Using illustrative mascots in your logo...
in web design, digital art, illustration

Blog post for zero G:

Every day we are bombarded with logos from the clothes we wear to the coffee we drink. Logos are literally everywhere, this got me thinking... it's Dandy December here at Zero G Towers and I'm an illustrator. Just how many online brands use a cartoon style mascot in their logo? The answer is... quite a few!

Here are a few examples I thought of through my own experience of surfing the high seas of the web:

MailChimp - email campaign software
SilverBack - usability testing software
Thunderbird - opensource email software
Firefox - browser
TurboSquid - 3D software vendor
Twitter - micro blog social networking
Moonpig - online cards store (thanks Amy)
Confused - insurance
Firebug - browser debugging software
Napster - now legal music site
Font Squirrel - lovely free fonts

"That's great Rob, but what's the benefit of using this style of logo?"

First of all, a really well designed mascot can be liked or even loved by the business' users, almost creating a of fan-base of sorts. Take Twitter for example, most people when they think of Twitter will probably think of the little blue bird. The image alone can be used on sites without any need for textual information as the branding is strong enough for most online users to recognize the company. Some people love the Twitter bird so much they have felt the need to show the world how they can create their own costume of the little mascot:

http://www.susandorbeck.com/2010/04/how-to-make-a-twitter-bird-costume/

OK, so this is a little sad and not the norm, but who would turn down free advertising? The lady obviously felt so strongly that she went as far as this, which I doubt she would have done if the logo had just been a few abstract blobs and some writing. I think the next time I see a blue tit I'll be wondering if they're covertly working for Twitter...

Another benefit of cartoon style mascots in your logo is that they can be used for application icons on things like smart phones. These type of logos are perfect for small spaces where the pixel count is limited (iphone 4 retina screen icons 114px x 114px).

One of my favourite character designers, for online branding at the moment, is the guy who designed the mascots for Firefox, Mailchimp, Silverback and Thunderbird (Jon Hicks). The little characters he has created are instantly recognisable and look like they've been created by a professional illustrator (which they have). If you look at the current Firefox logo you can see it's a fox with a fiery tail wrapped around the globe. This logo not only has an animal that fits the name of the brand, but it also represents what the company does. This can be seen in his other icons too. And to me these are perfectly thought out logos.

Another point to note is that a well designed mascot will more likely stick in peoples minds, which in turn can differentiate it from it's competition. This is because a mascot can bring a sense of personality to a brand where a more traditionally styled logos can struggle. It's usually a safe bet to give your character positive traits like being smart, helpful and intelligent as this is usually what most businesses would like to project about themselves.

This all sounds really good and you might be tempted to create your own cartoon mascot to help promote your brand, but this is where you have to be very careful. As much as a well executed little mascot can help promote your business, it can also damage it if it's not thought out correctly.

First of all it's best to work out if a cartoon style mascot is appropriate for your business. Once you've made the decision to go ahead it's a good idea that the character reflects what your business does (e.g.confused.com) or that it has something to do with the business name (e.g. Firebug). Better still, that it covers both (e.g. Firefox). The more professional it looks, the more professional the business looks, which in turn reflects on the brand.

No one wants to look unprofessional, but unfortunately in today's financial climate some new businesses are tempted to cut corners as they see something as simple as creating a mascot as nothing much to worry about. This is simply not the case as getting the mascot right can be one of the best ways you can promote your business and brand. If you get it wrong, you could be stuck with a character who frequents your nightmares for a very long time...

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