Mascots are becoming more and more popular in modern web design.
What was once a tradition for sport competitions, a mascot can strengthen the sense of attachment or belonging to a product or service. They can also elicit an emotional response from the viewer, which in turn fosters positive feelings. A mascot is one avenue in getting your message imprinted into customers minds and get them talking about your brand.
Considerations
Keep your Mascot Agile: Your mascot should be used throughout your entire branding campaign from emails, letters and websites to product packaging. The possibilities for use are endless, so make sure your mascot is versatile.
Make it Timeless: Think long-term. Your mascot is going to be the image of your company for years to come. While some upgrades are reasonable, your mascot should not be influenced by trends.
Animals and human-like creatures: These types of mascots work the best as they are easily identified as opposed to their abstract counterparts which take some time to understand.
Here we take a look at the 20 mascots on the web today. From a mountain gorilla to an Einstein-inspired mark for a pizza place, these mascots communicate they’re the culture, vision, and “personification” of a company.
Sir John A Day
This is a bilingual educational website to teach Canadians about their first Prime Minister, Sir John A. Macdonald. The mascot appears elsewhere on the site, which contributes to its versatility while being the starring role of the website.
Firefox
The popularity of the Firefox logo can be attributed to its flawless rendering and its personification of the browser to connect worldwide as shown by the mascot circling the globe.
Chubby Grub
People are drawn to cute mascots. Even for a website that fosters losing weight, a kid chowing down on a fast food burger can help spark an emotional response that keeps the visitor interested in learning more.
Silverback App
Silverback is a Guerrilla usability testing software for designers and developers. Silverback the mountain gorilla represents the strength and reliability of the Silverback app.
GlobalZoo
The mascot for Global Zoo greets you with a wave and smile. Visitors will associate these gestures with positive feelings they to could experience while traveling.
Pizza 3.14
Pizza 3.14 serves authentic New York-style, hand-tossed pizza in a family-friendly atmosphere. 3.14 (also known as “π” or pi” in mathematics) inspired the name of the restaurant, and the logo pays homage to this unique concept.
R U HOT ENUF?
Theo Thermometer at RUhotEnuf.ca helps raise awareness about the benefits of using digital food thermometers and fridge thermometers in an effort to fight off food poisoning which impacts 1/3 of Canadians. The bright colors and vintage-themed mascot pack a big punch as far as being eye-catching and relaying their message effectively.
MailChimp
Animals make a great selection for a mascot as they can add a light-hearted touch to a brand. The messenger chimp represents what the website is all about – email marketing. The initial thought behind the character was: “Email marketing is so easy, a monkey could be doing it…”
Trailer Park Truck
Trailer Park Truck is a 24-hour traveling food party. The owner teamed up with talented chefs in LA to develop a menu of amazing “gourmet American comfort food with a twist”. The mascot is gritty and indicative of the brand the company is trying to convey.
Atticus Pet Design Studio
Atticus Pet Design Studio creates a warm, inviting feeling for their design studio that specializes in the pet industry. The mascot presents the studio as smart and studious, and their creativity differentiates themselves from companies of the same niche.
Informant
This colorful, dynamic mascot proves not all software products needs a slick, web 2.0 feel to market themselves.
Fork CMS
Fork CMS is dedicated to creating a user friendly environment to build, monitor and update your website. The mermaid mascot plays tribute to the name of the CMS.
Cheeky Monkey Media
This mascot serves as a coach to help you learn how your business can succeed online. Animals that are easily identifiable, such as a monkey, work the best as mascots.
Stillpointe
Stillpointe, a llama sanctuary, features two illustrated llamas as a reminder of the animals you’re helping.
Mix Turtle
This mascot, which may seem odd to some, could be distinctive enough for the target audience of this music search engine.
Bee Finance
The golden-colored bee mascot for Bee Finance can be considered a symbol for money. It also ties well into the tagline: “Taking The Sting Out of Debt.” These elements work together to create a memorable brand for the finance website.
Uchitomi
A cute Asian-inspired mascot takes center stage on this website for a Japanese supermarket. Bright colors work well in selling the image of the store and inspiring the customer to order.
Keith’s Cakes
It’s not uncommon for the mascot to be inspired by the owner or creator of a business. Such is the case for Keith’s Cakes, which features the owner illustrated and tied in nicely with the logotype. The mascot is featured by itself elsewhere on the site.
Mascots have the ability to make your company unique no matter what market you’re in.
While they aren’t appropriate for all businesses, many marketers have realized the potential mascots hold in captivating their viewers.
While you shouldn’t sacrifice great content or message in lieu of a memorable mascot, the two can work in tandem to create a powerful marketing strategy for your brand.
What are your favorite mascots?
