My experience with the creative process of stylized character design — specifically the part where I make choices that intentionally depart from realistic anatomy — is something I want to document because it's the part most obscured in finished work.

The departure from realism in character design should be motivated by what the departure communicates. Large eyes communicate expressiveness and innocence. Angular proportions communicate strength or aggression. Exaggerated height communicates idealization or otherworldliness.

The mistake I made early: departing from realism randomly — making things bigger or smaller because it looked 'more stylized' without a clear intent. This produces work that looks designed by preference rather than by intent.

My current approach: decide what I want the character to communicate first. Then choose the anatomical departures that serve that communication. The stylization follows from the intent rather than preceding it.