Alphabet Monsters Design Notes g / G
What are Alphabet Monsters?
"Alphabet Monsters" is an original educational material series where
uppercase and lowercase letters of the alphabet
are designed as
Pokémon-like characters.
By utilizing the shape of the letters as the silhouettes of the monsters,
we have designed them so that children can enjoy
getting familiar with the alphabet.
Here, I will write about the behind-the-scenes of the production
as a design note.
* The Alphabet Monsters chart (A3 size)
is available for free download for home and educational use.
▶ Alphabet Monsters Chart (A3 size / Free Download)
A tadpole and a frog that controls music
For the design of g and G, I considered other ideas like a "Golem" based on the initial letter, but
the one that made me think, "This is it,"
was a tadpole and a frog.
Jaxie
The lowercase g has
a round head and a characteristic tail that curls downward.
I added a tail like a tadpole's
and designed it as a tadpole-shaped monster.
It has a cute expression with round, wide eyes.
It is still growing and has a very energetic image.
Its name is Jaxie.
Normally,
using the "ga, gi, gu, ge, go" sound might be the orthodox approach.
But this time, I prioritized the reading of "g" as an alphabet letter,
the "jee" sound.
Jaerog
I put a lot of thought into the design of the uppercase G.
The horizontal and vertical bars.
These two parts
are in the way of making it look like a frog,
but they are essential elements for the silhouette of G.
So, I thought of making them look like a "jaw with keyboard keys."
With this, I set it as a monster that controls music.
The eyes and limbs stick out a little from the letter's silhouette.
But rather than forcing everything to fit inside the letter,
I felt that being this free
makes it more lively as a character.
Its name is Jaerog.
If Jaxie is a tadpole,
Jaerog is a grown-up frog.
I am also conscious of the natural growth flow
from lowercase to uppercase.
The real thrill of creating Alphabet Monsters
When thinking about the design of Alphabet Monsters, first
"What does this shape look like?"
I expanded my imagination in various ways,
and it was fun to think about how to reconcile those motifs with the shapes of the alphabet.
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