Well when it comes to character design.

Simply put the difference between an iconic character and a generic one is all about the silhouette ( the combination of shapes you use to form their body) and also their attire.

All iconic characters have features that stand out in a crowd be it Homer Simpson's yellow skin, strangely shaped head, and odd hair style.

To Mario's red hat, overalls, and smiley mustache.

Usually big readable shapes make the most dynamic designs.

Like Jimmy Neutron's massive fudge shaped hair or Sonics meteor shaped head.

Or Mickey Mouse's huge circle shaped ears.

Color also plays a huge role if Clifford the Big Red Dog was normal dog colors and like white , black, or brown he wouldn't seem to be as memorable or unique.

To get started, start with a basic shapes. Just use your paper like a videogame character editor just keep experimenting with different shapes, colors, and clothes.

Keep on making different iterations until something clicks.

Research also helps a lot too look up fashions from different cultures, countries, eras, classes, and movements.

It may seem like a lot of work but it can be very fun and rewarding.

I usually just draw a timeline, and a brief synopsis of the events of the entire story.

Then I make a rough comic page to get a feelings and jokes right, if I want to make it look all snazzy with varied panel shapes and sizes I do that next.

After that I just wing the rest. I write my best stuff when it's improvised. Usually I get caught in a do it perfect loop. Whenever I try to plot the entire thing out before.

I just want to make funny cartoon ...not do homework.

The time line drawing also helps too so I don't have to read an entire wall of text over and over again each time I want to look back for reference.