Character design and art festival returns to Berlin

Pictoplasma Berlin 2013 is set to take place across over 20 art spaces in the city, encompassing conference lectures, animation screenings, character walk exhibitions and character animation workshops - with contributions from Jon Burgerman, Olimpia Zagnoli, Felt Mistress and many more.

The organisers say that this year's event will "examine current trends in illustration, fine art and graphic design to emphasize the character’s ability to evoke maximal empathy. This new focus on a non-narrative emotional connection with the viewer can be seen as an artistic attempt to high-jack, subvert and re-invent the same strategies as those of the commercial mascot, logo or branding, often as a virus inside the consumer based system, and as an ongoing battle for attention in the growing white noise of imagery."

The Pictoplasma Conference And Festival 2013 runs from Wednesday 10 to Sunday 14 April 2013.

Pictoplasma residency: call for entries

If you'd love to show off your character designs Pictoplasma Berlin 2013, you can try and apply for a residency, which gives you up to 10 days accommodation in Berlin, plus €500 to turn your character-driven dreams into something real.

To be considered for a Pictoplasma residency, the organisers "expect to receive a detailed, written exhibition concept, some sketches as a first reference, a selection of the entrants previous work, an artist biography and all contact information." To apply, send an email with the details above to: residency [at] pictoplasma [dot] com.

Now have a gawp at the gallery for a taster of the kind of character design work that will be on show.