of detail that was invested into designing the Joker and how I could align this with online design and artistry. The answer was quick and simple, the answer was ‘The more time, patience and level of detail that we invest during the conceptual stages of our designs, will determine how much time viewers will spend admiring the amount of dedicated patience and detailed artistry that went into the finished design”.

In a sense, it’s not really a real revelation, but it is indeed a reminder that we as designers need not carelessly slap things together to simply get the job done.

Looking back at the Joker, I remember how many people surrounded this one character in particular. Others, like myself, stood there and simply stared into his eyes and admired the holistic identity of the Joker.

Who knows, maybe one of your digital designs will attract people from all over the world like this one character/ costume design did.

One more note, if you ever get a chance to go to Niagara Falls and see the Joker, consider the subject of personas as you stare into the madness.

(apologies for the faint photo. It was taken on my Blackberry through glass in broad daylight)

How do you see character/ costume design assisting you with your digital creations?