How We Designed a 3D Workplace Emoji Series for Our Brand Mascot

Project Background

The mascot "Xiaomada" serves as the company’s IP image and brand ambassador; giving it more expressive value through well‑operated 3D emojis can strengthen brand recognition and emotional connection.

Design Strategy

1. User Research

Surveys show that non‑textual communication is a strong demand in the workplace, with over 90% of respondents frequently using emojis, prompting a design focus on cute, workplace‑related expressions.

2. Competitor Analysis

We examined popular 3D emoji styles and analyzed three aspects: background vs. no‑background, accompanying copy, and animation constraints imposed by platform size and file limits.

Performance

Both background and transparent formats are useful; rounded rectangles provide a refined look while preserving display area.

Copy

Text can guide or limit the emotion conveyed; inclusion depends on the intended feeling.

Animation

Dynamic emojis must be short, loopable, and visually concise to avoid high cognitive load.

Creative Divergence

Based on workplace scenarios and company culture, we selected high‑frequency keywords such as "welcome", "+1", "received", as well as common greetings like "happy birthday" to form the emoji set.

Design Execution

1. Modeling

Previous 3D work on the mascot gave us a rigged model with optimized skin weights; hand and foot motions are driven by C4D XPresso for parametric control, ensuring extensibility for future IP extensions.

Frame‑by‑frame animation was used to achieve nuanced facial expressions, and subsurface scattering gave the skin a realistic, delicate look.

2. Animation Production

We applied Disney’s twelve principles of animation, focusing on follow‑through & overlapping action, slow‑in‑slow‑out, and arc motion to make the emojis feel natural and lively.

Examples illustrate how proper inertia and easing create smoother, more engaging motions compared to stiff, linear movements.

Conclusion

The complete workflow deepened our understanding of emoji creation and 3D motion design, laying a foundation for future mascot‑related content and expanding the IP’s possibilities.