An example of what I'm talking about is why the basic bipedal design is so prevalent in the Mass Effect Trilogy, and why the more abstract and interesting creatures are often relegated to smaller parts within the story. Or indeed used as the villains within the various games. I think it's an interesting area to explore, as it gives the scope to look at a broad range of designs and how they are utilised. What is a popular design for a creature that is supposed to induce fear, for example. I think the smartest way to begin is to go out, investigate and gather a broad range of material pertaining to different designs. Then looking at how they exist within their various worlds, what their purpose is and seeing if any themes develop.
On a side-note. I feel like it's important to talk a bit about what will constitute a "creature" for this project. For starters it is something that is not human. The difference between a character and a creature is where it starts to be a bit less defined though. Broadly, character usually refers to a human or a humanoid style design (such as the Turian in the image above), but it can also be something that is decidedly not human but that plays an important role within the story. (such as the Reaper below). A character can in fact be a creature as-well, as both the Turian and the Reapers are characters within the Mass Effect series, but neither is human.
The Reapers are a tricky one though, as they are built to be machines...but they act like a living creature in the way they think and act. For the purposes of this then, they count as a creature design. This is another quite interesting topic in this field of design, the blurring of lines between machine and animal. Though it is something that can be explored further down the line after some more research.
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