Brand Systems
Character and mascot animation
Myth is a London animation studio that designs and animates brand characters and mascots for campaigns, social and broadcast. A character with a performance, built to stay consistent wherever it appears.
Trusted by
What we provide
We design and animate brand characters and mascots.
From first sketch to finished performance, Myth handles the whole character: the design, the rig, the animation, and the rules that keep it on model across campaigns, social and broadcast.
We have built characters for ITV, PepsiCo, Nestlé and Sky, and we treat every one as a long-term brand asset.
Start a project
Project still- Disciplines
- 2D and 3D character
- Built for
- Campaigns, social, broadcast
- Deliverable
- Character, performance, rules
- Made in
- London, for clients worldwide
Definition
What is a brand mascot, and what makes one work?
Definition
What is a brand mascot, and what makes one work?
A brand mascot is a recurring character that represents a brand across its communications. The ones that work are treated as a performance and a long asset life, not a static drawing handed over with a usage PDF.
Myth designs the character, animates how it moves and behaves, and defines the rules that keep it consistent across every channel and every future piece.
What is the difference between a brand mascot and a brand character?
The terms overlap, but a brand mascot is the public-facing character a brand uses to front its communications, while a brand character can be any designed character in a brand's world, including ones that never lead a campaign.
In practice we treat both the same way: design, performance and consistency rules, so the character holds up wherever it is used.
How is a brand mascot kept consistent across channels?
Consistency comes from rules, not luck. We define how the character looks, moves and behaves, then hand over the guidance that keeps it on model across teams, agencies and formats.
That is what lets the same character read correctly in a broadcast spot, a social cut-down and a packaging illustration without drifting over time.
What deliverables come with a mascot animation project?
A typical project delivers the character design, a rigged and animated performance, and a set of consistency rules covering look, movement and behaviour.
Depending on the brief, that can extend to channel-specific cut-downs, social formats and source files set up for reuse on future pieces.
What's included
A character, not a drawing
Character design
An ownable character designed around your brand, with a look that reads at any size and on any channel.
Performance & animation
How the character moves, acts and carries weight. Performance is the difference between a model and a presence.
Voice & behaviour
The character's mannerisms, pace and personality, defined so it behaves the same way every time.
Consistency rules
The rules that keep the character on model across teams, so it stays recognisable for years.
The decision
Should a mascot be 2D or 3D?
2D character
Often faster to produce, and reads as characterful and warm. A strong fit for illustrative brands and frame-by-frame craft.
3D character
Suits brands that need the character in dimensional or product contexts, and across many future pieces and formats.
We advise on the fit
Myth produces both and recommends the approach that serves the brief, the channels and the budget.
Project stillReuse
Where the character lives
A mascot earns its cost through reuse. We define how it moves and behaves once, so it stays consistent everywhere it appears, which is also the cost argument.
- Campaigns
- Social and short-form
- Broadcast
- Internal comms
- Packaging
- Events and activations
How we work
How we make your character
Discovery & brief
We get clear on the character's role, the brand and the channels it needs to work across.
Concept & design
We design the character and explore looks until the direction feels right rather than arbitrary.
Development
We build and rig the character for performance, consistency and reuse across formats.
Animation
Our artists give the character a performance, with weight, timing and personality.
Consistency rules
We hand over the rules that keep the character on model across every team and future piece.
Portfolio
Characters in motion
Forever Young
Brand character
A Modern Fairytale
Vegan activist film
Inchstones
Nestlé Compleat
Social Security Scotland
Public sector campaign
What clients say
"The Myth team have become a key partner for us at Pepsi. They have supported how we glean insights on communications, in a more iterative way, enabling us to test and learn, with speed and agility. The Myth team are collaborative, efficient and effective, and I look forward to continuing the partnership."
Cathy Graham Kidd / Senior Marketing Director, Pepsi Global
FAQ
Character animation, answered
What is the difference between a mascot and a character?
A mascot is a recurring character that represents a brand across its communications. A character can be created for a single film or campaign. Myth designs and animates both.
Should our mascot be 2D or 3D?
2D is often faster and reads as characterful and warm. 3D suits brands that need the character in dimensional or product contexts and across many future pieces. Myth advises on the fit.
Can we reuse the mascot across channels?
Yes. Myth defines how the character moves and behaves and hands over the rules, so it stays consistent across campaigns, social, broadcast, packaging and events.
How long does it take?
A character-led campaign typically takes two to three months from brief to delivery, depending on the amount of design, development and animation.
How much does mascot animation cost?
Price depends on 2D or 3D, the amount of design and development, and how much animation is needed. Myth scopes each project and is clear about what drives the figure.
Start a character project
Let's chat.
Tell us about the character's role and the channels it needs to work across, and we'll come back with a route, a rough timeline and a ballpark figure.