Bea's new look

We gave one of Duolingo's beloved characters, Bea, a much-needed makeover. Def my favorite project ever! Art Director Positive social buzz + positive vibes Every journey on Duolingo is accompanied by a green owl and a cast of bubbly and diverse characters. Bea is among that cast of characters. She's a quick-witted and intelligent woman with a knack for being perpetually on the go. ‍ Bea didn't quite feel right. I wanted to love the character, but when I looked at her she didn't feel authentic. I realized the main culprit was the ambiguity called her hair. A glance at the examples on the left prove this. Hair is a fixture in the black community. Hair carries stories, rituals, emotions, and years and years of black history and pride. Yet, Bea's hair lacked all of this. First, I gathered as many references to black hair as possible. I focused on building a reference set from various types of mediums (ie animation, real life, and 3D, just to name a few). Though Duolingo's art di

We gave one of Duolingo's beloved characters, Bea, a much-needed makeover. Def my favorite project ever! Art Director Positive social buzz + positive vibes Every journey on Duolingo is accompanied by a green owl and a cast of bubbly and diverse characters. Bea is among that cast of characters. She's a quick-witted and intelligent woman with a knack for being perpetually on the go. ‍ Bea didn't quite feel right. I wanted to love the character, but when I looked at her she didn't feel authentic. I realized the main culprit was the ambiguity called her hair. A glance at the examples on the left p