THE BRIEF
During the pandemic, and inspired by the local street book and free item libraries, dog lover and daytime therapist, Jacqueline (a.k.a. The Dog Librarian) decided to establish a free library for dogs. The library was founded on the concepts of: offering delight to passers-by, lifting spirits, creating an outlet for people’s generosity, helping people feel safer in their neighbourhood via fostering community connections, and embodying the concept of ‘everyday magic.’ The Dog Librarian soon realized that people weren’t sure what the library was on first approach, and commissioned a logo to clarify its purpose. The project quickly grew with the development of a few other pieces of signage, some illustrations, and some merch to raise funds for library expenses, repairs and pupgrades, as well as emergency surgeries for pups in need.
THE SOLUTION
Formerly the Dog Library, we renamed it to the Hastings-Sunrise Good Dog Library to emphasize the founder’s belief that all dogs are good dogs. The library’s shaggy logo includes a dog worked into the typographic elements to make it immediately clear that this street library isn’t entirely for hoomans. The tagline, “For everybuddy.” emphasizes the library’s inclusive mission.
The colours are vibrant and fun, reflecting both the cheerful spirit of the library and the colourful neighbourhood of Hastings-Sunrise. Anthropomorphized dog illustrations reflect personalities from the eclectic, sometimes eccentric, and diverse neighbourhood of Hastings-Sunrise. We created a few additional pieces to encourage little ‘easter egg’ moments of discovery, such as a Pooch Parking sign, and a poop bag metric that measures your love for your dog based on how willing you are to pick up your dog’s poops (even when they’re quite large).
The branding was enthusiastically received by the community with many folks excitedly sharing it on social channels when it launched, and lots of fans of the library anxiously awaiting the release of merch.
Design by Aimée and copywriting by Jono Saye.
