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When creating your mascot we need to consider two very important aspects: image and function.
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Image is important, since this is probably why you are creating a mascot to begin with. We must consider your audience and who will be looking at the mascot.
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We also need to consider where the mascot will be working. If a mascot is going to get extensive media coverage including TV, we will need to make sure it "reads" well in those formats. We need to consider what you are doing with the mascot. If you are a sports team we might want the facial expressions to be mean or tough. If you were running a summer camp for young children, a friendly, huggable mascot would be more appropriate. Sometimes your audience is wide and varied. In these instances we can create a mascot that has wide appeal. We have created creatures that have "attitude" or are "sassy" for teams that appeal to kids and adults alike. The kids aren't scared by the mascot and the adults don't think it is childish. Simple changes, such as changing the angle of an eyebrow can change the character's whole personality.
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We need to consider items such as clothing (very good spots for logo & sponsor information). We will have a detailed conversation with you to understand your organization better, so that we can incorporate your theme and image in your mascot. Often we will ask to see other forms of advertising to make sure we create a mascot that is an extension of your entire marketing package.
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Mechanics cannot be overlooked. A human has to fit inside the mascot. We need to learn what the mascot will be doing. If a mascot is ice skating, we will need to adapt the body shape and flexibility to allow the performer to do this. If the character is needed to sit down, we will make sure that there is flexibility, and minimize the tail. If the character is a very athletic sports mascot and will fight, jump, run, and get passed overhead in the stands, we need to build it so that is possible. We can do anything within reason, and always address each specific mascot on a case by case basis.
Within the engineering process we can incorporate items such as cooling vests and fans, or smoke & motion effects (blinking eyes, moving ears, etc) and voice distortion equipment. When we create a mascot for a client we will first have a phone or in-person meeting to discuss the mascot.
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This is sometimes followed-up with our examining organizational logos, promotional literature, and other company information. Pierre's then will create one or two basic line drawings to start the though process going. We typically fax them to our clients, who in turn critique them and give us a refined direction. We follow up with a series of more detailed sketches. After the client has reviewed the second set of sketches, we typically are ready for a final color design sketch (if we need more preliminary sketches we can do them also) along with a detailed proposal and fabric and other material swatches.
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If we have communicated throughout the process, the final sketch should be exactly what our client wants. At this point we are able to quote firm prices, however the client can steer us to their budget throughout the design process. Mascots can range from the low hundreds to thousands of dollars. Prices all depend on what the client wants and level of construction. |
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