#MyOctocat

There has never been a shortage of requests for new octocat designs. From copyright-infringing Spidertocats to caffeine-starved Codercats, the appetite for new designs doesn’t stop.

After years of planning (and begging for budget) we got the thumbs up to produce a generator where fans could create custom octocats themselves. Fans can choose from an ever-growing database of costumes and physical features to create their very own feline-cephlapod.

The How

As it turns out this was logistically challenging. We researched other generators out there and decided we wanted ours to be more dynamically illustrated and rendered, which posed some interesting challenges. The goal was to have the assets fit seamlessly together, not just layer on top of one another in a flat way.

After much trial and error, we developed a concise design system that defined asset hierarchy, as well as design limits. From there, the artists churned out assets as our developer, Andrew Ross, created the site.

In the end we were able to create an easily navigatable site that makes a octocat designer out of anyone. It contains a huge group of assets (costumes, hair styles, facial hair, hand poses, etc), and is easily expandable for new designs.

Artwork by Haley Caroll, Cameron Foxly and João Ribeiro

The launch

After cultivating this idea for years, and months of planning and production, we debuted the generator at GitHub Universe conference in 2018 in San Francisco, CA - online and on-site.

We teased the generator announcement with this animation. The goal was to be subtle so we used a silhouette design and hinted at vast amount of character options.

Animated teaser by Haley Carroll and Cameron Foxly

The Lounge

Brand activations are big at our conferences, and we thought this was a perfect opportunity to create an immersive experience where attendees could hang out and create. We coupled the generator website with an on site brand activation we call “The Octocat Generator Lounge”, which still has a presence at our conferences to this day.

We set up 4 kiosk stations with large touch screen monitors…attached to the base of 20’ tentacles. Mounted at the top of the tentacles are large monitors cycling a slot-machine-style animation, rolling through varies octocat creations.

The Future

Each new iteration improves the UI, adds new features, and more assets based on conference location or fan requests. We also launched a sticker printing feature. Conference-goers can design and take home custom die cut stickers. We’re trying to bring this feature online so anyone could do it from home, fingers crossed for a future ship.

The Response

Ever try to make the internet happy? Oh, she’s a fickle beast. But the response to the Generator was overwhelmingly positive. People loved it. The vast majority of negative feedback was wrapped around the idea that they wanted more - more costumes, more hairstyles, more download options. They wanted something that better represented themselves. With each new launch we add new cultures to the list so if you have an idea hit us up on Twitter.

My Role

The animation team at GitHub is small so we all wear a variety of hats. I was the lead on this project. Some of my responsibilities included:

Art director
Project manager
Concept artist
Illustrator