Silhouettes and Palettes That Charm

Circle, square, triangle

Circles feel soft, safe and playful. Squares feel stable, trustworthy and strong. Triangles feel dynamic, sharp or mischievous. Most charming characters are about 70% circle, with small square or triangle accents to add personality.

Fill it black

1. Duplicate your finished character.
2. Fill every shape solid black.
3. Shrink it to the size of a fingernail.
4. Ask a friend who it is and what it is doing.

If the answer is “a lump”, push the outline: bigger ears, a clear gap between arm and body, a distinctive tail or tuft. Pikachu's zig-zag tail and black-tipped ears are a textbook example of silhouette-first design.

60 · 30 · 10

Borrowed from interior design, the 60-30-10 rule keeps palettes balanced: one dominant colour for the body, a secondary for belly, face or clothing, and a small accent for cheeks, a scarf or a gem. Add your dark anchor for eyes and outlines on top.

Hello Kitty, created by Yuko Shimizu for Sanrio in 1974, is a masterclass: white body, a red bow, black eyes and a yellow nose. Four colours, instant recognition.

Contrast before hue

Convert your design to greyscale. If the face disappears into the body, increase the value difference, not the saturation. When your mascot appears next to text, keep that text at a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1, the WCAG guideline for normal body text.

Colour meanings vary across cultures, so test with your real audience. And keep reference codes in a shared swatch file (or a Pantone match for print) so every artist uses the exact same mint.

Three palettes, one mascot

1. Take your finished line drawing.
2. Colour it three times using palettes 01, 02 and 03.
3. Put them side by side and write one word for each mood.

You will be surprised how much the personality shifts with colour alone.

Put your palette to work

Lock your favourite palette and use it across a sticker set, or brief it into a brand mascot. Questions? The FAQ covers tools, rights and practice routines.