Mascots
1st edition — by Patrick McNeil — May. 5, 2008
The Design Element
If there is one thing missing for the typical web site it is personality. Personality is hard to get across with out putting some "live" element into a design. Mascots are just such a tool. They imbue the design with a character which inevitable has some sort of personality. The amazing thing is that these characters need not be animated in any way to effectively fill this roll.
Take the
Silverback
site for example. The character reflects so many important elements of an application. This gorilla for one looks smarter then the average gorilla, he is after all wearing a lab coat. Gorillas are also the strongest of this type of animal. Compare this to a monkey as a mascot. Monkeys are more known for being playful and mischievous. Not necessarily what I want my usability testing software to be. Perhaps the most powerful thing this mascot communicates is that this software is unlike any that have come before it. I have no idea if it really is or not, but this fun character breaks the overly technical stereotypes of this type of product and puts it in a much more relaxed setting. This makes me excited about the software, instead of dreading it.
Not every site needs a mascot, but it can most certainly be a powerful tool to help set the mood you want your site to have.
Sample Usage
