I wanted some diversity of character species, so I did my best to touch on several different types of animals among the main cast. For some of them, I designed them species first, and then I crafted their personality to be in line with the species I chose. For others, they were designed personality first, and then I chose a species that best suited their personality.

For example, Darrell was a species first type design. I had a strong vision for a big lion man with a long mane who plays metal music. His personality fell into place very easily after establishing that premise. Trent was personality first. I had a strong vision for what kind of character Trent was going to be and how I was going to write him, but it took me some time to figure out what species would work best for him. Fun fact, he was almost a ram 👀