Why, YNAB, You’re Looking ‘Rested’

Something’s been brewing behind the scenes of YNAB, and change is afoot.

Or “a foot” … both feet? Well, actually entire bodies.

See, the artwork that we affectionately refer to as our “doodles” is currently undergoing a face (and foot) lift. But, don’t worry—like with any good nip’n’tuck, you’ll still recognize YNAB doodles out in the wild.

… they’ll just look more refreshed, like they’ve had a nice, long spa weekend—complete with green smoothies and daily yoga.

The New Face(s) of YNAB

I can already hear a chorus of you asking, “But, why? The doodles look ah-mazing, you’d never know they were 13 years old!”

Agreed. They look great, but the truth is, they want more in life. We try to be supportive of one another at YNAB, so we enlisted a small, cross-functional team, including Lauren, our illustrator, Tristan, our animator and Kari and Veronica from our customer support team to meet with the doodles and determine how we could help.

Now, it’s important to mention that the new look isn’t purely about vanity—with the new style, you’ll meet doodles at a much wider array of angles (not just facing forward or at a three-quarters angle). They’ll have fingers—all the better to hang on to their cash or throw together a budget-friendly, home-cooked meal.

And their expressions? Well, let’s just say that you’ll know exactly how they’re feeling.

Plus, the new style comes with a color boost—we’re adding 22 more colors, for a grand total of 36, which means a more diverse cast of characters! And purple! (Jen, on the customer support team, might be even more excited about the addition of purple than the doodles.)

Nice Move(s)!

So far, as the new doodles make their way into our blog posts, landing pages and the like, they seem to be integrating nicely. These not-yet-published pieces have been easier and faster to create—which means less time making doodles and more time using doodles in the things that we make for YNABers.

But, perhaps the most exciting news is that, through the magic of animation (a.k.a., the sorcery of Tristan and Lauren), now the doodles can walk and talk! Tristan’s so smitten that he’s already enlisted the help of voice-over artists and special effects libraries to breathe life into our humble doodles. Think The Daily Prophet, personal finance section, but with much less wizardry.

Just Play It Cool

Don’t worry, the doodles’ new and dashing good looks haven’t gone to their heads—all of our illustrated friends still have the same, friendly personalities (and knack for budgeting), as always. There’s just one thing, they’re a little shy about the alteration so they’re only gradually beginning to make appearances. But keep an eye out! Before you know it, the new, refreshed doodles will be featured across our website and all of our social media accounts.