LeoLion corporate hero
Client
Leoceramics
Year
2021
Location
Lviv
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Development of a Corporate Character for the Leoceramica Brand
During the SMM support for the Leoceramica chain of building supply supermarkets, we developed and introduced a corporate character for their social media presence — Leo the Cat.
This initiative provided additional tools for brand messaging and brought a fun, engaging element into the communication strategy.
The image of a mischievous ginger cat, sharing product insights with sarcasm and a healthy sense of humor, turned out to be highly effective — the audience responded much better to communications featuring the character than without him.
After six months of testing across social media and outdoor advertising, Leoceramica decided to move forward with the creation of a permanent brand character — Leo the Lion, also known as Leo the Expert.
The implementation was commissioned to Miks Digital design studio.
Initially, the client envisioned a hand-drawn character: a lion in his early 30s, dressed in jeans, sneakers, a blazer, glasses, and carrying a tablet — a typical modern designer. Following the client’s brief and reference materials, the Miks Digital team designed and illustrated this character accordingly.
At the same time, we proposed an alternative — a more cartoonish version of the lion.
This approach allowed us to put greater emphasis on the facial features, humanize the character, and enhance its expressiveness — making it easier to convey a wide range of emotions. Thus, we created not only a brand hero but also an emoji-like figure that could flexibly adapt to different contexts.
We designed Leo’s mane to be dynamic — for example, it can transform into flames during promotions and discounts, or into a heart for Valentine’s Day.
Ultimately, the client selected the version proposed by Miks Digital.
In addition to the fully illustrated character and its core elements, we developed 12 different storylines, which were used to create a sticker pack.
The idea is that in the future, Leoceramica can expand these stories into new campaigns and materials.
Since August, the cheerful face of Leo the Lion has been playfully winking from orange billboards and citylights of Leoceramica across Ukraine.
