Chris Gaslin is the man behind the curtain when it comes to designing the Domo Qees you will find in the Domo Qee Series 4 Mystery Display Case! With the help of our Product Development team and our Toy2R partners the new series includes some fun homages to Dark Horse Comics own backyard. We sat down with Mr. Gaslin and found out a little more about his process and the new series of Domo Qees.
What’s the overall process of coming up with a Domo Qee color, design, or style?
Many of the designs are created by Toy2R. They have had many successful styles and designs of Qee toys over the years, some of which we have incorporated into the Domo Qee line. Other styles have come from our in-house design department. In the last couple of series I have taken to hand drawing some of the designs (mostly due to my lack of computer-illustration skills) before sending them either up to our designers or directly to Toy2R and their designers. Once we have twenty to thirty designs, we sit down, look at them all, and pick the fifteen that will go into the series.
Have you ever taken fan suggestions for Domo designs?
We have taken suggestions from many different people: coworkers, friends, and even my kids. Before each series of Domo Qees is fully realized, I show some of the designs to my kids and they let me know which styles they like or don’t like, so because of that some make the cut and some don’t.
What’s the weirdest design you’ve come up with?
I don’t think that there are many weird designs, per se. Some of my personal favorites, though, would have to be the hipster Domo and the Underoos-inspired Domo from the special-edition series we did last year for Urban Outfitters, the rainbow Domo from Series 1, and the astronaut Domo from Series 3. For Series 4, I really made a point to raise the bar in variety and creativity. We “put a bird on it” with a Portlandia-inspired Domo, and I also gave a nod to my Portland Timbers with a green-and-yellow-scarf Domo. We also have a really great design for our 2012 San Diego Comic-Con exclusive Domo Qee that was designed by my office mate Michael Gombos!
Have there ever been any designs that got rejected outright?
There are a couple of designs that were rejected by our licensor. One had Domo wearing a T-shirt with a picture of a kitten (in reference to the infamous Internet meme); the other was Domo with a curly mustache, which made him look a bit too sinister. Our manufacturer, Toy2R, has also had to reject some ideas because of complexity of design that would lead to production issues. There are a few others that we have rejected ourselves after some deliberation, but we won’t bring up any potentially incriminating specifics. :)
What’s the best part of working on Domo?
The possibilities are endless for the styles and designs of the Domo Qee. I think that with each successive series we are getting more and more creative, which makes it a really fun process. My kids and their friends also think that I have the coolest job around because of Domo!
What’s the hardest part of working on Domo designs?
I don’t really think of it as hard. It is a challenge, though, to come up with fifteen designs that we think people will like for each series.
Are you surprised by the fandom for Domo?
Not at all. Domo is the perfect combination of cute and cuddly, and a little bit scary and threatening. Both kids and young adults think Domo is cool. Our Domo licensor has also done an excellent job of sustaining a steady growth of Domo by not going crazy in the mass market, which could lead to alienating fans and burning out quickly.
