Alphabet Monster Design Notes r / R
What are Alphabet Monsters?
"Alphabet Monsters" is an original educational material that designs uppercase and lowercase letters as Pokémon-like characters.
By utilizing the shapes of the letters as monster silhouettes,
we have designed them so that children can enjoy getting familiar with the alphabet.
We have put effort into making them fun for children to engage with.
As a design note,
I will be writing about the behind-the-scenes of the production.
* The Alphabet Monster chart (A3 size) is available for free download for home and educational use.
▶ Alphabet Monster Chart (A3 size / Free Download)
The correct answer for "legs" born from making a clean break
"r" and "R" were, honestly speaking, a pair I struggled with quite a bit. Both have strange, indescribable shapes as letters, and there is almost no visual commonality between the lowercase and uppercase versions.
After thinking about this and that, I decided to just make a clean break this time and go all-in on making them "a bit weird and interesting characters."
R (Arukeruze)
When I thought about what to do with the two lines extending from the bottom of "R"... I decided to treat them as "legs." It is a surreal type of character where legs grow directly from the head. It has a bird-like, yet somehow mysterious presence.
The name is "Arukeruze," a play on the sound of 'R' and the Japanese word for 'can walk' (arukeru). As the name suggests, the image is of it walking firmly and majestically on two legs.
r (Arukko)
Since I made the uppercase letter a character that can "walk firmly," I decided to go with the opposite for the lowercase "r." It has the image of a bird that is toddling and still unsteady on its feet.
I incorporated the unstable shape, where a curve extends slightly from a single stick, into a pose that looks like it is walking while saying "whoops-a-daisy."
The name is "Arukko," a play on the sound of 'R' and the Japanese word for 'let's walk' (aruko). I made it sound cute, like a younger brother to Arukeruze.
Sometimes, loose characters are okay too
When making Alphabet Monsters, I sometimes run into difficult enemies like this where I think, "How am I supposed to interpret this!" But, those are the times when I try to look at the shape honestly... or rather, "funnily and strangely."
They are birds, but they walk instead of flying. They became a somewhat unique and loose duo in the series.
If you like, it would encourage me if you could give a like or follow.
It would be wonderful if you could leave a comment about your child's reaction, etc.✨