This project consisted of developing a mascot for the leader and main singer of the South Korean pop group Mamamoo (마마무), Solar (솔라) or Kim Yong Sun, following the cute aesthetic of the K-pop characters universe. The visual translation of the member's face and personality were crucial elements for a faithful and emotional design, leading to the creation of a fun and eccentric bunny who loves challenges (and also radishes).
Yong Sunny was created as a branding element that represents Solar for the marketing in the K-pop industry. The artist's emotional connection to the character is a strategy to sell the product to fans, as they do not consume the character itself, but the value of the artist. Thinking of that, Solar is the product.
In order to investigate Solar´s appearance and personality, a mind map was made to gather necessary elements, such as her position in the group, details of her appearance, personality traits and possible skills. Solar´s characteristics and her journey with Mamamoo led the creative process and boosted the creation of a product with emotional appeal.
The bunny-based representation comes from a concept called Dongmulsang (동물상) or "animal face", which represents a cultural custom of relating a person's features and personality to an animal, in order to find visual similarities.
Thinking of that, each of the facial expressions and poses required research and observational study of the idol and her real behaviours to create a bunny cartoon version of herself. One of the most important aspects was the expressiveness of her face and body, making her funny, energetic, curious, talented and also the cute leader that the fans love.
The Radish Universe
Funny thing: Yong Sunny belongs to a universe made of radishes! Yeah, she's not really into carrots, lol.
This is because Mamamoo's identity symbol and fandom (the moomoos) are represented by radishes. So, the name of the universe "4moo", in which Yong Sunny lives, is the union of the word "moo", that in Korean means "radish", and the number 4, that represents the four members of Mamamoo.
This is because Mamamoo's identity symbol and fandom (the moomoos) are represented by radishes. So, the name of the universe "4moo", in which Yong Sunny lives, is the union of the word "moo", that in Korean means "radish", and the number 4, that represents the four members of Mamamoo.
If you go a little further you will realize that sonically speaking the number 4 represents "for" as well, meaning that the universe and the character are made as a gift for the fans. It stands "for moomoos". Therefore, "4moo" is an imaginary world in which the fans and Mamamoo would meet and play.
This personal project had the main objective to develop a fictitious and emotional character for the K-pop idol - Solar, member of the feminine group Mamamoo.
