Etisalat, a leading telecom provider headquartered in Abu Dhabi, UAE, approached us to create a 3D character named “Waleed” for their Compliance Department. Waleed’s role was to educate their internal team on compliance values through presentations, posts, and on their custom app. The client envisioned Waleed as a Pixar-like character with a friendly, professional demeanor, specifically crafted for internal use. They wanted the character to engage their employees in a fun yet informative way, making complex compliance topics easier to understand.
Etisalat’s Compliance Department sought to promote their values through innovative and engaging mediums. With the need to simplify and humanize the importance of compliance for their internal team, they wanted to create a 3D character who could communicate these topics in a creative and accessible manner. The character, Waleed, was meant to be an in-house compliance expert, guiding employees through their internal app and helping them better grasp Etisalat’s core values and regulations. The department specifically wanted Waleed to have an appealing, Pixar-style aesthetic that would make learning about compliance enjoyable and memorable.
The key challenge was crafting Waleed’s personality, appearance, and movement to strike a balance between being professional yet approachable. Every detail, from his facial expressions to his gestures, needed client approval. Another challenge was ensuring the animation styles were adaptable across various platforms—whether in static poses for presentations or dynamic movement for app interactions and social media posts—while maintaining a cohesive visual identity.
We began by conducting in-depth research into the design style, looking at Pixar’s animation approach for inspiration. After several brainstorming sessions and design iterations, we shared concepts with the client for feedback on everything from Waleed’s personality traits to his physical appearance. Every step, from his character pose to his movement, was thoroughly reviewed and approved by the client. In the end, we provided four static poses for presentations and four different animations for use in videos and the app, ensuring Waleed could move seamlessly across Etisalat’s digital platforms.
Our goal was to develop a compelling persona that upheld Etisalat’s essential principles. Throughout the many rounds of our design process, we altered Waleed’s look, demeanor, and outfit to ensure that it flawlessly reflected the brand. We worked closely with the client at every stage to make sure that Etisalat’s internal team would be receptive to Waleed’s approachable yet professional style.
It took careful planning to guarantee that Waleed’s movements would complement the lighthearted but educational tone when he was animated. We created four distinct animation styles, all of which emphasized Waleed’s contribution to staff education. We made sure that Waleed moved smoothly, purposefully, and engagingly, whether he was interacting with the app or presenting a compliance guideline. This made for a powerful learning experience for Etisalat’s employees.
