Putting a face to a name: the Airpup mascot

I want Airpup to be fun and social, and worked with Justin Nichol to create a character that not only represents Airpup, but could be drawn directly on the balloon.

Back Airpup on Crowd Supply.

Because there are no animals that fly by buoyancy, balloons’ closest animal analogs are sea creatures. As a small balloon Airpup needs a high volume shape. So does the Nerpa, a tiny seal with a thick layer of blubber living in frigid Lake Baikal.

Nerpas lounging on rocks, Sergio Tittarini, CC-BY 2016

photo by Sergio Tittarini, CC-BY 2016

Starting from the Nerpa as inspiration for a friendly sky seal, Justin created Airpup in Krita, the open source digital painting tool.

Airpup mascot by Justin Nichol

Working from a 3D model of Airpup Justin created a simplified view of Airpup’s face that would be visible from a long distance. Using the vinyl cutter at Ctrl-H I cut out a stick-on face for Airpup:

Airpup mascot by Justin Nichol in flight by the St. Johns Bridge in Portland, OR

Airpup in-flight photos by Colleen Donaldson