Alphabet Monster Design Notes s / S
What are Alphabet Monsters?
"Alphabet Monsters" is an original educational resource that designs uppercase and lowercase letters as Pokémon-like characters.
By utilizing the shape of the letters as monster silhouettes, we have designed them so that children can enjoy getting familiar with the alphabet.
This design note will cover the behind-the-scenes of their creation.
* The Alphabet Monster reference chart (A3 size) is available for free download for home and educational use.
As a design note, I will write about the behind-the-scenes of the production.
* The Alphabet Monster reference chart (A3 size) is available for free download for home and educational use.
▶ Alphabet Monster Reference Chart (A3 size / Free Download)
A story leading to a divine beast
"S" is a letter that is relatively often used as an initial in the alphabet.
Actually, at first, I was drawing a slightly scary "snake"-like character. While that is acceptable as a design, I suddenly thought, "How would a child whose initial is S feel when they see this?" and decided that I wanted to make it a character they could feel familiar with and grow to like. So, the two characters you see now are the ones I redesigned.
s (Esuzo)
For the lowercase "s," I took advantage of the snake-like curves but intentionally made it a mammal-type creature. I imagined a somewhat mysterious and charming creature, like the traditional "Kudagitsune" (pipe fox) or the "White Rabbit of Inaba."
I imagined it moving smoothly and quickly with its slender body. This "s" is set as being in the middle of its growth, eventually growing up to become the uppercase S divine beast.
The name is "Esuzo," combining "Esu" (S) with a sound that feels like a Japanese name.
S (Esu no Kami)
The uppercase "S" is a mammal-type divine beast with a dragon-like presence.
The letter S allows for quite a bit of freedom in the details as long as the overall silhouette forms an "S" shape. It was a very fun letter to draw because there were few design constraints.
My biggest focus was the tip of the tail, which is sharpened like a sword. I incorporated a sharp strength into its divinity. I named it "Esu no Kami" because of its high status.
Prioritizing familiarity over fear
Turning away from the initial snake-like monster concept, they became a pair wrapped in the essence of Japanese mythology. I would be happy if a child who has this letter in their name thinks, "My monster is cool!" That is the feeling with which I redesigned them.
If you like, it would be encouraging if you could give me a like or follow.
It would be wonderful if you could leave a comment about your child's reaction, etc.✨