Subject:
Character Design
Example of:
Mascot Design
Goal:
To create adaptable character designs
Developing Adaptable Brand Characters
For my freelance work, I frequently design brand mascots and characters intended for use across social media and streaming platforms. These characters must be highly adaptable and consistently reproducible to ensure strong brand continuity.
To support this process, character sheets like this one are heavily utilised. These sheets serve as a practical reference for maintaining visual consistency, while also helping to communicate the character’s physical traits and personality to the client before finalisation.
Each character sheet typically includes the mascot’s full design, colour palette, defining features, and a range of facial expressions to demonstrate versatility and tone.
Proccess
Character design is a multi-stage process that moves from initial concept through revision and refinement, transforming the idea into a polished, production-ready character. This workflow ensures the character is not only visually engaging but also functional and suited to its intended purpose.
Expressions
The face is one of the most expressive parts of any character, and capturing its essence is central to great character design. The eyes and eyebrows are powerful tools for communicating emotion, with their shape and position clearly indicating feelings such as unhappiness, curiosity, or joy. Subtle movement of the chin also affects the surrounding features like the mouth, eyes, and nose, contributing to the overall expression change. For this reason, a range of expressions were explored in both forward-facing and profile views to ensure the mascot can be effectively used across a varied range of applications.
Examples of character implementation
A selection of mock ups showcasing the mascot character in practical applications across business signage and packaging examples.
