![\"gritty_brian_allen\"](\"https:\/\/popicon.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/gritty_brian_allen.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe NHL changed forever with the introduction of Gritty<\/a> in September 2018. The new mascot for the Philadelphia Flyers was really\u2026 something. He was bright orange, clad in a team jersey, and full of manic energy far surpassing even the biggest Flyers fan. Exaggeratedly huge eyeballs practically rolled out of his head. Did you want to hug him or run away screaming? That last question reinforces the reality that Gritty isn\u2019t a long lost cousin to the Muppets. Move aside Jim Henson, because Gritty is the wild, illustrated brainchild of designer Brian Allen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Allen graduated from Penn State University in 2004. He worked in various illustration roles until 2012 when he decided to break away and freelance full-time. Flyland Designs<\/a>, Allen\u2019s design business, grew steadily by 2015. The daily workload consisted of working alongside small to medium-sized businesses and tackling design work for everything from logos to album covers. Flyland Designs did so well that Allen\u2019s wife quit her job to become an agent and handle the company\u2019s marketing initiatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Projects of a Gritty-sized capacity tend to land in Allen\u2019s lap 3-4 times a year. In 2017, he was approached by McCann New York for a reinterpretation of the iconic Auburn and Georgia mascots<\/a>. The character graphics would wrap around a huge Chick-fil-A popup restaurant, The Rivalry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI have an edgier illustration style,\u201d Allen says, \u201cThey wanted the mascots not to look traditional, but to be eye-catching and tough.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\nFrom Penn State To Flyland Designs<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
“The Rivalry Restaurant”<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n