Pawflex is a pet medical and wellness company led by CEO Jennifer DiGrazia. Its creation started with Jennifer’s innovation on dog paw bandages for her own little dachshund. Having loved dogs all her life, she dedicated herself to making man’s best friend have comfy wellness alternatives that also put the owner at ease. Prior to my addition, Pawflex’s latest product was ‘ComfyPawz’—dog socks/booties that differentiated themselves from the market by adding silicone strip bands on the inner cuff of the sock, paired with a fastening strap allowing for grip on fur ensuring they stay in place. Additionally, the socks incorporated rubberized hearts and textured portions on the paw area to provide traction for older dogs. My role was to continue the design work from where the previous graphic designer left off, and to familiarize myself with ComfyPawz in order to then start the product design for their newest product, ‘Gripsterz.’ Gripsterz are silicone-based dog accessories designed for protection and improved grip. The product line includes outdoor, indoor, and waterproof booties that improve upon ComfyPawz. As well as, long tubes, short bands, and woundpad refills (woundpads that are designed to work with the indoor mitts for dog paw bandaging.)
Research and Analysis
Before beginning the packaging design for Gripsterz, I conducted research into competitor packaging and marketing strategies to identify key elements that help them stand out and succeed in the market. From my research, I found that most competing dog shoe brands offered little innovation, though their social media presence (utilizing trends, minimalist designs, vibrant colors, and dynamic animations) played a role in attracting their audiences. Gripsterz mitts, however, introduced a new level of innovation to the market by utilizing silicone, which grips fur securely to prevent slipping. The mitts also conform to the dog’s paw, allowing for natural movement while being easy to put on and take off. My challenge was to highlight these strong selling points through a visually appealing and legible design that would attract consumer attention.
Concept Development
The lack of available assets presented a challenge when developing packaging concepts. Jennifer had already hired an artist to create vectorized images of dogs wearing the products, and we had numerous photos of the products themselves, both laid out and worn by dogs. However, we didn’t have images of the products being used in various environments. This became evident to me while observing a woman on the train with her dog on a rainy day. Since gathering additional images of dogs using Gripsterz in different settings would have been impractical, I opted to create vectorized backgrounds that could be paired with the vectorized dogs and product photos. These backgrounds would add vibrancy, tell a story, and be suitable for both packaging and advertising.
Packaging Requirements
The packaging dimensions for each Gripsterz product were provided via PDF, which I printed for my reference and for Jennifer’s notes on specific requirements. Some of her key notes included:
● A transparent strip on both the front and back of the packaging to display the product.
● Barcodes to be placed on stickers that included product size and color, as some bags would be used for multiple product sizes.
● A ruler featured on the back
● Width Size Chart with both inches and millimeter measurements
● The ‘Gripsterz’ logo positioned at the top left, and the ‘Pawflex’ logo at the top right.
● The product description displayed prominently on the front in black text, outlined in white
● A large image of the dog, with one paw extending onto the transparent section of the packaging.
● Specific dogs assigned to represent different products:
○ Pipa for Breathable Mitts
○ Copper for Waterproof Mitts and Long Tubes,
○ Milo for Indoor Mitts and Wound Pads
○ And Austin for Short Bands
The majority of the project was completed using Adobe Illustrator, starting with the barcode stickers and progressing to the layout of the packaging backgrounds, dog placements, and additional necessary assets.
The original design of the black "Silicone Dog Boots" header lacked visual appeal, prompting me to brainstorm alternative logo concepts that would better communicate the product’s value and draw in consumers. My proposal featured the Gripsterz logo accompanied by subtitles to specify each product in the line. After reviewing the designs, however, Jennifer decided to keep the original design.
Problems Faced
Communication:
Pawflex is a small company of 5 employees, all of whom at some point need Jennifer’s attention. Along with her move to Florida, Jennifer was juggling a lot, and much of the revisions she would give me came from a busy mind. So, working through the confusion with her occurred many times.
Pawflex is a small company of 5 employees, all of whom at some point need Jennifer’s attention. Along with her move to Florida, Jennifer was juggling a lot, and much of the revisions she would give me came from a busy mind. So, working through the confusion with her occurred many times.
Graphic Design Principles:
A lot of what made this project difficult was the overwhelming amount of information included and design elements (such as the transparency in both the front and back of the packaging) limiting so much real estate. In some instances, I was told to ignore design principles, yet I brainstormed the best solution I could to fit both her guidelines and said principles.
A lot of what made this project difficult was the overwhelming amount of information included and design elements (such as the transparency in both the front and back of the packaging) limiting so much real estate. In some instances, I was told to ignore design principles, yet I brainstormed the best solution I could to fit both her guidelines and said principles.
PACKAGING
Amazon Carousel Images
After finishing the packaging design, my next task was to create images for the Amazon product pages.
ADS
