Daylight Character Design—Kier Wise-Baker

Daylight Character illustration

Company

Services

Project

Daylight, an LGBTQ-run bank, needed a nonbinary character named Ray (they/them) to be designed and illustrated. Ray would be used in-app to assist trans customers through financing transition.

The first step I suggested was for me to gather references of actual nonbinary people on social media. The 9 photos I chose showcased a range of different identities and gender expressions within the nonbinary community. I then sent them to the Daylight team and they chose two photos for me to draw inspiration from.

These are the two initial concepts I created for Rey. Daylight’s illustration style is minimal and faceless, but I was given freedom to try out giving the illustrations faces.The color palettes are based off of Daylight’s vibrant brand colors, and many of the features are those that were selected from the inspiration photos, such as the left version having a cane and tattoos, and the right version having a beard, lipstick, and a hat.

After reviewing the initial concepts, the Daylight team decided to go with the versions of Rey with faces. They liked both concepts and asked to see them both built out further. They also wanted to see variations on the outfits, facial features, and hairstyles.

Once designs were locked in, the team still liked both concepts and decided to use one for Rey and the other for a different character. The next step was for me to illustrate poses that would be used in-app as the final deliverables.