i work as a freelance character designer with the folks at tisme.com.au , and they were recently featured on spicywebdesigners.com . i got to answer one interview question: 7. What kind of projects do you work on for clients and how did you earn the title of “mascot illustrator”? Answered by FERDINAND, a mascot illustrator at Tisme.com.au: Basically I get called in when the client wants to project a specific personality, image or message through a character design. Mascots work in a similar fashion to any logo in that they represent the company and its ideals, but mascot designs can also give the consumer some things logos can’t; a face, a look, a human touch. We respond instinctively to eye contact and body language, and that’s the area of expertise for a mascot designer – to try to get the audience to relate to a brand on that intimate, personal level. full article here .