8 The Green STE R, Dover,
DE 19901

Building no 254, 2nd Floor, 1, Sector G, Phase 5 D.H.A, Lahore

Creating fun new characters for the Line Messenger Pakistan app

Characters Stickers for a localized for Pakistan region
Cartoon of a confident woman in yellow and red named Aunty OMG on the left, and a smiling man with a beard in blue traditional clothing named Shams-Uddin on the right.
ABOUT THIS PROJECT
Line needed a partner to create stickers for their newly focused Pakistan market, which were tuned to the local audience. They needed a design agency that understood good design quality, aesthetic and that could create designs that the users could relate to.
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SERVICES
Character Development
Illustration
Art Direction
PLATFORM
N/A
Launched in 2011 the LINE app quickly became Japan's largest social network, renowned for its range of services beyond messaging, like digital wallets and video on demand. By 2015, it had 600 million users. LINE is popular in Japan, Taiwan, and Thailand.
Line Messenger is a popular messaging app that originated in Japan. Launched in 2011, it quickly gained widespread popularity in Asia and beyond. What sets Line apart is its diverse range of features, including free voice and video calls, text messaging, and a wide variety of expressive stickers and emojis. The app also offers a timeline feature, similar to social media feeds, where users can share updates and posts. Line has expanded its services to include games, shopping, and even a mobile payment platform, making it a multifaceted app that goes beyond simple messaging. With its vibrant and cute aesthetic, Line Messenger has carved a niche for itself in the competitive world of messaging apps.
Line Messenger approached us with an exciting project—to develop unique stickers for their app as part of their launch in Pakistan. Recognizing the importance of a localized marketing approach, Line Messenger expressed the need for culturally familiar characters that would resonate with the Pakistani audience. Eager to showcase our creative prowess, we embarked on crafting a series of captivating pitches tailored to the rich tapestry of Pakistani culture. This opportunity not only marked our collaboration on Line Messenger's first project in Pakistan but also allowed us to contribute creatively to their journey of connecting with local users through engaging and culturally relevant content.
Person using a pen tablet and computer to create and color cartoon character illustrations on two monitors in a cozy office setting.
Typeface
Brainstorming Characters & Direction
In the exhilarating process of pitching character ideas to Line, we carefully curated a selection that embodied creativity and resonance. The initial pitch introduced three compelling characters, each with its own unique story and charm. The resounding approval from Line not only validated our creative vision but also opened the door for further exploration. Building on this success, we eagerly crafted three additional characters, enriching the tapestry of our collaboration. The journey from conceptualization to approval speaks to the harmonious partnership between Venture Republic and Line, promising a diverse and captivating array of characters for audiences to embrace and enjoy.
Our team was working tirelessly for weeks, and then the magic happened when we came up with a vibrant lineup of character pitches for the following:
Ali Gul Pir: the witty maestro
Burger Bachi: embodying modern sass
Bakra Kasai: a quirky nod to festivities
Hawaldar from Hell: adding a touch of mischief
Illustration of a man in black traditional clothing and sunglasses joyfully waving in front of a yellow SUV, mirrored by a black-and-white sketch of the same scene.
Illustration of an angry woman wearing a pink headscarf and green top, shown twice with one side colored and the other as a brown sketch.
Cartoon of a smiling police officer with a mustache holding a baton, shown in black and white sketch and colored versions side by side.
Our Approach To Creating Characters
Character Profile Creation: Initiated the creative process by meticulously crafting detailed character profiles, outlining key traits, backgrounds, and defining features.
Character design sheet showing a cartoon police officer with various facial expressions and two full-body poses holding a baton.
Character Narrative Development: Transformed character profiles into rich narratives, delving into the personalities, motivations, and story arcs that would bring each character to life within the proposed universe.
Left side: smiling man in traditional attire holding a loaf of bread and keys with a bicycle behind him; right side: stern man holding a knife standing next to a goat and a rooster.
Basic Sketch Outline: Transitioned from words to visual representation, sketching out the fundamental outlines of each character. This step laid the foundation for the visual aspects of their design.
A person drawing fashion sketches of jackets on paper using a pencil, with a color swatch chart nearby.
Coloured Fill Graphics: Infused vibrancy into the characters by adding color and depth through graphics. This stage brought out the visual appeal and individuality of each character, enhancing their overall visual impact.
Four cartoon police officers in black shirts and tan pants, showing different facial expressions and poses, two holding sticks and one saluting.
Character Finalization
Completed the comprehensive process by fine-tuning every aspect, ensuring that the characters met the envisioned creative standards. This final step marked the culmination of the collaborative effort between Venture Republic and Line, resulting in a set of characters ready to captivate audiences.
Stickers That Made the Cut
After receiving an abundance of praise for the initial four stickers, our team dedicatedly conceptualized and refined two additional designs, specifically crafted for the Eid Occasion.
Subsequently, Aunty OMG and Shamsudin stickers were officially launched on all Line Sticker platforms, contributing to an expanded collection that aimed to enhance user experiences during the festive occasion. Collectively, Venture Republic collaborated on 6 official stickers with Line-Messenger.
Six cartoon characters in festive attire with speech bubbles expressing greetings and phrases related to Chand Raat and food.
Series of cartoon characters showing various emotions and actions related to Ramadan fasting, including starving, excitement for iftar, eating, sleeping, advising prayer, cooking, serving food, praying, agitation, laziness, waking up, stomach ache, winking with a date fruit, and showing resolve.
Impact
Venture Republic proudly introduced Pakistan's most cherished sticker set, which swiftly became a cultural sensation, captivating the hearts of users across the nation. This dynamic collection, offered to users free of charge, skyrocketed to unprecedented levels of popularity, securing its position as the most downloaded sticker set in the country, with an impressive 1,000+ downloads on its first day.
Celebrated for its relatable characters and clever expressions, this sticker set seamlessly integrated itself into the digital conversations of Pakistanis, injecting humor and a distinctive cultural touch into their daily interactions. It stood as a testament to the power of creativity and connection in the ever-evolving digital landscape of Pakistan.
Quotes
We have consistently received fantastic praise for our website and it has been listed in the top 5 B2B SaaS sites multiple times Our customers really love the low-friction design of the tools. This was our v1 so it was literally our go-to-market product. Since then it has helped us get customers, raise venture funding from the Valley.
Man with dark hair and beard wearing a light blue button-down shirt against a transparent background.
Bilal Farrukh
Country Manage at LINE App
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