This Year Xiaomi turned 13 and a lot has changed with its Branding and Visual identity . As many xiaomi fans loves its mascot Mitu often commonly mentioned as Mi Bunny. Todays topic of discussion will be creation of MITU.
To start with Here are some interesting facts about MITU
- Mitu’s name comes from the Chinese word for rice (米), which is also the first character of Xiaomi (小米).
- Mitu’s cap is called an Ushanka or Lei Feng hat in China, and it can have different designs such as the Mi logo or a red star.
- Mitu was introduced in 2010 along with Xiaomi’s first Android-based firmware MIUI.
As you might have seen that companies like Vivo, Oppo also uses cartoon like characters as Mascots. But Popular Companies like Apple, Samsung, Motorola ,Huawei, HTC, Lenovo doesnt do this .
See, when Xiaomi started its buisness on 16th August 2010 thats 13 years ago, it thought differently from people and Designed a cute Mi Rabbit as its identification.
At that time they intentionally did not want to connect with the meaning of millet, rice and other words. Instead, they wanted to use animals to express the corporate spirit , so they designed this little bunny that looks a bit silly.
Xiaomi employes explained that Mi Bunny doesnt look very smart. There are countless fun and cool ideas hidden in its dull eye, and it is also enthusiastic about helping others. This is exactly the motive xiaomi has to give to outside world - They wanted to Be Friends with Customer which is different from typical company - consumer relationship
Walking in the xiaomi headquaters, you can see this cute bunny at any time appearing in various postures. Many employees hold the Mi Bunny doll to discuss things, and some put it on the shelf for decoration. Even the ballons decorated in the headquaters are everyone is smiling. When participating in any xiaomi event, you can see vivid Mi Rabbit cartoons. For example when Mitu eats spicy pot, you will know that it is in chengdu,Sichuan. When the system is upgraded, you will see cute pictures of Mi Rabbit riding on a Rocket, or when you enter the fastboot mode in MIUI ROM you can see MITU performing Electrical task inside Android Robot.
Infact, There's a little story behind the designing of MITU.
The father of Mi Rabbit, Xiaomi visual designer Sun Guangdou, known as "Dou Ye", exclusively disclosed the precious manuscripts that created the Xiaomi mascot and the creative process.
Sun Guangdou, although nicknamed Dou Ye. He looks like a real-life version of Mi Rabbit. He is sincere and easy-going but not talkative. He has 10 Years ( at the time he joined the company in 2010 ) of visual design experience after graduating from college. He is Xiaomi No. 34 The employees can be said to be veterans.
Sun Guangdou, although nicknamed Dou Ye. He looks like a real-life version of Mi Rabbit. He is sincere and easy-going but not talkative. He has 10 Years ( at the time he joined the company in 2010 ) of visual design experience after graduating from college. He is Xiaomi No. 34 The employees can be said to be veterans.
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| Xiaomi Visual designer Sun Guangdou, known as the father of Mi Rabbit |
More than 12 years ago, he spent more than half a month coming up with images including savages, dinosaurs, elephants, monkeys, rabbits, etc. "Dinosaurs are extinct, so they were not selected. Monkeys, savages, and elephants are not in line with the spirit of the company," Sun Guangdou recalled with a smile, while gesturing at the precious patterns on the computer.
After choosing the rabbit, Sun Guangdou spent more than half a month thinking about how to make the ordinary little rabbit more recognizable. His computer was full of prototypes of various rabbits, some simple, some fierce, some playful, and later he added with the addition of a Lei Feng hat, which represents enthusiasm for helping others, the design is completed.
After returning to Taiwan, one of the cartoons of a little rabbit waving a big flag was widely discussed at the Vision Editor meeting, and Sun Guangdou, the father of Mi Rabbit, immediately helped with the redesign. At that time, the reporter was full of anxiety and made a phone call from overseas. Sun Guangdou is far away in Beijing and busy with daily affairs.
I still remember that it was noon on a Friday. Unexpectedly, he agreed immediately, and at about 9 o'clock that night, he sent the redesigned drawings to Yuan Yuan, and informed him through instant messaging software. Every step was impressive. Feel the efficiency of Xiaomi employees!
Regardless of whether you like this rice rabbit or not, whether the appearance of the rabbit is to your liking. Some people think it is "golden cone" (meaning cute), while others criticize it for looking dull, but this is exactly the sense of warmth and personality that Xiaomi wants to bring to users. Sun Guangdou shared: "I just hope it doesn't make people feel cold anymore!"
After choosing the rabbit, Sun Guangdou spent more than half a month thinking about how to make the ordinary little rabbit more recognizable. His computer was full of prototypes of various rabbits, some simple, some fierce, some playful, and later he added with the addition of a Lei Feng hat, which represents enthusiasm for helping others, the design is completed.
After returning to Taiwan, one of the cartoons of a little rabbit waving a big flag was widely discussed at the Vision Editor meeting, and Sun Guangdou, the father of Mi Rabbit, immediately helped with the redesign. At that time, the reporter was full of anxiety and made a phone call from overseas. Sun Guangdou is far away in Beijing and busy with daily affairs.
I still remember that it was noon on a Friday. Unexpectedly, he agreed immediately, and at about 9 o'clock that night, he sent the redesigned drawings to Yuan Yuan, and informed him through instant messaging software. Every step was impressive. Feel the efficiency of Xiaomi employees!
Regardless of whether you like this rice rabbit or not, whether the appearance of the rabbit is to your liking. Some people think it is "golden cone" (meaning cute), while others criticize it for looking dull, but this is exactly the sense of warmth and personality that Xiaomi wants to bring to users. Sun Guangdou shared: "I just hope it doesn't make people feel cold anymore!"
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| MITU ( Mi Rabbit ) Prototypes |
Source - In Chinese ( With Inputs from Agency)
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