Our key message is to instil confidence in people to better appreciate and enjoy digital banking and its benefits. Through the mascot design, we aim to communicate the importance of digital literacy, protection, awareness, and vigilance.

The mascot is an animal character for two main reasons: first, relatability and emotional connection. Animals have universal appeal, evoking strong emotional responses from all ages, making it easier for audiences to form connections with the mascot. Moreover, animals can be anthropomorphised, making them endearing and relatable, which helps create a friendly and approachable image from a branding perspective. Second, marketing and engagement. Animals are memorable and distinctive (more so than abstract or human characters), aiding in brand (message) recall. They are versatile in design, usable across various media and platforms, and can be animated, enhancing engagement.

We chose the owl as our mascot. While other animals are perhaps better associated with confidence, we believe the owl better embodies the traits we wanted. Drawing upon mental models and typical perceptions, owls symbolise wisdom, which aligns with awareness, caution, and confidence in combating scams and fraud.

Olert the Owl is designed in a tech suit to represent being armed and equipped (with digital literacy, protection measures, and reminders). The suit includes a shield emblem, a ‘!’ on the helmet, and eye gear —markers to reinforce the need for vigilance, and stop and check. Olert’s outstretched arm gesture further reinforces that.

Olert the Owl is versatile and adaptable across various media and platforms. Its enclosed shape allows for easy reproduction in different sizes and formats. Its distinctive form allows the retaining of integrity and recognisability, providing flexibility in scalability. In animations, different states of the tech suit and changes in expressions and gestures can be explored.