The ‘out-of-the-box’ Photoshop Bevel and Emboss tool is ok but it needs to be tweaked to create bevels that don’t look heavy and ugly. Using Illustrator and it’s Mesh tool to create bevels can give you greater control and produce more pleasing results.
Whilst working for DB Education I designed a character as part of the DB Primary learning manager product. The character was designed for the Key Stage 1 age group (4 to 11) and had to appeal to boys and girls and be robust enough to feature in both the interface and the branding.