January 2021 - April 2022
Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Xcode, Procreate
Illustration, Art Direction, App Creation, Marketing, Branding
Over the pandemic, I started texting my friends a lot more than I thought I would in order to stay in touch with them. Gradually, I fell in love with stickers we used over Messaging apps like iMessage and Line, so for my next project, I wanted to build a sticker app for iMessage from the ground up. I grew up loving teddy bears and their huggable demeanor, so I thought they were an excellent place to start!
Truthfully, I had little experience in character design, so I spent a lot of time learning and researching different teddy bear, emoji, and aesthetic designs that would appeal to sticker users. I knew I wanted four bears that had distinct personalities from each other, and in turn, would be reflected in the app. From left to right, Momo is an excitable & creative chef, Honey is a laidback & mischievous prankster, Koda is a smart & curious detective, and Winter is a shy but imaginative daydreamer. Each Bearuji bear brings something different to the table for audiences to love.
The original set of 104 character stickers are comprised of 40 emotion stickers, 32 text stickers, and 32 action stickers. Establishing the stickers this way allowed me to come up with various illustrations for different occasions, which required creating new assets for the bears to interact with in their world. This approach enabled me to craft a well-rounded and adaptable sticker set that serves as a visual language for users to express themselves creatively across an array of messaging contexts.
Understanding Xcode was unavoidable if I wanted to make a unique presence on the App Store. After creating the stickers, I was constantly pushing different builds of the sticker app to different personal devices to ensure quality and comprehensibility.
Months before the release, I had started creating content on the Instagram in the form of comics, activities, and cute photos of the bears. The app was released for free on the App Store in late 2021. To coincide with the release, GIFS and face filters were added on Instagram and merchandise was released on the website. After publishing on the App Store, the Instagram was regularly updated with new content to promote the sticker app that correlated with the seasons.
