Styling and Creative Direction of Characters

Freelance work: I was recently contracted by Junior Achievement, a global non-profit, to help style and give creative direction to a campaign they are developing. The campaign focuses on empowering young people with disabilities. Through focus groups and collaborations with artists the team developed seven animated characters that would be featured in print ads and would be brought to life to make visits to schools. The team wanted these characters to be aspirational and to be "cool", to show that people with disabilities are superheroes in their own right and they are capable of anything. The target market is school aged kids ages 9-18. The following is a mood board that represents the general colour palette, aesthetic and overall vibe of one character. I named her Summer. This girl is teenage freedom personified. She's what I imagine to be the down to earth, yet effortlessly cool character. She is very feminine. She's unassuming which somehow endows her to be quite well liked. Summer is sweet, and she's at the peak of the beginning of her freedom, as she is 17. The picture of the girl with the curly hair is what I imagine this character's overall beauty look to be. Her make up is quite natural with a high gloss lip, lots of blush, minimal concealer. Summer is black and it was very important to me that her hair be natural, and to showcase the beauty of her natural hair. I took inspiration from what I see are the trends of today, and from the influencers that have a teenage fan base. Pops of colour, bright oranges and purples are really making a statement and are predicted to be a predominant part of 2022. Crochet knits, low rise jeans, beaded jewellery, and textures are also really having a moment and will continue to. "Y2K" style is early 2000's style and while it is having a re-emergence within the fashion community, younger teenagers who didn't get to live out the earlier era are embracing Y2K with a vengeance. I see Summer wearing a pair of low rise, light wash jeans either flared or baggy. She is wearing a baby-camisole top (like the one on Kendall), beaded necklaces, and possibly a zip up oversized hoodie. I imagine she's wearing colourful converse or something along those lines. This is a spring/summer outfit as that is the season this would be launched in. Here is a link to my Pinterest board for Summer..https://www.pinterest.ca/beachesandsun3252/character/_tools/organize/?organization_feed=False Certain photos may represent colours and aesthetics more than the actual clothes. Some of the product images, specifically the tops, are featured based on the cut of the shirt rather than the fabric and quality. The beaded necklaces featured will be layered with a small gold chain. The flower necklace on the mood board is reflective of the aesthetic and vibe, however I will be choosing brightly coloured beaded necklaces for her to actually wear. I have a very specific creative direction for this character and I look forward to bringing her to life.

Summer- Character Moodboard

The colour palette and creative direction for the character, Summer.