Everything You Need To Know About Logo Mascot

Establishing an emotional connection with customers can be one of the hardest but most rewarding things you can do when starting a business.

Making a mascot the face of your business can set you apart from your competitors and keep customers coming back to you again and again.

Don’t believe a mascot can do all that and more? Or do you suspect a mascot might be a good fit for your particular industry?

You may be surprised how versatile a Mascot logo can be.

What is the Mascot logo?

Mascot is defined as an illustrated character representing a business. You can think of the mascot as a spokesperson or brand ambassador.

What your mascot really is is entirely up to you and the message you want to send to your audience. Some businesses choose to go with mythical creatures and abstract characters, while others choose a cartoon version of a person (think Wendy’s logo) to speak to their brand.

What sets mascots apart from other types of logos is that it is a living character that represents a business. It helps to give your business a personality and humanize your brand.

Who uses the Mascot logo?

When you think of a Mascot logo, you probably think of a cartoon character drawing a crowd at a baseball game. But a mascot logo can work across many industries.

 

Let’s take a look at the industries that have raised their logo game with a mascot:

Gamer

You will find mascots in game logos more often than not. If you are a competitive player, you want a ferocious mascot like Ninja to tell your competitors that you have business intentions.

As with any logo, you want it to be memorable, and YouTube gamer TimTheTatman’s mascot which is a bear roaring inside a high-flying eagle is definitely one of those symbols you don’t easily forget.

But not all gamer Mascot icons need to be cropped to make an impact. Let’s take the mascot of The Game with Jen as a case in point. Sword in hand and pink ribbon in her hair, this game influencer’s mascot symbolizes her online identity and captures the attention of game fans.

Sports team

If you’ve ever been to a sports game, you know how easily mascots can get crowds — and teammates — to get up and riot.

Sports team mascots are used to show strength and take down their opponents. Just look at the Jacksonville Jaguars mascot baring razor-sharp teeth and laser-focused Miami RedHawks; No one wants to mess with those!

On the other hand, a team’s mascot doesn’t have to be scary. It may also resemble the Baltimore Orioles’ mascot, which is a cartoon caricature of a bird wearing a baseball cap.

Mascots are also suitable for sports teams as this is a good opportunity to sell branded merchandise, like hats and t-shirts with character prints.

Band

While mascots can be found in any genre of music, most are used by rock and roll, punk, indie and heavy metal bands. Band logos tend to lean towards the silhouette. dark (think Misfit skull) and creepy (Radiohead’s “modified bear” abstraction).

And then there are bands like Nirvana that have taken a simple sketch of a smiling face and made it an iconic symbol since its creation in 1991. No one knows for sure. What is the meaning behind the Nirvana mascot symbol, but that mystery is what makes the listener curious. generation to generation.

Food brand

If you go into your kitchen right now and check out which food brands have a mascot as their logo, you might be surprised by how many there are.

It makes sense. The mascot is family-friendly and aimed at children, who then force their parents to buy the product.

If you look at some of the big food companies like Pringles, Quaker, and The Laughing Cow, you’ll notice they all have one thing in common: Their mascot is smiling.

After all, who doesn’t smile after a bite of a crispy Pringle or a warm bowl of Quaker Oats?

Technology

Tech companies need a way to move beyond the robot talk and reach people on a human level.

Also, the mascots help clarify what tech companies do in a more interesting way. Take the Docker mascot of a whale in the shape of a container ship as the perfect example.

And sometimes a mascot can take on a life of its own outside of the company. Check out Reddit’s always smiling alien, Snoo. What was once just a doodle in the Reddit co-founder’s notebook, is now Snoo, a representative of every Redditor on the site.

Android’s cute Bugdroid is similar. It was originally designed for internal use by all developers. But the design is simple enough to be iconic and appeal to a much wider audience than the community it was originally created for.

Both Reddit and Android’s mascots are simple abstract designs that everyone can easily recognize, no matter how tech-savvy you are.

Types of mascot logos

You want a mascot that represents everything your business stands for and connects with your target audience. It may seem difficult to find an animal that does all of that, but luckily, there are a variety of mascots to choose from to get the job done.

Let’s check them out:

Animals

A classic mascot, animals attract a wide audience and can naturally match the personality of your business brand.

Night Racing’s fearsome red-eyed wolf says a lot about the brand of the business. It would be a whole different vibe if Night Racing’s mascot was something cute like a glittery unicorn.

And so does the Go Music logo. They need a mascot that represents sharpness, independence and a cool, unexpected cow is the best way to do that.

Other times, animal logos might just be a logical choice for your business, like for Hootsuite. The social media management platform cleverly connected a ‘hoot’ to an owl. Simple and effective.

Mysterious character

Nothing speaks to intrigue like a figure shrouded in mystery.

Some may choose a mysterious, unidentifiable mascot to hide their true identity, like Shroud. The Internet-famous Twitch streamer used a literal mascot wrapped in the shape of an ‘s’, playing on his game’s name.

The thing to keep in mind when choosing a mysterious character as your mascot is that it leaves interpretation for the viewer, which carries a bit of risk. What if your audience doesn’t fully understand the message you’re trying to convey?

But sometimes the risk can be worth it. Take the legendary heavy metal band Black Sabbath as a prime example. A winged figure with demonic horns and tails (named Henry– ha!) has become the iconic symbol of the band. Now, Henry is their official symbol, representing the rebellious nature of the music genre. This is a powerful addition to Black Sabbath’s visual identity.

True to its name

Keeping things simple is not the same as playing it safe.

Whether your business name is “Fairy in the Forest” or “Light Bulb,” making it a living, breathing character is a solid choice. Just look at the Taskrabbit rabbit and the Pittsburgh Penguins skating penguins. Both are easy to remember and instantly recognizable.

We at Tailor Brands are especially proud of the Golden Cat mascot we designed. Not only does this cat look nothing like me, but it also reflects a lot on the personality of the business.

A mascot that has a lot of personality and conveys brand identity ? It’s a victory mascot.

Cartoon people

You don’t realize how many mascots are cartoon people. In fact, a lot of them are living legends. Just look at Wendy or Mr. Monopoly.

The plump old man with the mustache with the bow tie and the top hat has been world-famous since 1935. Mr. Monopoly even has interesting pages written about him. Once you’ve created a mascot that has a life outside of the brand, that’s really impressive!

The same goes for Colonel Sanders’ face on the KFC logo (although he is not a fictional character, but the founder of the fast food chain). Like we said before: Keep it simple!

Products come to life

If you’re proud of your product, why not make it your mascot?

Snack brand Planters has had their beloved Mr. Peanut stand by their name for 104 years. That is, until he dies and is reborn as a stray, thanks to the magical tears of the Kool-Aid Man. (Yes, that actually happened.)

Then you have Poppin’ Fresh, more widely known as the Pillsbury Doughboy, with its tilted chef’s hat and neatly tied scarf. Despite his young age, Pillsbury Doughboy has become something of a celebrity – so much so that he even has a line of Doughboy products made after him (some of which are even kept in museums!) , Plus the whole family (he’s very proud father of 2).

All of this proves the point that a mascot is a character that lives outside of the logo. Mascots give your brand a personality in a way no other logo can.

Things to consider before choosing a mascot

When you’re thinking about creating your own mascot, there are a few things to keep in mind.

Object

If you’re in the ad-tech industry touting crowds of clothes, a bubblegum pink bunny mascot probably won’t be the right move for you.

Remember, you need a mascot that will connect with your audience and reach them on an emotional level. So make sure that the lid fits the pot well before transitioning.

Children, family and a happy crowd are the best bets for the mascot’s success.

Flexibility

Mascot logos can often have a lot of detail in the design, which means you can have trouble resizing them. You may want to consider pairing your mascot with a wordmark or simply removing it from business cards and other branded documents that require small print.

Alternatively, you could try using a few geometric shapes (and nothing else) to create your mascot to make it easier to scale.

Marketing channels

Have you thought about how you primarily want to market your business? Mascot logos appear great on billboards or large signage, in television commercials (think Kool-Aid Man), at live events, and on social media sites.

Maybe you communicate with your target audience on YouTube, blog posts, or traditional events. Whichever marketing channel you choose, it’s important to consider how your mascot fits.

For example, if most of your marketing centers around formal presentations and pitches, a mascot may be less suitable for you.

Pledge

Mascots are meant to be the spokesperson for your business in the long run and as such, it is difficult to rebrand after showing their face to the world.

When you create your logo, make sure to do so with your brand values, messages, and long-term goals in mind – and that they align with the mascot that represents you.

For you

If you think about it, the mascot is basically the first employee of your business. Your mascot will work hard to engage with your audience and spread your brand message.

We’ve covered a lot of different styles and specific industries that use mascot symbols.

Now it’s up to you to design the right logo for your business!