The National Wildlife Federation recently redesigned Ranger Rick, its mascot. This is a good example of the trend to ditch computer-rendered mascot redesigns from the last 10 years or so, which have gotten dated and nasty with remarkable speed. The new one could have been drawn at pretty much any time since the 1960s, but avoids retro, haunted or nostalgic qualities—a deliberate approach, writes artist Parker Jacobs.
Many versions [of Rick] reflected the era and even the technology of their time, so though I did want to make him timely, I also wanted to make him look timeless. My biggest inspiration came from an old sticker I found of Rick from the ’60s. His colors were bright, his eyes were twinkly and he looked like he wanted to go on an adventure! That’s were I started.
