Mascot - Blue Arrara

[Chris Negus]

On Fri, 2007-04-06 at 13:27 -0400, Máirí­n Duffy wrote:
> Hehe, this is part of the reason why I started drawing aliens. Of course 
> now that I think about it, aliens can have some pretty bad connotations 
> too (abducting people, wreaking havoc for farmers with crop circles, 
> etc.) ;)

I like the alien idea, taking into account that the "wreaking
havoc"-type issues need to be handled carefully. 

The idea of an alien mascot made me think of a chat I was having with
Seth Vidal the Sunday morning of FUDCON Boston (while waiting for
late-night revelers to straggle in). He was talking about how science
fiction often foreshadows later technical innovations (such as modern
cell phones being modeled after Star Trek communicators).

If you do it right, an alien mascot could represent the Fedora
aspirations of always bringing the latest technical innovations. I have
an image of a cool, brilliant, slightly-shy alien gently offering
secrets of the universe to interested earthlings. Making him humble can
help overcome the fear-of-abduction imagery.

Myths could arise about how certain new technology breakthroughs came
after developers consulted with this alien. Good stories can help spark
imagination and prompt people to remember the pursuits of a project,
even more than a logo or a single word that is not a hat.

-- Chris Negus