Chapter 2: Visual Verbs per Genre

Created by Sarah Choi (prompt writer using ChatGPT)

Visual Verbs per Genre for Costume Concept Artists

Teaching Genre Toolkits Through Motion & Mood

Costumes don’t just exist; they do things.

They float, clank, hum, throb, snap, sway, scrape, shimmer, drag. Even in a still illustration, a strong costume implies movement, sound, and tactile feeling. Those implied actions are what we’ll call visual verbs.

For costume concept artists, especially in games and animation, visual verbs are a powerful way to:

  • Make designs feel alive even in static concept sheets.
  • Align costumes with the genre’s mood and logic.
  • Help the production side (3D, rigging, animation, VFX, tech art) understand how the costume should behave.

This article explores visual verbs as a tool inside your Genre Toolkits, across:

  • Fantasy
  • Sci‑Fi (Hard / Soft)
  • Cyberpunk
  • Historical / Alt‑History
  • Horror
  • Post‑Apocalyptic
  • Whimsical

We’ll look at how to:

  • Choose visual verbs that fit each genre.
  • Turn them into shape, material, and detail decisions.
  • Communicate them clearly to both concept and production teams.

1. What Are Visual Verbs?

A visual verb is a word that describes how a costume behaves in space and time:

  • Float – light fabrics, soft edges, weightless movement.
  • Clank – hard, heavy, metallic, noisy.
  • Hum – subtle glow, steady energy, quiet vibration.
  • Throb – pulsing light, organic or magical heartbeat.
  • Drag – weight pulling downward, friction with the ground.
  • Snap – sharp, sudden movement; tight materials.
  • Creep – slow, stealthy, close to the body.
  • Billow – large volume, caught by wind.

As a designer, you use visual verbs to:

  1. Guide your decisions:
    • If the character’s cape must float, you choose light fabrics, long curves, and minimal heavy trim.
    • If a harness must clank, you add metal plates, dangling buckles, and firm, rigid shapes.
  2. Align with genre logic:
    • In hard sci‑fi, hum suggests advanced tech modules.
    • In horror, throb might suggest a cursed, living garment.
  3. Communicate to production:
    • You can literally write: “This skirt should swirl, not cling” or “These shoulder plates should clank when walking.”

Think of visual verbs as performance notes for the costume.

2. How to Design With Visual Verbs

When you pick a visual verb, ask:

  1. What does this verb mean for shape?
    • Float → long curves, soft outlines, rounded corners.
    • Clank → blocky, segmented, overlapping rigid pieces.
  2. What does it mean for materials?
    • Float → light fabrics: chiffon, gauze, silk, thin leather.
    • Clank → metal, thick leather, hard plastics, ceramics.
  3. What does it mean for edges and detail density?
    • Float → few sharp corners, more tapering lines.
    • Clank → visible rivets, hard transitions, strong edge highlights.
  4. What does it mean for sound and animation?
    • Float → gentle secondary motion, quiet.
    • Clank → noisy walk cycles, noticeable inertia.

As you read each genre section below, mentally run the checklist:

Genre → Visual verb → Shape → Material → Edge → Movement → Sound

This connection is what makes your Genre Toolkit actionable.

3. Fantasy: Visual Verbs of Myth & Legend

Fantasy costumes often emphasize mythic, ritual, and heroic qualities. Visual verbs here tend to be poetic and symbolic.

3.1 Common Fantasy Visual Verbs

For nobles, knights, and mages:

  • Billow – cloaks, capes, priestly robes.
  • Gleam – polished armor, holy symbols.
  • Trail – long hems, trains, sashes.
  • Flutter – banners, tassels, charms.
  • Thrum – enchanted elements, runes, crystals.

For rogues, rangers, and commoners:

  • Creep – cloaks that hug the body, quiet fabrics.
  • Rustle – leather straps, layered simple fabrics.
  • Jingle – coins, charms, trinkets.

3.2 Applying Visual Verbs in Fantasy Design

If a mage’s robe should billow:

  • Shape: wide, triangular or bell silhouettes; plenty of fabric around legs.
  • Material: light to medium‑weight cloth that can catch “wind,” magical or literal.
  • Edges: soft, flowing, maybe torn but still wavy rather than jagged.
  • Production notes: “Ensure cloth sim has generous drag and lift; robe should billow visibly during spell casts.”

If a paladin’s armor should gleam and clank:

  • Shape: layered plates, overlapping segments at joints.
  • Material: bright metal; polished surfaces with big specular areas.
  • Edges: clean, sharp bevels; clear seam lines.
  • Production notes: “Armor should produce audible clanks in walk cycle; high specularity on chest and pauldrons.”

3.3 Concept vs Production in Fantasy

  • Concepting side:
    • Use verbs in thumbnails: label sheets “BILLOW,” “GLEAM,” “CREEP” and design variants around each.
    • Push volume and rhythm to make static frames feel mid‑motion.
  • Production side:
    • Convert verbs into actionable callouts: cloth sim needs, metal vs leather breakdowns, areas where jingle/clank SFX will attach.
    • Keep in mind LOD: at distance, billow should read as big shape; detailed embroidery is secondary.

4. Sci‑Fi (Hard / Soft): Visual Verbs of Tech & Systems

Sci‑fi costumes express technology and systems. Visual verbs here often relate to energy, precision, and engineered movement.

4.1 Hard Sci‑Fi Visual Verbs

Hard sci‑fi leans into engineering plausibility. Common verbs:

  • Seal – suits that pressurize, helmets that lock.
  • Latch – buckles, clamps, docking points.
  • Hum – power modules, reactors, life‑support packs.
  • Lock – articulated joints that snap into stable positions.
  • Vibrate – industrial tools worn on belts.

Example: an EVA (spacewalk) suit that should seal and hum:

  • Shape: slightly bulky but clearly jointed; ring connections at limbs.
  • Material: multilayer composites, visible seals at joints, reinforced panels.
  • Edges: clear ring shapes, recessed gaskets.
  • Production notes: “Helmet collar should visibly lock; backpack has subtle hum & light pulse when oxygen is on.”

4.2 Soft Sci‑Fi Visual Verbs

Soft sci‑fi is more about mood and spectacle. Common verbs:

  • Glow – trims, patterns, circuitry.
  • Flow – robes or coats that move in low‑gravity.
  • Pulse – energy lines, bioluminescent seams.
  • Phase – semi‑transparent or holographic elements.

Example: a diplomat in a soft sci‑fi utopia that should glow and flow:

  • Shape: long, uninterrupted panels; minimal seams.
  • Material: smooth, almost plastic or glass‑like fabric with embedded light.
  • Edges: clean, soft corners, maybe slightly blurred transitions.
  • Production notes: “Internal light gradients; robe edges should float slightly with gentle secondary motion.”

4.3 Concept vs Production in Sci‑Fi

  • Concepting side:
    • Use verbs to differentiate factions: one faction hums and locks (hard tech), another glows and flows (soft tech).
    • Sketch small motion arrows, SFX words (HUM, CLICK, WHRR) around the costume.
  • Production side:
    • Turn visual verbs into VFX hooks: emissive masks for glow and pulse, sound triggers for seal, clank, click.
    • Watch for animation blockers: a suit that is supposed to lock still needs enough joint clearance.

5. Cyberpunk: Visual Verbs of Overload & Contrast

Cyberpunk costumes live in a noisy, layered, urban future. Visual verbs are often about conflict between street and corporate, human and machine.

5.1 Cyberpunk Visual Verbs

For street rats, punks, and fixers:

  • Jangle – chains, keyrings, cheap jewelry.
  • Flicker – glitchy neon patches, low‑quality LEDs.
  • Clatter – kitbashed armor, stray hardware.
  • Creep – hoodies, masks, stealthy bits.

For corpo elites:

  • Glide – polished shoes, long coats.
  • Whirr – smooth cybernetics, drones.
  • Mute – fabric that barely moves, sound‑dampened.

5.2 Applying Visual Verbs in Cyberpunk

Street merc whose outfit should flicker and clatter:

  • Shape: asymmetrical layers – jacket over harness over tee; exposed cabling.
  • Material: cheap plastic armor plates, patched fabrics, rough denim.
  • Edges: mix of frayed hems and sharp hard‑surface pieces.
  • Production notes: “LED strips on jacket flicker irregularly; metal plates clatter lightly when running.”

Corpo exec whose outfit should glide and whirr (internally):

  • Shape: sleek, tailored, minimal break lines.
  • Material: premium wool blends, polished leather shoes, subtle metallic inserts.
  • Edges: very clean, crisp seams; controlled geometry.
  • Production notes: “No jangle; footsteps soft. Cybernetic spine or neck implant emits faint whirr when moving.”

5.3 Concept vs Production in Cyberpunk

  • Concepting side:
    • Use verbs to push strata: street designs overloaded with jangle/flicker, corpo designs stripped down to glide/mute.
    • Overpaint screenshots of city scenes, annotating how costumes behave under rain and neon.
  • Production side:
    • Assign emissive and reflective materials for flicker elements.
    • Balance performance: too many moving chains (jangle) can be simplified to a few key pieces.

6. Historical / Alt‑History: Visual Verbs of Etiquette & Divergence

Historical and alt‑history costumes rely on real‑world clothing behavior, plus (for alt‑history) a twist.

6.1 Historical Visual Verbs

  • Rustle – petticoats, layered skirts, silk gowns.
  • Swish – cloaks, capes, long coats.
  • Cinch – corsets, belts, sashes.
  • Creak – stiff leather, stays, tight boots.

Example: an 18th‑century noble whose gown should rustle and swish:

  • Shape: wide skirts (panniers, hoops), long trains, structured bodice.
  • Material: crisp silk taffeta or brocade that audibly rustles.
  • Edges: hem decoration that moves with each step.
  • Production notes: “Cloth sim should emphasize lateral swish at hip level; bodice remains rigid.”

6.2 Alt‑History Visual Verbs

You keep historical verbs but introduce new, divergent ones:

  • Steam – valves on coats, boiler harnesses.
  • Spark – alchemical or proto‑electrical components.
  • Lock – mechanical exoskeleton braces.

Alt‑history officer’s coat that should swish and steam:

  • Shape: still historical – tailcoat silhouette.
  • Material: wool and leather, plus brass fittings.
  • Edges: sharp lapels, structured shoulders.
  • Production notes: “Vent stacks on back release steam puffs when sprinting; coat tails retain elegant swish.”

6.3 Concept vs Production in Historical / Alt‑History

  • Concepting side:
    • Start with historical verbs only, then layer 1–2 new ones for alt‑history.
    • Avoid adding so many new verbs that the design loses its period identity.
  • Production side:
    • For historical, emphasize how garments restrict or guide movement.
    • For alt‑history, clearly separate old vs new systems in callouts (e.g., “historical corset” vs “alt‑tech spine brace”).

7. Horror: Visual Verbs of Unease & Corruption

Horror relies on how wrong things feel. Visual verbs here often describe decay, intrusion, and unnatural movement.

7.1 Horror Visual Verbs

  • Seep – fluids, stains, ooze; slow spreading.
  • Crawl – tendrils, insects, writhing elements.
  • Throb – pulsating growths, cursed symbols.
  • Drag – heavy, wet, or oversized garments.
  • Choke – tight collars, constricting bandages.
  • Tear – ripping, fraying, unstable edges.

7.2 Applying Visual Verbs in Horror

Cultist robe that should drag, seep, and throb (visually):

  • Shape: long, pooling hems; fabric dragging on floor.
  • Material: heavy, damp‑looking cloth; dark, saturated stains.
  • Edges: uneven, shredded bottom, dripping tassels.
  • Production notes: “Hem drags and accumulates grime; chest sigil has subtle pulsing emissive; cloth darkens over time as it ‘seeps.’”

Victim or survivor whose outfit should tear and choke:

  • Shape: originally normal, now torn and misaligned.
  • Material: cotton shirts, jeans, jackets – recognizably mundane.
  • Edges: fresh and old tears; bandages tight around neck, arms.
  • Production notes: “Collar digs into neck slightly; shirt tears widen with animation, but key silhouette remains.”

7.3 Concept vs Production in Horror

  • Concepting side:
    • Design stages of corruption: CLEAN → STAINED → SEEPING → THROBBING.
    • Use verbs to plan progression, not just one snapshot.
  • Production side:
    • Provide clean and corrupted texture sets.
    • Make sure seep and crawl details don’t destroy readability at gameplay distance.

8. Post‑Apocalyptic: Visual Verbs of Survival & Scarcity

Post‑apocalyptic costumes emphasize resourcefulness and environmental pressure. Visual verbs describe wear, patching, and improvised protection.

8.1 Post‑Apoc Visual Verbs

  • Fray – worn hems, unraveling threads.
  • Scrape – hard surfaces rubbing, dragging.
  • Rattle – loose gear, scrap metal bits.
  • Layer – overlapping pieces for warmth or protection.
  • Patch – repairs, mismatched materials.
  • Scuff – abrasions on boots and armor.

8.2 Applying Visual Verbs in Post‑Apoc

Scavenger whose outfit should layer, patch, and rattle:

  • Shape: asymmetrical layering – hoodie, jacket, scrap armor, makeshift holsters.
  • Material: denim, leather, tarp, tire rubber, sports pads.
  • Edges: inconsistent, clearly hand‑modified; visible stitches.
  • Production notes: “Only a few key loose objects rattle (canteen, chain, knife sheath) to avoid noise overload; layers should simulate independently for believable motion.”

Faction warlord whose armor should scrape and scuff:

  • Shape: large, intimidating silhouette; recycled car doors, riot shields.
  • Material: rusty metals, thick leather.
  • Edges: chipped, dented, irregular.
  • Production notes: “Visible scratches on armor; SFX when scraping against walls or vehicles.”

8.3 Concept vs Production in Post‑Apoc

  • Concepting side:
    • Verb‑based thumbnails: one design focused on patch, one on layer, one on scrape.
    • Tie verbs to backstory: ex‑medic might have patch motif with medical tape, old uniforms.
  • Production side:
    • Use tiling wear masks so fray and scuff are consistent across assets.
    • Make sure rattling pieces are limited to animation‑friendly locations (hips, chest, shoulders).

9. Whimsical: Visual Verbs of Delight & Exaggeration

Whimsical costumes focus on play, charm, and visual metaphor. Visual verbs are often cute, musical, or toy‑like.

9.1 Whimsical Visual Verbs

  • Bounce – pom‑poms, puffy skirts, floppy hats.
  • Twirl – flared skirts, ribbons, capes.
  • Jiggle – jelly‑like accessories, plush elements.
  • Sparkle – sequins, glitter, magic dust.
  • Pop – bold, clear shapes or color accents.

9.2 Applying Visual Verbs in Whimsical Designs

Magical baker whose outfit should bounce, sparkle, and twirl:

  • Shape: round apron, layered puffy skirt, big bow.
  • Material: soft fabrics, maybe satin or cotton; shiny trim.
  • Edges: mostly rounded; minimal sharpness.
  • Production notes: “Skirt has cheerful bounce; small sparkles appear when character gestures or spins.”

Mail‑carrier spirit whose bag and hat should pop and jiggle:

  • Shape: simple body, oversized hat, comically big satchel.
  • Material: plushy or soft leather bag.
  • Edges: clean outlines, easy to read in motion.
  • Production notes: “Bag should jiggle slightly when walking; hat flops with exaggerated lag.”

9.3 Concept vs Production in Whimsical Worlds

  • Concepting side:
    • Use verbs to decide personality: serious character might glide, goofy one bounce.
    • Keep designs clean and graphic; verbs show in big shapes.
  • Production side:
    • Animate with slightly exaggerated physics to sell bounce and twirl.
    • Ensure color and motion remain readable and not overstimulating, especially for younger audiences.

10. Building a Visual Verb Library Per Genre

Treat visual verbs as part of your Genre Toolkit documentation.

For each genre, create a sheet with:

  1. Core Verbs (per role / archetype)
    • Fantasy Knight: clank, gleam, trail.
    • Cyberpunk Street Merc: flicker, clatter, creep.
    • Whimsical Hero: bounce, sparkle, twirl.
  2. Shape / Material Mappings
    • e.g. clank → hard overlapping plates, medium‑to‑heavy metals, visible hinges.
    • e.g. float → long, thin, curved shapes; light fabrics.
  3. Animation & SFX Hooks
    • “These tassels should jingle when running.”
    • “This reactor panel should hum with looping audio and subtle glow.”
  4. Do / Don’t Examples
    • Do: In hard sci‑fi, hum with contained glow.
    • Don’t: In hard sci‑fi, let fabric billow wildly in vacuum with no explanation.

Store these alongside your genre reference boards so both concept and production teams share the same mental model.

11. Using Visual Verbs in the Pipeline

11.1 Concepting Side

  • Start briefs or moodboards with a verb list.
  • Label thumbnails by verb (“A – FLOAT,” “B – CLANK,” “C – HUM”) instead of just by number.
  • Use verbs to explore range: one design that moves loudly, one silently, one sluggishly, one weightlessly.

11.2 Production Side

  • Translate visual verbs into checklists:
    • Does this costume have elements that can actually clank/rattle/bounce in engine?
    • Are there emissive maps to support hum/pulse/throb?
    • Are sim parts correctly weighted for billow/drag?
  • Collaborate with animators and VFX:
    • Share key verbs for hero characters so timing and secondary motion match the intention.

12. Practice Exercises for Visual Verb Fluency

  1. Verb‑First Thumbnails
    • Choose a genre (e.g., horror) and 3 verbs (e.g., drag, seep, throb).
    • Design one costume per verb, exaggerating it visually.
  2. Cross‑Genre Verb Swap
    • Take a Fantasy paladin (normally clank, gleam) and redesign them in Whimsical (bounce, sparkle).
    • Take a Whimsical mage and redesign in Hard Sci‑Fi using seal, hum, lock.
  3. Animation Notes Pass
    • Grab 3 existing designs from your portfolio.
    • For each, write a short list of verbs and add sketch arrows showing how fabric, armor, or accessories should move.
  4. Sound Sketching
    • Under each outfit sketch, write 3 onomatopoeia sounds it would make in motion (CLANK, SWISH, HUM, JANGLE).
    • Check: do the shapes and materials support those sounds?

13. Closing Thoughts

Visual verbs turn costumes from static outfits into performers inside your worlds.

For every genre and every character, ask:

  • How should this outfit move?
  • How should it sound?
  • How does that movement and sound support the genre’s mood and logic?

When your Genre Toolkits include not only palettes and silhouettes but also visual verbs and behavior rules, your designs become easier to animate, more fun to inhabit, and far more memorable.

You’re not just drawing clothes. You’re directing how those clothes float, clank, hum, and throb through the story.