How to Customise Brian's Appearance in Brain Buddy
# How to Customise Brian's Appearance in Brain Buddy AI Studio
When a customer lands on your website, your AI chatbot is often the very first interaction they have with your business. If it looks out of place, uses generic colours, or introduces itself as a nameless robot, you've already lost some of that trust you worked hard to build.
The good news is that Brain Buddy AI Studio gives you full control over how your chatbot looks and introduces itself. By default, your AI agent is named Brian, but you can change everything from the name and avatar through to the chat bubble colour and the opening message a customer sees.
This guide covers every appearance setting available, with practical tips for specific business types along the way.
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Why Appearance Customisation Matters
A chatbot that looks like it was bolted on as an afterthought can actually reduce conversions. Customers notice when something feels off-brand. A dental clinic using a neon green chat bubble, or a law firm whose bot is called "Brian" when their brand voice is formal and serious, creates a subtle disconnect.
Customising your chatbot's appearance achieves three things:
- Brand consistency. Your chatbot feels like a natural part of your website rather than a third-party tool.
- Trust. A polished, on-brand experience signals that you pay attention to detail.
- Engagement. A welcoming avatar and friendly name encourage visitors to start a conversation.
And because Brain Buddy's Self-Learning Engineā¢ reviews real conversations nightly to improve your chatbot's responses, the more conversations Brian (or whatever you name them) has, the smarter they get. Getting the appearance right encourages more people to start chatting.
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Getting to the Appearance Settings
Log in to your Brain Buddy AI Studio dashboard and follow these steps:
1. Click My Chatbots in the left-hand menu.
2. Select the chatbot you want to customise.
3. Click the Customise tab at the top of the page.
4. Select Appearance from the sub-menu.
You'll see a live preview panel on the right side of the screen. Every change you make updates the preview in real time, so you can see exactly how things will look before saving.
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Step 1: Change the Chatbot's Name
The first thing to decide is what to call your chatbot. Brian is the default name, but most businesses will want something that fits their brand.
Choosing the Right Name
Here are some approaches that work well for different business types:
- Plumbers and tradies. Keep it friendly and approachable. Names like "Mate", "Dave", or something tied to your brand ("Bruce from BrightPipe") work well.
- Dental clinics. Something warm and reassuring. "Lily", "Ivy", or simply your practice name followed by "Assistant" helps nervous patients feel at ease.
- Cafes and hospitality. Go fun and on-brand. A cafe called The Daily Grind might name their bot "Brew" or "Biscotti".
- Law firms. A more neutral, professional name like "Alex" or simply "[Firm Name] Assistant" maintains the right tone.
- Real estate agencies. Names like "Elle", "Max", or "Your Property Guide" work well to feel helpful without being overly casual.
- Gyms and fitness studios. Something energetic. "Coach", "Rex", or "Flex" fit the vibe.
To update the name, find the Agent Name field under Appearance settings and type in your preferred name. This name appears in the chat header, in the greeting message, and anywhere else the bot refers to itself.
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Step 2: Upload a Custom Avatar
The avatar is the small profile image that appears next to your chatbot's messages. By default, it's a friendly illustrated face, but you can replace it with anything that suits your brand.
Avatar Options
Upload a custom image. This is the most common choice. You can upload a PNG or JPG file, ideally square and at least 200x200 pixels. Good options include:
- An illustrated character that matches your brand style
- A photo of a real team member (some businesses use their receptionist or customer service lead)
- Your business logo
- A mascot if you have one
Use an emoji avatar. Brain Buddy supports simple emoji-style avatars if you want something quick and clean. A coffee cup for a cafe, a house for a real estate agent, or a tooth for a dentist are obvious but effective choices.
Keep the default. If you're still testing or haven't landed on a look yet, the default avatar is clean and professional enough to leave in place.
To upload your avatar, click Change Avatar in the Appearance panel, then drag and drop your image file or click to browse. The preview will update immediately.
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Step 3: Set Your Brand Colours
Colour is one of the most impactful changes you can make. Brain Buddy lets you customise:
- Chat bubble colour. The floating button on your website that opens the chat window.
- Header colour. The top bar of the chat window that shows the agent name and avatar.
- User message bubble colour. The colour of the speech bubbles for messages your customer sends.
- Bot message bubble colour. The colour of the speech bubbles for Brian's responses.
- Button and CTA colour. Any buttons or quick-reply options inside the chat.
How to Enter Your Brand Colours
For each colour field, you can:
- Enter a hex code directly (e.g. #1A73E8 for a specific blue)
- Use the colour picker to select visually
- Enter RGB values if you prefer
If you're not sure of your exact brand hex codes, check your website's CSS, ask your web designer, or look in the brand guidelines document your designer may have provided when they built your logo.
Colour Tips by Industry
- Healthcare and dental. Stick to your clinic's palette. Clean whites and soft blues or greens convey calm and cleanliness.
- Legal. Navy, charcoal, or deep green communicate authority and trust.
- Gyms. Bold colours like orange, red, or black signal energy.
- Cafes. Warm tones like terracotta, cream, or forest green feel inviting.
- Real estate. Often mirrors the agency's flag colours, which vary widely. Consistency with your signage is the goal.
Avoid very light text on light backgrounds or very dark text on dark backgrounds. Accessibility matters, and the preview panel will flag contrast issues if they arise.
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Step 4: Customise the Welcome Message
The welcome message is what customers see when they open the chat window for the first time. It sets the tone for the entire interaction.
Default Welcome Message
Out of the box, Brian greets visitors with something like:
> "G'day! I'm Brian. How can I help you today?"
This is friendly and works fine, but a tailored message does much more work.
Writing a Better Welcome Message
A good welcome message does three things: introduces the agent by name, tells the customer what the bot can help with, and invites them to start.
Here are some real examples:
Plumber: "Hi, I'm Jake from Clearflow Plumbing. I can help you book a job, get a quote, or find out our after-hours rates. What do you need?"
Dentist: "Welcome to Bayside Dental. I'm Lily, here to help you book an appointment or answer any questions about our services. How can I help?"
Cafe: "Hey there! I'm Brew, your guide to The Daily Grind. Ask me about our menu, opening hours, or catering bookings."
Gym: "G'day! I'm Coach, here to help you explore memberships, class schedules, and personal training options. What are you after?"
Keep it under 30 words if possible. People scan quickly, and a short, clear message gets more responses than a lengthy paragraph.
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Step 5: Choose the Chat Widget Position
By default, the chat bubble appears in the bottom-right corner of your website. This is the most common placement and where users expect to find it.
However, you can move it to the bottom-left corner if your website layout works better that way, for example, if you have a sticky "call us" button or a cookie consent bar in the bottom right.
To change this, find the Widget Position toggle under Appearance and select Left or Right.
Mobile Behaviour
Brain Buddy's chat widget is fully responsive. On mobile devices, it scales appropriately and doesn't cover critical navigation elements. You can preview the mobile view in the Appearance panel by clicking the mobile preview icon at the top of the preview pane.
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Step 6: Set the Chat Window Header Style
The header sits at the top of the open chat window and displays your agent's name, avatar, and an optional status indicator.
You can customise:
- Status text. Options include "Online now", "Typically replies instantly", or a custom line like "Here to help 24/7". This small detail builds confidence.
- Show or hide the avatar in the header (some minimalist designs look cleaner without it).
- Header background image. Some businesses add a subtle pattern or their logo as a background to the header. Keep it light so the text remains readable.
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Step 7: Preview and Save
Before you go live with your changes, use the live preview panel to check everything looks right. Click through these scenarios:
- Does the welcome message fit the window without being cut off?
- Are all the colours consistent and readable?
- Does the avatar look sharp and clear?
- Is the chat bubble visible against your website's background colour?
When you're happy, click Save Changes. Your updated chatbot appearance will go live on your website within a few minutes.
If you want to test it on your actual site before making it fully public, Brain Buddy includes a Preview Link feature that lets you view the chatbot in a sandbox version of your website.
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How the Self-Learning Engineā¢ Works Alongside Your Appearance Settings
Appearance gets customers to start a conversation. What happens next is where Brain Buddy's Self-Learning Engineā¢ does its work.
Each night, the Self-Learning Engine reviews all the conversations your chatbot had that day. It identifies patterns in questions that weren't answered well, spots topics that came up repeatedly, and refines responses to handle them better next time. You don't need to do anything manually.
This means that as more customers interact with your beautifully branded chatbot, it becomes more accurate and helpful over time. A gym in Parramatta might find that after a week, their chatbot gets significantly better at explaining membership cancellation policies because several people asked about it. A real estate agent in Brisbane might notice their bot gets sharper at answering questions about rental application processes.
The Self-Learning Engine improves the substance of what Brian says. Your appearance settings make sure customers want to have the conversation in the first place.
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Quick Reference: Appearance Settings Checklist
Use this checklist before launching your chatbot:
- [ ] Agent name updated from "Brian" to your preferred name
- [ ] Custom avatar uploaded (at least 200x200px)
- [ ] Brand colours set for header, bubble, and user messages
- [ ] Welcome message written and under 30 words
- [ ] Widget position set to left or right
- [ ] Header status text updated
- [ ] Mobile preview checked
- [ ] Changes saved and tested on a live preview link
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Need More Help?
If you get stuck at any point, the Brain Buddy support team is available via live chat inside your dashboard, and there are video walkthroughs for each appearance section in the Help Centre. You can also reach out to your onboarding contact if you're in the first 30 days of your subscription.
Getting the appearance right is worth the effort. A chatbot that looks like it belongs on your site will always outperform one that looks like it was added as an afterthought.
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