Character Design Sheet - what to include?

[soul alive]

I'm going to be doing character sheets to put up on my website, and have a question for you all.

I want to put relevant character information, but can't decide how much or little to include. I'll be including name (and meaning, since that's important for my characters), age, gender, height - but beyond that, the extras is my problem: weight, personality, birthdate, small backstory, social position, weapon/fighting style, etc.

I honestly tend to glaze over anything excessive when reading character sheets from other people, but I'm a bit of a lazy bum, so I thought I'd ask. What do you like to know about a character? (I'm not going to include blood-type or either zodiac, as I don't particularly follow the belief that either really affects a personality).

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Since this is applicable to any character design, I decided to post in the General forum, sorry if it should be elsewhere.

[Jingo Jaden]

Actualy, I personaly like to know pretty darn little. Only to see a somewhat slow, but awesome character devlopment with a lot of unrevealed moments from the past that comes back to haunt the character. And no, I don't mean a character that gets discouraged over any negatives he can find, but who moves swiftly to solve them. Gender, a small part of history, the apperance illustrated and a notice that it is something spesial about him/her.

[kryptech]

What are these characters for?

[soul alive]

Ah - for my webcomic.

[Raiden no Kishi]

As you sort through the information you have for each character, ask two questions. First, ask "Does this spoil any plot points?". Second, ask "Does this help one to better understand the character?". If it helps us understand the character, but doesn't spoil the plot, it should be there.

.rai//

[EricTheFred]

This question confused me for a bit, until I understood you don't really mean a character design sheet in the sense I would. I write short stories and scripts, so I don't think in terms of someone else reading the background material. It's material for me, to help create the characters and keep them straight as I work. Because of that, I sometimes generate pages and pages of material about their past, their outlook on life, their appearance, etc. Much of the material will eventually find its way into the story in little bits, but I don't put it out there for public consumption, because it will be full of spoilers.

Since you don't want to give anything in the story away, what you are thinking of is more like the 'character design sheets' in a role-playing game. Basic info and appearance. I would suggest the basic height, weight, age and other 'simple' information relevant in the context of your manga, then take a cue from published print manga. Often they will have little 'Character Designs' in the back of the book, one or two characters a volume. Generally, they have a format that includes a few silly things (like favorite song or food) to add to the simple info, and nothing else. If a relationship to another character is important, they include that. ('Dweeb is hopelessly loyal to Marge'. Something like that.) They don't throw a mountain of data at you.

[Mave]

Honestly, when it comes to character designs, the only thing I pay attention to are the designs itself. Therefore, character design sheets usually entail the character at different angles (i.e. front, back and side view) and some close-up facial expressions. If the design is attractive enough, I'm motivated to read the series. Another reason I avoid reading extensive character information is because I don't want to be spoiled.

The only information I wouldn't mind on character designs are short descriptions of the relationships between the characters. E.g. Guy A is the first-year who begins his debut in his school by sleeping in class for 3 hours straight in a row. Girl A is the mysterious little girl who suddenly appears out of nowhere, now follows Guy A wherever he goes and seems to know everything about him. Guy B is the homeroom teacher who has the uncanny ability to throw a duster across 10 rows of tables in his classroom accurately. Girl B is the Guy A's childhood friend who is confined to a wheelchair and yet, successfully beats up Guy A on a regular basis.

I guess those descriptions aren't really that relational but perhaps, it should perk the interest of your readers in some way.

[Okami]

Keep it small and simple Large images can overwhelm a computer with slow internet xD!

[SolidÃ…rmor]

This is how I do a "character sheet", I try to include as much as I can without giving too much. But, you also want to give your readers something to connect with when reading about your characters.

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Character bios, this is the bios on the main character and those of his friends. It's not final and things may be change.

Main character: Tyson Moore, (Ty to his friends)
Age: 24
Race: American/Canadian
Height: 6'3
Eyes: Deep Blue
Hair: Sandy Brown
Occupation: Assistant Architect for Endeavor Enterprises
Hobbies: Hockey, Girls, Video Games, Girls, Music, Girls, Cooking, Arguing, and Drawing...oh and Girls.

Tyson is a very determined individual. He sets his mind on goals to achieve and sooner or later those goals are reached. At age18 he was accepted into Michigan State (only by scoring just enough on his SAT to qualify) and a GPA that resembled the goals against average of his best friend Jason in a team practice. He majored in engineering, and architectural design. Which led to his employment with Endeavor Enterprises straight out of college. However, no matter what he may accomplish or how hard he may try, Tyson will always have that feeling of living in his father's shadow.

[soul alive]

Thank you everyone for your great comments! I'm recovering from three all-nighters or close to all-nighters in a row, so I'll read through them more thoroughly once I'm more fully aware.