Meet Akane! The loveable product reviewer vTuber turned iBUYPOWER mascot! Akane was born from my design team (Juan Urena) a concept for the iBUYPOWER Anime Expo 2022 t-shirt. A vector drawing of her head and “peace” symbol printed gracefully on the back. The shirt was a big hit and since we had started working with Hololive on case collaborations, the team decided to create her into a VTuber brand mascot.
My designer and I worked with a concept artist (Insert name) to build her profile, color pallet and accessories. We then outsourced to (Insert 3D modeler name) to build her model, rigging, and texturing.
Akane was initially introduced inside of packaging as a helper who spoke to the consumer as to where to open the tabs, click QR codes and give tips.
She is also the customer service chatbot’s name and likeness on the iBUYPOWER website.
Plans for Akane were to be a VTuber streaming on Twitch and Youtube interacting with fans as a brand ambassador. The idea was scrapped due to concerns of the cost of resources vs the ROI as some competitors launched similar VTubers to low engagement numbers.
Initial development of an Akane branded video game was in development between myself and my designer Mikey Solis. Initial concepts were very promising, but a lack of resources for the project put it on the backburner.
My contribution:
Oversaw and managed concept design, 3D modeling, texturing and rigging. Created packaging, printed flyers, merchandise, digital ads and various assets utilizing Akane’s likeness. My team also contributed to creating animated assets used in social media and paid ads.
Oversaw initial Akane video game concepts with fellow designer Mikey Solis.