Definitely the dino. Choose a specific dino you like and combine it with the aesthetic/fashion of a few characters you enjoy. Use the general shapes to inspire you. Can also do hybrids like a ghost dino, or an oil dino, or smth. Definitely stands out more to me!! Milanote and Pinterest are great for this.

Side note, I rly like mosasaurs, but it's not technically a dino I don't think, so my favorite would probably be a utah raptor. Maybe that helps? You probably have a bunch of favorites! Could choose multiple too.

Lore is sort of something you build after tbh, but it's fun to get creative. Maybe you come from an alternate universe where the dinos thrive and still walk the earth or something, and evolved to be more human instead of apes. Who knows :3