Vava & Nana for Havanna Kids – Character Design, 2D & 3D Animation
Havanna Reflexology is a family reflexology business that focuses on providing a healthy, safe, and comfortable massage experience.
Case Details
Clients: Havanna Reflexology
Tags: Visual
Let’s Work Together for Development
As a holding group, we are dedicated to making a meaningful impact not only for our clients but also for the societies they serve.
Design Challenge
The client wants to launch a new service called ‘Havanna Kids,’ a new healthy massage experience for children. The key objective is to make this service highly appealing to children, with the presence of a mascot to make visitors feel welcomed and accompanied during the therapy.
Design Approach & Strategy
The majority of Havanna Reflexology’s market is Chinese, and between 2022 and 2023, the Chinese zodiac signs were the Rabbit and Dragon. Inspired by the 2023 Chinese zodiac sign, the Year of the Rabbit, and the 2024 Chinese zodiac, the Year of the Dragon, the rabbit is an animal that children like and easily remember. Meanwhile, ‘Vava’ (the dragon) represents the active nature of children. The majority of the market has a positive perception of these two Chinese zodiac signs. The dragon is depicted as representing Havanna’s powerful vision, while the rabbit is associated with the playful and cheerful nature of children.
Since the target market is children, creating a mascot and supporting animations for the campaign is deemed essential to attract their interest. A mascot design based on cute and familiar animals, with a simple style, is considered easy for children to understand and process.
Tools & Techniques Used
The process begins with designing mascot sketches in Procreate, followed by finishing touches and adding environment designs. Once everything is sufficiently refined, animation and compositing are done using Adobe After Effects. In the final step, sound design is added in Adobe Premiere. The 3D character development and animation are carried out in Blender.
Design Process
Step one is determining which animal and what color to choose, referring to market research where the majority are Chinese and believe in the Chinese zodiac. Coincidentally, the Chinese zodiac signs in 2023 are the rabbit and dragon.
Step two is developing alternative silhouettes and character shapes based on step one. Once there are enough alternatives, proceed to detailing the character and adding environment designs.
Step three is moving on to the character animation process and compositing with the existing environment and video. The final step is adding sound design and background music.
Visual Design Solutions
The result is the mascot design for Havanna Kids and a campaign video featuring 2D character animation and 3D animation for WhatsApp stickers.
Challenges and Iterations
Havanna Kids is BP’s first project involving character design and character animation.
