Meet Skylar Hogan:
artist, new dad, and Chief Creative Officer of the Wonder Bunch World!
When designing a world for the Wonder Bunch family to exist and play in, Meghan and Alex weren’t so much “picky” as they were “choosy”. They had a vision for a safe place for their family to play, and only needed the artists and musicians with the talent and patience to bring it all to life. When an area graphic designer came to them with mood boards to find the right tone for artwork, they quickly chose three pictures from the board. The artist laughed as he told them that not only were all of the characters drawn by the same person, but that this local artist was just a phone call away.
Enter Skylar Hogan, whose own children’s book will be released in 2021.
“Children’s art is a passion of mine, and I’m always seeking ways to pursue those nostalgic moments. Sharing art with children is a whole new way of communicating, and Wonder Bunch really gets that. I’ve never met anyone as ambitious as Meghan and Alex, and it shows in the Wonder Bunch World. They’re building something quite expansive, and quite special.”
There hasn’t been anything like Wonder Bunch on the market… yet. But our team believes that this work will set the standard for how apps present knowledge to children.
“We had meetings about how to approach each subject, but it was always done in a way that respects how intelligent and sensitive children really are.”
Creating the Characters
Wonder Bunch is an inclusive, diverse world exactly like the one our children live in every day.. They aren’t finding exclusivity anywhere except in advertising and entertainment. When we organically build a world that looks more like theirs, they are better able to relate and feel at home.“We simply looked around at who we wanted our audience to be, and were sure to reflect them in the characters they were meeting.”
Skylar draws his palette inspiration from the worlds built by Hayao Miyazaki.
“My Neighbor Totoro has such a calm, comforting feel to me. I’ve watched children run around screaming throughout other kids’ movies, but Miyazaki always manages to be soothing and engaging. The color scheme has always been my approach to children’s work. The palette isn’t over-saturated or hyper-saccharine. Finding neutral shades that aren’t muted serve to engage children without over-stimulating them.”
Skylar was able to instinctively design a Wonder Bunch cast that all children can relate to, hang out with, and find comfort in. His love for nature and his vision for a safer space for our children is evident in every Wonder Bunch scene. We couldn’t be more grateful to have him in our world!
