Facebook Avatars

Designing an inclusive and expressive character creation system for a global audience.

Software: Photoshop, Figma, Maya

  • Ensuring that our MVP launch was inclusive by improving gaps in our representation.

  • Creating localized fashion for our largest international markets.

  • Auditing and redesigning facial features, leveraging user data and internal team research.

  • Creating concept art and 2D production assets for self-expression to activate on cultural moments.

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Portfolio_ConceptArt_FB_Basketball.png
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Portfolio_ConceptArt_FB_Kurta.png
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Portfolio_ConceptArt_FB_EarthyHippie.png
Portfolio_ConceptArt_FB_Gami.png
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Portfolio_ConceptArt_FB_FloralShirt.png
Portfolio_ConceptArt_FB_MotorcycelJacket.png
Portfolio_ConceptArt_FB_HipHop.png
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Inclusivity & Hair Styles

Hair styles were consistently rated at the top of what users wanted to express themselves. One of my first priorities was to focus on hairstyles for Natural African hair texture based on internal feedback.

  • The hairstyles had to feel modern and behave the way the hair texture actually does in real life, not caricatures.

  • Given that we were shipping with only a handful of hairstyles, it was important that every single option met a high quality bar in terms of execution.

Inclusivity - Localized Fashion

The art team collaborated with WGSN, a fashion trend research and forecasting company, to build out several style personas in each of our large international markets.

The following examples, show feminine, daytime casual wear around the world in order to contrast the sensibilities of different cultures.

Expressions - Back to School Stickers

For stickers, thinking in terms of use case in conversation is the top priority. In this set, we wanted to show snapshots of college life as the narrative through line, while also using popular sentiments from existing stickers as another constraint with a retro 90’s vibe.

Expressions - 4th of July SATP

Super Awesome Text Posts (SATP) are a sort of “meme-like” way for users to express themselves through a narrative vignette to frame user generated text.

The main concept that was successful was inspired by the old movie theatre ads where the concessions would parade and sing.

Expressions - Juneteenth Profile Pic

In 2021, Juneteenth was declared a federal holiday in the US after Black Lives Matter protests in 2020. We wanted to respond to the cultural moment with content for African Americans and allies to celebrate.

For the tone, we aimed for uplifting and educational. This meant switching away from the imagery of the raised fist, a symbol of the Black Power movement and the struggle for civil rights, and to a more open posture with a history book.

Impact

  1. Record-breaking US Launch. When we shipped the MVP to North America, we achieved tens of millions of new users within the first week.

  2. Shipped to a global audience of 2+ billion monthly active users.

  3. Users loved Facebook Avatars. Our internal user research showed that we were on par with Bitmoji (Snapchat) and Memoji (Apple) in terms of user satisfaction.