Illustration Mascot of Pecel Kane as an Promotional Media

Abstract

Pecel Kane is one of the micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) participating in the “Tumbas Mbois” program created by  the  Lowokwaru  District  government,  Malang  City  in strengthening local business branding. The promotion carried out by Pecel Kane is still simple and does not display a strong visual identity, so a more creative and effective communication strategy is needed. This study aims to design the visual identity of  Pecel  Kane  through  mascot  illustrations  using  the  design thinking  methodology  which  includes  5  stages  starting  from Empathize,  Define,  Ideate,  Prototype,  and  Test,  each  stage contains  methods  adapted  to  research  and  design  to  testing. The  design  process  combines  several  keywords  related  to Pecel  Kane,  especially  the  local  cultural  elements  of  Blitar  as the origin of pecel food, and the Malang City Icon, namely the lion,  with  simplification,  stylization  and  deformation techniques.  The  cartoon-style  mascot  illustration  design  is easy to implement in various digital and print visual media. The design results are expected to strengthen the visual identity of Pecel  Kane  as  a  cultural  heritage  food,  as  well  as  being  an example  of  the  application  of  creative  promotions  for  local MSMEs in Lowokwaru District.