Cl-1 is a Star Wars inspired droid like BD-1. Instead of taking dogs and little birds as inspiration like BD-1, this droid is meant for harsher terrain and missions. Thus the choice of inspiration fell on emus, a very resilient bird. Communicating its findings and position takes a big priority, which is why there are many elements derived from satellite dishes incorporated into the design.

Because CL-1 was mainly used for one animation many details are modeled instead of baked, especially on the outsides of the leg and its face. The rest is kept low poly.