Logo Design · Mascot Design · Character Design · Visual Identity · Brand Systems
Logos, Mascots, Characters & Visual Identity
Some identities begin with a mark. Others begin with a character. Sometimes the strongest solution combines both.
I design original logos, mascots, brand characters, emblems and character-led identity systems for companies, public organisations, events, institutions and independent businesses. Projects range from a focused logo to a complete visual system intended for print, signage, merchandise, digital communication and motion.
Identity marks · Wordmarks · Mascots · Character families · Event identities · Corporate & municipal systems · Animated logos
What You’ll Find Here
From single marks to complete character systems
The archive ranges from international sporting mascots and national exhibition characters to corporate rebrands, municipal identities, technology brands, food and wine labels, animated logos and characters developed for safety, education and public communication.
Event Mascots
FIS Alpine World Ski Championships St. Moritz, Expo.02 and other character systems built for public events and large-scale application.
Corporate & Institutional Identity
AN2V, Sanafort, iShepherd, Fraunhofer and other organisations requiring clear, reproducible identity systems across print and digital media.
Municipal & Public Identity
Municipal marks, public-information mascots and local identities including Saint-Mathieu-de-Tréviers and Vacquières.
Character-Led Branding
Neo4j Ninja, Jelly Bop, Oskar, PartyPOW and other identities where a recurring character becomes part of the organisation’s visual voice.
Food, Wine & Hospitality
Domaine de Roux, Les Costes, Top Source, Les Héritières de Bacchus and illustrated identities applied to labels, glassware and other physical formats.
Event & Entertainment Identity
Mensa International, Johnny Mundo, Take the 55, La Toya Jackson / Ja-Tail and identities designed to move across promotion, merchandise and events.
Identity, Character & Recognition
A logo and a mascot solve different problems
They may belong to the same identity, but they are not interchangeable. The starting point is always what the organisation actually needs.
Logo & Identity Design
A mark has to identify quickly, remain recognisable at different scales and survive repeated use. The work may involve a wordmark, symbol, emblem, crest or a wider visual identity system.
Mascot & Character Design
A mascot needs personality, silhouette and flexibility. It may need to work in multiple poses and expressions, appear on signage or clothing, be animated, manufactured or developed into a family of supporting characters.
Character-Based Identity
Some projects need both: a strong identity framework and a character able to carry communication, promotion or storytelling across multiple formats.
Selected Projects
Identity systems built for real use
The projects below range from a recent illustrated character system for a Paris-based consultancy to international event mascots, municipal characters and formal institutional identity. A character created to explain a methodology serves a different purpose from an official mascot or a corporate logo.
Character Design · Corporate Communication · 2024–2025
Léonard — a character built for many contexts
For IN TALENT WE TRUST, a Paris-based consultancy founded by Anne Weber, I developed Léonard as a recurring illustrated character for the PPHO methodology (Plein Potentiel Humain & Organisationnel).
Inspired by Leonardo da Vinci, the character needed recognisable features but also the flexibility to think, explain, experiment and appear in different professional roles. His expressions, gestures and visual consistency became part of a broader system of illustrations and diagrams for printed learning guides and digital communication.
Character illustration, not a company logo: Léonard was created to communicate ideas and provide continuity across the client’s educational and corporate material.
Gestures and expressions. A consistent character vocabulary for different explanatory situations.
Adaptable roles. Scientific and professional variations designed for the same visual communication system.
International Event Mascot
Smoony — St. Moritz 2003
Smoony was the official mascot for the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in St. Moritz in 2003.
The character had to function far beyond one illustration, appearing across signage, staff clothing, merchandise, promotional material and licensed products. The proportions, silhouette and expression therefore needed to remain recognisable at very different scales and in very different contexts.
National Exhibition · Character Family
Expo.02 — Swiss National Exposition
For Switzerland’s national exhibition Expo.02, I created the principal mascot and supporting characters representing the four themed exhibition sites, or arteplages.
The challenge was not simply to design one memorable figure, but to create a coherent family. Each character needed its own personality while still belonging unmistakably to the same visual world.
Municipal Mascot · Pic Saint-Loup
Saint-Mathieu-de-Tréviers — from sketch to public use
For the mairie of Saint-Mathieu-de-Tréviers, I developed a bee mascot intended for public communication. The project moved through rough character exploration, selected design, clean vector artwork and multiple applications.
The gallery includes sketches, colour and outline versions, additional poses, a proposed dimensional treatment and the finished character installed in municipal signage — a useful example of how a small character becomes a working public identity asset.
Institutional Identity · Motion
AN2V — visual identity without a mascot
For AN2V, France’s national association for video protection and smart-city security, I developed a strategic rebrand and three-dimensional logo system.
The work included motion versions and an editorial identity for the organisation’s publication PIXEL. It provides the counterpoint to the mascot projects on this page: sometimes the correct solution is a formal graphic system with no character at all.
Selected Case Studies
Characters and identities developed for real communication systems
These projects show how logos and characters can extend beyond a single image into safety communication, digital products, corporate identity and entertainment branding.
Workplace Safety · Character System
seele — Oskar
A recurring safety character developed for training, presentations, signage and animated communication across an ongoing workplace-safety programme.
Technology · Brand Identity · UX
iShepherd / TRM360
Brand identity, original iconography, personas and visual communication developed as part of a wider compliance-platform system.
Corporate Identity · Packaging
Sanafort
Corporate identity, wordmark, ginkgo emblem and wider visual system developed across packaging, product communication, print and digital applications.
Entertainment · Identity · Crest Design
La Toya Jackson / Ja-Tail
Identity, crests and logos developed as part of a broader entertainment-branding system spanning music releases, web, print, signage and merchandise.
From Sketch to System
Designed for what happens after approval
A good identity has to survive real use. It may appear on a website one day and a building, uniform, bottle, package, presentation, publication or animated sequence the next.
For character projects I consider silhouette, recognisability, pose, expression, scale, reproducibility and future applications. For logo work the emphasis includes proportion, typography, colour, reduction, variants and consistency across different media.
Depending on the project, final delivery can include vector logo masters, mascot artwork, pose and expression variants, colour specifications, print-ready files and production assets for signage, merchandise, digital communication or motion.
Broadcast Interview · SRF3
The art and strategy of professional mascot design
I was interviewed by Swiss national broadcaster SRF3 about professional mascot design — briefing, character development, practical applications and the details that allow a mascot to work consistently in different contexts.
Language: Swiss German.
Related work
Identity projects often overlap with illustration, packaging, web, editorial design and motion. Those broader applications are covered in more depth elsewhere on the site.
Logo, Mascot & Visual Identity Projects
Need an identity people can actually recognise and use?
I work directly with companies, organisations, municipalities, events and agencies on original logos, mascots, characters and visual identity systems.
Send me a short outline of what you are creating, who needs to recognise it and where the identity will need to appear.
Extended Archive
Logos, Mascots, Characters & Identity Systems
A broader archive of corporate and municipal logos, event identities, sports mascots, public-information characters, technology brands, food and wine identities, animated marks, entertainment graphics and character-led branding. Click any image to enlarge it.
Logo Design and Mascots, Character Designs
Original character illustrations created by Ian David Marsden for IN TALENT WE TRUST's PPHO methodology. This series shows Léonard expressing different moods, gestures and situations, including frustration, interaction, rest and practical experimentation. The character's flexibility allows complex ideas about human behavior and organizational development to be communicated through simple visual metaphors.
Character development illustrations by Ian David Marsden for IN TALENT WE TRUST, Paris. Léonard was created as a recurring visual guide for the PPHO methodology. These variations demonstrate the character's ability to communicate curiosity, reflection, explanation and exploration while retaining consistent visual features and proportions.
Original conceptual illustration by Ian David Marsden for the PPHO visual communication system developed for IN TALENT WE TRUST. Léonard appears beside a flying-machine concept inspired by Leonardo da Vinci. The illustration uses familiar objects and historical references to introduce ideas about innovation, experimentation and practical problem-solving.
Original character design by Ian David Marsden for IN TALENT WE TRUST's PPHO methodology — Plein Potentiel Humain & Organisationnel. Inspired by the curiosity and multidisciplinary thinking associated with Leonardo da Vinci, Léonard was designed as a flexible illustrated character for learning guides, explanatory diagrams, presentations and digital communication. The design maintains consistent proportions, facial features and gestures across different professional roles.
Original illustrated character variations by Ian David Marsden for IN TALENT WE TRUST. Léonard appears in scientific and professional contexts while maintaining a consistent face, silhouette and visual identity. These adaptations demonstrate how one recognizable character can support different subjects and communication requirements without needing to be redesigned.
Portfolio presentation of the PPHO learning guide for IN TALENT WE TRUST, a Paris-based consultancy founded by Anne Weber. Ian David Marsden developed Léonard as an original character and created a connected visual communication system including character illustrations, explanatory graphics, information design and artwork for print and digital applications. The larger Léonard illustrations in this presentation are additional artwork placed around the photographed guide.
Printed editorial application of the star-based information graphics designed by Ian David Marsden for IN TALENT WE TRUST. The illustrations compare different approaches to talent development, using visual metaphors, direction and simple graphic forms to make distinctions within the PPHO methodology easier to understand. The booklet demonstrates the practical use of the illustrations within educational material.
Domaine Les Tuileries Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon shown together in a Paris café setting. The wine-label identity, custom lettering, character illustration and varietal differentiation were designed and illustrated by Ian David Marsden.
The Domaine Les Tuileries Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon bottles presented together in a French bistro setting. The coordinated label system combines hand-drawn lettering, illustrated characters and individual varietal colors across the three wines.
The complete Domaine Les Tuileries wine-label range displayed on a sunny French terrace. The Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon bottles show the coordinated hand-drawn identity, custom lettering, illustrated characters, varietal colors and differing bottle formats designed by Ian David Marsden.
Original production photographs of the Domaine Les Tuileries wine-label project by Ian David Marsden. The images show the Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay labels applied to their respective bottle formats, with custom lettering, illustrated rooster and bird characters, varietal color accents and the finished printed label design.
Top Source Columbia Valley Sauvignon Blanc shown in an elegant restaurant setting. The label design by Ian David Marsden combines custom hand-drawn Columbia lettering and an orange painted sun motif with the Top Source mountain identity and metallic gold detailing.
The four-wine Top Source packaging range designed by Ian David Marsden, bringing Columbia Valley Syrah-Grenache and Sauvignon Blanc together with Walla Walla Valley Syrah and Cabernet Franc. The system combines a shared Top Source mountain identity with individually drawn regional lettering, painted motifs, varietal color differentiation and metallic gold details.
Studio-style bottle mockup for Domaine Les Tuileries Cabernet Sauvignon. The image shows the red varietal accent, custom hand-drawn winery logo and illustrated rooftop scene as a finished packaging concept. This is a presentation mockup, distinct from the photographs of the produced wine bottles.
Bottle presentation mockup for Domaine Les Tuileries Chardonnay. The image highlights the label’s green accent system, custom winery logo and pen-and-ink illustration in a polished conceptual view. It is a designed mockup used to present the label, not a photograph of the bottle at the domaine.
Final Chardonnay label artwork for Domaine Les Tuileries. The black-and-white pen-and-ink illustration is accented with green in the varietal name, character details, wine glasses and selected elements of the hand-drawn logo. The image combines packaging illustration, character drawing and custom lettering in a deliberately light, humorous style.
Composite presentation visual for the Domaine Les Tuileries wine label project. The image combines the custom logo, the central rooster-and-bird illustration and a photograph of produced bottles, summarizing the project’s three main aspects: lettering, illustration and printed packaging.
Logo and visual identity design for Écurie Adelphie, a high-end luxury automotive business. The identity combines a shield emblem with a stylized EA monogram, automotive key and black, white and blue color palette. Logo design and graphic development by Ian David Marsden.
For Expo.02 in Switzerland. I was hired to design the official mascot and all characters for all arteplages of Expo.02, so back in 2001 I was flying back and forth from my studio in Santa Monica to the various towns where the expo arteplages were being built, working on dozens or hundreds of designs. In the end it was all pretty much ready to go - and then in the last minute the event management was completely changed and they threw all the existing material overboard and started from scratch. They turned the mascot and character design into a contest, where I then once again ended up in the final 2 chosen designers - but finally only made second place.
Detail of the original Domaine Les Tuileries winery logo created by Ian David Marsden. The logotype was drawn in ink as a piece of lettering-illustration, with irregular forms, small flourishes and a lively line that connects directly to the character artwork used across the labels.
Déclinaison du logo Pic Saint-Loup – mon païs sur hoodie bleu marine. Le grand marquage dorsal montre comment l’identité graphique s’adapte du petit logo textile à une composition beaucoup plus visible, tout en conservant la silhouette caractéristique du Pic Saint-Loup.
Portfolio slide showing character design and mascot illustration by Ian David Marsden. The image includes Smoony, the official mascot for the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in St. Moritz 2003, alongside character-led illustration and logo work for Dingase Delights, Jelly Bop and neo4j. This image supports the homepage category for character design, mascot illustration, cartoon characters, brand mascots and expressive visual identity.
Illustration vectorielle réalisée pour Chanzy Automobiles à Sauteyrargues, dans l’Hérault. Ce visuel regroupe des illustrations stylisées de la façade du garage, de deux véhicules vintage emblématiques (Renault Estafette et Renault 4CV), ainsi que du logo principal et d’un pack complet d’icônes vectorielles personnalisées. Projet de branding graphique conçu pour mettre en valeur un artisan local à proximité de Claret et Saint-Mathieu-de-Tréviers, au cœur de la région de Montpellier.
Vector art presentation showing decal placement on all sides of the vélo-taxi for Les Héritières de Bacchus. Includes visual planning, sponsor logos, and official salon typography. Created by Ian David Marsden for professional print wrapping.
Illustration originale en noir et blanc créée pour le logo tee-shirt de la fête votive de Quissac VIELE, à l’occasion de son 90e anniversaire, 1936–2026. Le dessin intègre l’église de VIELE, des scènes taurines, des personnages de fête, le comité des fêtes et une composition circulaire adaptée à l’impression textile. Projet réalisé par Ian David Marsden, graphiste, illustrateur et directeur artistique basé à Claret, près de Montpellier et du Pic Saint-Loup.
Commissioned by the town of Saint-Mathieu-de-Tréviers in Hérault (Occitanie, France), this original bee character was developed as a full-color mascot to represent local community values and youth engagement. Designed by Ian David Marsden, the vector artwork was translated into 3D for use in public signage, official communications, and municipal campaigns promoting biodiversity and civic pride.
Official logo and mascot design selected for the 2017 International Board of Directors (IBD) meeting of Mensa International, hosted in Nice, France. The concept features a witty, character-based logo with a brainy Frenchman and iconic symbols of intellect and creativity.
Alternate version of the Munchkins logo featuring the same bowler-hatted mascot holding a martini glass. Developed for the bar and cocktail menu of the Culver Hotel’s in-house restaurant, referencing Hollywood legacy and quirky charm.
Final logo design for Munchkins, a themed restaurant inside the historic Culver Hotel in Culver City, Los Angeles. Features a whimsical character mascot inspired by the Wizard of Oz, holding a red fork and knife to represent dining. Designed by Ian Marsden for hospitality and entertainment branding.
Branded sushi variant of the Munchkins logo used at the Culver Hotel, showing the playful character with red chopsticks. Part of a unified restaurant identity system with themed logos for different menus. Designed to appeal to film lovers and foodies alike.
Stylized branding concept for the OMT nightlife division of O Mas Troquet, featuring the logo digitally branded onto a photo of the actual bar counter wood. Flames and texture effects evoke warmth and intensity, merging real materials with graphic illustration in Photoshop.
Application du logo Pic Saint-Loup – mon païs sur T-shirt blanc. Identité visuelle conçue par Ian David Marsden, graphiste et illustrateur près de Montpellier, pour cette nouvelle marque de vêtements inspirée du territoire du Pic Saint-Loup dans l’Hérault.
Full visual identity and graphic design for the board game PILLAGE, including logo, game box, character cards, and in-game assets. Created for a fantasy adventure game with strong French cultural roots, targeting board game enthusiasts in France and Germany.
Studio-style bottle visualization for Domaine Les Tuileries Pinot Noir. The mockup presents the label design in a controlled view, with the hand-drawn logo, violet varietal accent and illustrated rooftop scene clearly visible. This is a presentation image rather than a documentary photograph of the produced bottle.
A vibrant, digitally illustrated hand lettering composition created for a music-themed t-shirt and album cover. Inspired by Americana road signs and 1970s typography, this custom type artwork features stylized characters, color gradients, and flourishes designed for screen print and digital merchandise use.
Cartoon Birthday Friar pushing a carved wooden cake trolley with birthday cake, gifts and balloon. Created by Ian David Marsden for the New York Friars Club website, the artwork combines mascot design, hand-drawn cartoon illustration and animation-ready vector artwork, with the trolley based on reference from the club interior.
Humorous cartoon Friar character wearing a chef’s hat and walking two lobsters on leads. Created by Ian David Marsden as part of a New York Friars Club website illustration and animation project, the image shows the playful mascot-style approach used across the club’s custom Friar character system.
