A mascot for a charity brand and one of its family entertainment attractions. The goal was to create a bright and memorable character that reflects the brand’s friendly personality, feels lively and contemporary, and avoids becoming overly cute or emotionally manipulative.
Role
Graphic / Mascot Designer
Scope
Character concept, style exploration, visual development, and final vector illustration
Year / Market / Stage
2022 / Russia
Dobry Park
Dobry Park supports charitable initiatives, with small-scale amusement attractions being one of its activities.
The shooting gallery was the most popular attraction, so it needed a distinctive character of its own.
The mascot needed to:
The project also included developing a 3D concept for the attraction itself and applying the brand identity and mascot across its visual touchpoints.
The shooting gallery was the most popular attraction, so it needed a distinctive character of its own.
The mascot needed to:
- appeal to families and a broad audience;
- feel friendly and positive;
- support the charitable nature of the brand without relying on pity;
- look bright, noticeable, and expressive across communications.
The project also included developing a 3D concept for the attraction itself and applying the brand identity and mascot across its visual touchpoints.
Context
A Mascot for a Friendly Yet Energetic Brand
The brief specified a cat as the basis for the mascot.
The challenge was to create a character that could become a strong visual identifier for the shooting-gallery direction while fitting naturally into the wider brand identity.
The character needed to combine several qualities:
The challenge was to create a character that could become a strong visual identifier for the shooting-gallery direction while fitting naturally into the wider brand identity.
The character needed to combine several qualities:
- feel cheerful and appealing;
- retain enough personality and composure to avoid looking overly childish;
- communicate energy and playfulness;
- remain flexible enough to work across different formats and applications.
Challenge
Creating a Character That Feels Likeable and Memorable
During the exploration stage, I tested several approaches to the cat’s face and overall personality.
The main challenge was finding a balance between a likeable character and a more graphic, expressive visual style.
The final version was selected because the cat:
The main challenge was finding a balance between a likeable character and a more graphic, expressive visual style.
The final version was selected because the cat:
- feels friendly without becoming overly cute;
- has a distinctive personality defined by its eyes, facial features, and pose;
- remains recognisable at a glance;
- reads as a character with its own attitude rather than simply a decorative illustration.
Character Exploration
From Several Facial Styles to One Recognisable Personality
The final mascot became a bright visual character for the shooting-gallery attraction.
It supports the existing brand identity, works as a standalone graphic asset, and makes the overall communication more lively and memorable.
The final solution:
It supports the existing brand identity, works as a standalone graphic asset, and makes the overall communication more lively and memorable.
The final solution:
- adds emotional appeal to the project;
- makes the attraction more visually distinctive;
- gives the brand greater friendliness and personality;
- creates a foundation for using the character across future brand applications and communications.
Result
A Recognisable Character for the Brand’s Most Popular Attraction
