We like where entry #45 is headed, but were wondering if you could try it without the gradients (just flat colors and shadow shapes where necessary). Again, similar to the plancast penguin (http://plancast.com), android logo, and another one I recently came across was the hipmunk logo (http://hipmunk.com). Possibly play around with the facial expression and features, and maybe the shape and placement of the arms and legs.
Also, take a look at the update we just made to the brief. One of our founders created a character that we like a lot and want our designers to work with. Given your entries, we would be curious to see what you could come up with.
Hello, thanks for the feedback. It's really helpful. Here is the first variation, where I adjusted my character like you suggested. Please let me know f this is the direction you meant. I'll submit more variations soon. Best regards, Bob.