King ME...Adventures in Mascot and Logo Design

Had the privilege of getting the assignment to design a mascot/ logo for the entertainment production company Young Lion Productions.  They are best known for producing the film, "The Harimaya Bridge" starring Danny Glover.    The client wanted something that was nostalgic of his youth.  In this case his high school's mascot.  So the mission was to turn this image:

Into what you saw above.  While the original has some crude appeal, something more sophisticated was in order.    Designing a mascot or logo requires a lot of discussion and mediation as it should impact the viewer emotionally and psychologically.    Personally, I gravitate towards a '3D' and animation sense of design.  (I guess what is called the "Disney Style")  

My first pass looked something like this:

Looks like a distant cousin of the Exxon Tiger, haha.  But though the Exxon Tiger and characters like him in the old days had a lot of pencil milage and detail, they did have a certain kind of warmth in their appeal.  This is in contrast to minimalist design we see today which works essentially as a pictogram and has pure function in just communicating an idea-----but arguably can be "cold" to the viewer.  

The client passed on this one as it lacked some of the impact the original design had with the oversized head.   This Young Lion perhaps wasn't young enough. 

My next pass resulted in something like this:  

Here I decided to be quite literal with redesigning the mascot but it's more of a refinement than anything.    I wanted to stick with the  "traditional animated" character look.  My argument was if Mickey, (the mouse of course)  can get away with being a corporate logo, why can't our little guy?  But,  more to learn.....

Viola!  Here's our mascot/ logo in his final and inked form.  I did away with the tongue (perhaps not dignified for a king) and the tuft of chest hair as it basically interrupted the viewer's eye traveling along the figure.   Client was happy.  

BUT..... This wont' be the final design.  While our little friend is big on appeal he might not be the best candidate for the company's main logo.  While I did my best to simplify the character, there might be problems reproducing it at very small proportions.  Of course everyone knows that a good logo should be able to be reduced to the size of a dime and still be recognized at six feet away.   It made me think...Mickey Mouse's ability with getting away with being so recognizable as logo goes beyond simply being three circles.  

There are several versions of Mickey Mouse obviously. Some just for animation, some just for graphic illustration and some that are specifically for logos.  There are some Mickeys that at a reduced size work extremely well and look perfectly "normal"  but if you enlarged them, they would look grossly distorted and off model.  

It's not the end our friend but will have to go back to the drawing board.

My Dad, WALT DISNEY

Diane Disney Miller (1933 - 2013)  was the oldest and until recently the only surviving child of Walt Disney.  Diane Miller was a keeper of the flame not just for Walt's professional life but for also for the understanding that he was a human being and a family man.

Her dedication dates back as far as 1956 when she was only twenty years old and wrote for the Saturday Evening Post a profile sketch of what it was like to have Walt Disney living at home with her.

For the few of us who have parents in the public spotlight or who have gained some sort of fame (or infamy for that matter), they are not that public figure.  For us, they are just "Dad" or "Mom".  Truth, no matter what they are famous for, their achievements as a parent far more heroic, substantial and admirable than any bit of so-called fame they have.

So I asked a crucial question,  "Daddy are you Walt Disney?" 
"Yes, honey", he replied.
"I mean are you the Walt Disney?"
He nodded.  So it was true!

"Daddy," I said, "please give me your autograph."

- Story recounted by Diane Disney Miller, My Dad, Walt Disney, Saturday Evening Post Nov. 17, 1956

Good 'Ol Charlie Brown Comes to Tokyo

Couldn't let the year go by without mentioning the great exhibition Ever and Never:  The Art of Peanuts at the Mori Arts Center Gallery organized by the Charles M. Schulz Museum.  If you're going to be in Tokyo anytime soon, hurry up and see it before January 5th.   

Charles M. Schulz and Peanuts was always my first inspiration to draw. I'll never forget seeing a documentary where "Sparky" drew Charlie Brown right on camera.  For a six year old it was nothing less than magic.

On exhibition are over a hundred drawings displayed.  Unlike many exhibitions in Tokyo,  you can examine the detail of as close as you like...without touching.    Also in the exhibition is Charles Schulz's studio and drawing table....as well as some of his drawing that were "rescued" from the trash bin.  Interesting as it was, for anyone who can relate, knows someone looking at your balled up, trashed drawings is potentially as embarrassing as someone putting your dirty underwear on display in a gallery.  

Plenty of other artifacts there: animation cells from Bill Melendez' Peanuts Animated specials, merchandizing going back generations.  Schulz's bittersweet melancholic touch can be felt throughout the entire exhibition from beginning to end, but there is plenty there to smile about.  A big and rare treat.

Inspiration.

Post #100.

Good timing.   Much of what has inspired us has come from the sharing of others.  As artists, we starve to expand not only our "visual vocabulary" but our academic understanding of technique, theory or process.    All artists have had an experience where that "one little tidbit" of information if not set them on the right path, got them over a tremendous hurdle in improving themselves.  

Every single action we do has an affect on others.  The smallest act you do might have tremendous impact on other people.  It's my hope to simply inspire and  share some of what has inspired me over the years.  Pardon any semblance of vanity as I post sketches or drawings from my sketchbook.  Only the result of inspiration at work.

"Impression without expression equals depression."-  Walt Stanchfeld.

A great inspiration of mine is Peter De Seve.  I can't say he has been a major influence, but he does subscribe to much of what I find inspirational.  Peter de Seve has been an illustrator for The New Yorker and has been a character designer in animation for many years.  

Anatomy of a Fight 1: Fight of the Year

This animation short entitled, "A Warrior's Dream" by animation director Li Jing has been floating around for the past week.  Given it has two of my greatest passions animation and martial arts, I had to say something. 

Donnie Yen is one of the leading popular martial arts actors today.  Son of another famous martial arts master, Bow Sim Mark, Donnie has a long history in the martial arts world.  Recently he has been noted for his portrayal of the Wing Chun Kung Fu grandmaster, Ip Man. (Sometimes written as Yip Man)  Grandmaster Yip Man is greatly renown as Bruce Lee's first formal martial arts teacher. 

Bruce Lee of course needs no introduction.  Founder of the Jeet Kune Do philosophy,  greatest influence on modern martial arts in the 20th Century.  Forever the king of martial arts motion pictures.  Period.  

The film does fall a bit short with some of the nuance that gives animation sparkle and true life.   Some performances copied rather than acted and a lack of "cushioning" or "easing out" that should be there no matter how fast or precise these martial arts legends are.  With a larger budget or more time, I'm very confident that would not be the case. 

All THAT said, this was amazing to watch and obviously there was a lot of love and hard work behind it.  Martial arts in films are basically special effects.  Without a story behind it becomes boring or meaningless quite quickly.   In this case, however, it's an exception. 

Animation Fusion: SHORT PEACE

Watched the animated anthology film, "Short Peace" featuring two short films by Katsuhiro Ootomo:  Hinoyoujin (火要鎮 / ひのようじん)  (not translated but entitled in the USA as "Combustible") and Bukiyosaraba (武器よさらば / ぶきよさらば).  (Translated as Farewell to Weapons)

4 short films in total, each story using a combination of handrawn animation and computer animation.  In the past, there were reservations about how these handrawn/ CG fusions were done as both mediums clashed against each other battling for attention.   

In most cases it worked, especially Tsukomo (九十九) which arguably stole the show. 

Ootomo's films were great and particularly thoughtful towards Japanese culture of the past and future. They didn't exactly have the the great acting animated performances that Ootomo's "Akira" had but it they still delivered compelling visuals.  The timing for Farewell To Weapons / Bukiyosaraba (武器よさらば / ぶきよさらば) is interesting as some political groups in Japan have recently been pushing for the formation of a Japanese army. (Japan's WWII peace treaty states Japan is not allowed to have military forces of any kind....save it's defense forces) 

People not acquainted with Japanese history (current or past) may find "Combustible" anti-climatic.   Even the correct title "Hinoyoujin" (火要鎮 / ひのようじん) will not make sense to anyone unless they know something about the severity and seriousness of fire prevention during Japan's Edo period.  Arson was amongst the highest of offenses in Japan, punishable only by death.  The story was likely based on the story of Yaoya Oshichi.  

For its art direction alone, Combustible is worth seeing as I've never seen a fully animated piece done in the style of a Ukiyo-e illustration.  

From Up On Poppy Hill (コクリコ坂から) : Why animate?

Since Studio Ghibli's "From Up On Poppy Hill" will be released in a few days,  I thought it would be good to finally get around to soapboxing my impression of the film.

"From Up on Poppy Hill" (known as Kokuriko Zaka Kara here in Japan)  is an absolutely brilliant film.    It was directed by Hayao Miyazaki's son, Goro and based on a 1980's manga series.   Without giving too much away, it tells a nostalgic (well, nostalgic for Japanese people anyway) story about a group of ambitious high school students in the rapidly developing Showa Period of Japan,  post-World War II.  

This 1960's period in Japan had a resurgence of development industry-wise as well as an accelerating "We Can Do It" spirit amongst Japan's youth. These kids would be the ones who eventually would be the leaders of Japan's economic boom period.  

This was one of the better animated films I have seen in a long time.  Not so much for technical reasons but for it's ability to tell a very moving and compelling story.  Which brings me to my dilemma about the film:  "Why Animate It?"  

Traditionally and even more in the USA, animation has been used as a tool to tell stories that cannot be told with conventional live action.  IE: the use of caricature for exaggeration, as a special effect.    "From Up On Poppy Hill" was beautiful,  but it was completely devoid of any need for exaggerated effect and I'll even go as far to say it borders on lacking a sense of caricature since all of Ghibli's characters literally have the same face --- with the exception of over-the-top characters.    

On the heels of news that Disney announced that has no intentions of doing any hand-drawn animated projects in the near future, it made me think also about the importance of a film like this ---

I noted my opinion to a Japanese friend who felt the movie was spot on in terms of the atmosphere it was trying to convey.  As she put it, this time in Japan was a very hopeful, and beautiful time in Japan mainly for its simplicity.  If the film was done up to the teeth with fancy zooming shots and, near- photorealistic backgrounds -- it simply would have killed the charm of that time for Japanese --- and the movie.  

Point taken.

Some say we don't go to animated films to see the technical merits of the animation since story always is what people ultimately remember.  But in a sense we do go for the atmosphere that animation brings to a story.  As the saying goes, less can be tremendously more. 

Currently it seems many animation studios don't appear to believe in this.  Nice to know not all  haven't.