A playful, illustrated marketing campaign to boost brand awareness using iconic Florida animals.
Creating a campaign as bold and quirky as Florida itself
Thumbprint wanted to create a fun, engaging campaign that would boost brand awareness while celebrating its Florida roots. The challenge was to develop a concept that felt authentic, playful, and distinct—something that would connect with audiences, be visually memorable, and still align with the brand’s voice and values.
Rather than taking a traditional corporate approach, the team leaned into regional personality and humor. The goal was to build something people would want to engage with, something shareable, relatable, and maybe even collectible. This meant finding a creative way to balance storytelling, regional pride, and brand presence in a way that felt effortless and fun.
Building brand awareness through character design
The concept centered around turning native animals into quirky characters—each one inspired by the unique (and sometimes eccentric) culture of Florida life. From the fisherman gator to the tourist flamingo, each character told a subtle story that locals could instantly recognize and relate to.
Visually, the illustrations were designed to be bold, colorful, and expressive—eye-catching enough for social feeds, merch, and print materials. We leaned into a vibrant, slightly exaggerated style that amplified the humor while maintaining brand cohesion.
We also considered how the characters could live beyond the initial campaign—through shareable content, limited-edition swag, and even potential expansion into seasonal or regional spin-offs. This approach allowed Thumbprint to build a stronger emotional connection with their audience while reinforcing their creative capabilities as a brand.
The Process
Creating Personas
We began by developing unique personas for each featured animal, giving them distinct personalities that reflect various types of Florida residents. This included selecting signature props, outfits, and accessories that bring each character to life.
Concept Sketches & Illustrations
Initial concept sketches helped refine the characters’ looks and expressions. Once approved, we created polished, vibrant illustrations that captured the playful and quirky spirit of the campaign while ensuring visual consistency across all assets.
Building the Campaign Brand
To give Florida Friends its own identity, we developed a campaign “brand” that balanced Thumbprint’s existing branding with a fresh, fun visual style. This included custom typography, color palettes, and graphic elements that made the campaign instantly recognizable.
Designing Campaign Materials
We brought the campaign to life across multiple channels by designing a variety of materials including merchandise and apparel, a custom Shopify website, and engaging social media assets. Each piece was crafted to maintain the campaign’s playful tone and encourage audience interaction and sharing.
