Banterly is an AI learning platform that helps young kids practise speaking. I led character design and the surrounding brand — a hero face, a small supporting cast, a voice, and a fifteen-second intro film.
Banterly is a young company building an AI companion that helps children practise speaking with confidence. The team needed a cast that felt soft enough for a five-year-old and clear enough for a parent.
I started with ten rough sketches. We narrowed those to a hero face and a small supporting cast — a friend, a younger sibling, and a quiet observer. The brand grew out of that hero: typography, palette, and tone all bent toward warmth.
A character sheet (turnarounds + expressions), a brand guide, an in-app application, and a fifteen-second intro film. The set is built so the cast can grow without redrawing the rules.
Fifteen-second character intro — the hero appears, blinks, and says hello.
Drop your MP4 into this container — the placeholder swaps out and the page layout is already designed for a 16:9 crop.
Three short passes — one to figure out the fold, one to make it look like a real object, one to give it a tiny life of its own.
Paper, scissors, scotch tape. Six rough attempts before the silhouette felt honest. The winner: one vertical crease and a slight lean.
Brought it into Blender with a translucent paper shader. Spent too long on the glow curve. Zero regrets.
A soft unfold-to-on loop. The animation is deliberately slow — the lamp should feel like it's waking up, not switching.