Animated Mascots: Creating Characters that Connect

Introduction:

Animated mascots, also known as brand ambassadors, have proven their marketing worth. Their presence has contributed to the success of brands such as Disney, Kellogg’s cereals, and Coca Cola. Their success in promoting brand awareness and customer loyalty stems both from the unique personalities possible through skillful animation and the singular appeal of animation as an art form. Following are a few of the secrets to creating mascots that connect with viewers at a deep and persuasive level.

Use brand elements in the animated mascot.

In order to succeed as a representative of a brand, an animated mascot must reflect that brand’s style and values. This is why you and your animation studio should always spend time fleshing out the client’s ideas for the character design. You need to know what the client wants and what they stand for in order to accurately communicate their brand through the mascot.

An animated mascot can reflect a brand through its physical appearance and/or through its personality. For instance, colors used in the branding might be used in the character’s clothing, environment, hair, etc. The mascot’s shape can reflect the brand’s overall attitude as a company (for instance, soft lines may depict gentleness, exaggeration may depict humor, etc.). Their actions should reflect the kinds of things that the company would do. The goal is to create a mascot that is a visual representation of the company’s values.

Create a mascot that reflects your target audience.

In addition to reflecting your brand, your animated mascot must also reflect your target audience in some way. People want to see themselves in animated ads, because it helps them to feel as if what is being offered to them is actually relevant. That is why you might choose a nurturing mascot to reach an audience consisting primarily of young mothers, while developing an edgier brand ambassador for young motorcyclists.

The mascot itself may not physically represent your brand (for instance, the Coca Cola mascot is a polar bear). However, their voice, their actions, their surroundings, and more can all contribute to a picture that tells viewers that the business behind the ad has something in common with them. Creating this connection is essential in all advertising animation, but especially so in brand mascots, who serve as the face of the company they represent.

Pay attention to the details.

Animation is all about the details, and animated mascots are no exception. Often, your animation company will enlist several designers and illustrators who will spend days poring over every detail of the initial design. The goal is to make sure that every detail, no matter how small, has been examined and perfected.

The reason for this commitment to detail is because even small things can influence the overall look and feel of the mascot. For instance, by arranging the character’s hair a certain way, you can achieve either a straight-laced look or a devil-may-care attitude. Eye size can influence the emotions that viewers perceive the character as having. The sharpness of lines in the character design can influence how approachable and trustworthy the mascot appears to be. As a result, you not only could but should find yourself considering details such as hair style, eye size, nose shape, and shoe design. By doing so, you can create the type of compelling animated mascot that wins customer loyalty and business.

Strive for consistency in the mascot’s personality and appearance.

Character design, especially for animated mascots, requires you to develop not only the character’s appearance but also their personality. Even the most visually compelling character will fail to connect with audiences unless it possesses an equally appealing personality. On the other hand, a winsome personality can be clouded by a poorly executed design. Take the failure of Burger King’s mascot, for instance: An appearance that many characterize as creepy led to falling sales for the fast food chain until they revised their branding approach.

As a result, focus on meshing both appearance and personality in your animated mascots. Before you begin your animation, make sure you have a clear grasp of what the goals are for the mascot. You can then use these goals to flesh out the character’s design. For instance, if a character is supposed to be warm and approachable, convey these qualities through the mascot’s shape, physical details, and actions. The result should be a cohesive character design that successfully contributes to the client’s stated marketing goals.

Never be afraid to collaborate and revise.

Finally, no animated production can successfully come together without collaboration and revision. Animation studios will often use multiple designers and illustrators to make sure that the finished product is the very best it can be. Each participant on the project brings their own ideas, talents, and insights that can contribute to an excellent end result. It may be tempting to try to create the next great mascot on your own. However, without the collaboration of colleagues, you may overlook the details or ideas that can make a good design an outstanding one.

Collaboration and reviewing usually means that revisions to your initial design will be necessary. The first mascot you develop is unlikely to be the one you move forward with. Instead, as you work and rework your design, receive feedback from others, get a better grasp of what the client wants, and give yourself time to come up with new ideas, you will need to revise your design. The result of this revision, however, should be a more appealing animated mascot.

Conclusion:

Creating an animated mascot requires the same careful work and attention to detail that other animated projects require. By using brand elements, creating a mascot that reflects the target audience, striving for consistency, paying attention to details, and embracing collaboration and revision, you can create a mascot that connects.