Think back to the most comfortable chair you sat in recently. Or the glass that makes tap water taste like it could be from a fresh Icelandic spring.
Great products aren’t mistakes or accidents; they are crafted and refined by designers who are working to make our experiences the best they can be.
Designers face specific challenges with every product, and when they are successful the solutions are elegant, but if designing for people is hard, how about doing it for people and their dogs? That’s exactly the challenge for product designers working on dog accessories: They need to create versatile products that are functional for dogs and us.
A leash or a collar needs to be comfortable for the dog that pulls and for the person on the other side who is being pulled. A toy needs to be fun for dogs to play with, but also easy for humans to carry around and clean.
Designers sketch out how their creations will work. Then they start to prototype and test. Eventually, a designer releases a working prototype of his or her design. In the case of dog products, the designer needs to recruit dogs of all sizes, shapes, and personalities to test out the ideas. The product gets its time out “in the wild” with the test dogs while the designer bites her nails in anticipation of what could go wrong. An original product can take months and even years of trial-and-error before it works (or, sadly, doesn’t).
The best dog products can be happily chewed, slobbered on, and rolled in mud. In order to make that happen, the designer handpicks materials that are extremely durable and easy to clean. This is the utilitarian side of design.
Aesthetics matter, too. While our dogs are impartial to whether the leash is blue or purple (they just want to get walked), most of us humans do care about how our leashes look and feel. So the designer also incorporates style: colors, shapes, and patterns.
This gift guide features superbly designed products by Bay Area brands, while also highlighting parts of the design process behind each beautiful, ready-to-use product. Enjoy!
The Pocket Leash by Paco Collars
The Design Challenge: Paco Collars wanted to design a leash compact enough to fit in a pocket that easily handles the tugs of the strongest dog. To do this, the product needed a lightweight, heavy-duty snap, something that wouldn’t weigh down a chihuahua but could also clip around the Dring of a heavy collar.
The Winning Solution: Paco Collars tested several options before landing on a small solid brass accompaniment that is as strong as its bigger counterparts.
4 feet long, with selection of colors for leather and hardware; lifetime guarantee. $45 plus shipping and handling. www.pacocollars.com/product/pocket-leash
Holiday Collars by GwenGear
The Design Challenge: Beauty. GwenGear’s motto is “Life’s Too Short to Wear an Ugly Collar,” and these products live up to that reputation.
The Attractive Solution: This brand creates bold graphics from the style and colors of San Francisco’s neighborhoods, streets, and landmarks (Castro, Polk, Dolores to name a few). The featured collar is an homage to Gwen herself: the bulldog-friend who inspired designers Denise and Tami to start the brand in 2007. Happy 10th birthday, Gwen.
Sizes S to XL; additional holiday styles in stock. $33 plus shipping and handling. www.gwengear.com
Santa’s Little Squeakers by P.L.A.Y
The Design Challenge: Holiday fun and function. Even I (a Hanukkah- celebrating Jew) got a little more excited for Christmas when I saw these. The starting concept was a dog toy that doubles as a tree ornament. P.L.A.Y used the shapes of popular ornaments as the starting point, and the squeaker idea followed from the form.
The Cheerful Solution: Prototypes were given to dogs to play with and a handful adorned the Christmas tree. The ones hanging on the tree went missing … the dog’s doing. So be warned: low-hanging squeaker ornaments are liable to get confiscated by your dog.
A five-piece gift set for $37.90 plus shipping and handling. www.petplay.com/santas-little-squeakers
Dog Starter Kit by Wildebeest
The Design Challenge: Function and Style. When Jane first adopted her dog Shelby, she had difficulty finding essentials that complemented each other functionally and stylistically.
The All-Inclusive Solution: Careful choices are the inspiration behind the design of the Dog Starter Kit. It’s a sweet all-inclusive gift item for any owner, new and experienced.
Includes a collar, leash, baggie holder (with eco-friendly poop bags), collapsible bowl, carry bag, and two tennis balls. Coordinate or mix-and-match from 10 colors. Starts at $69 (free shipping). www.wildebeest.co/products/starter-kit-dog
David Joseph-Goteiner is the proud owner of chow-lab mix, Lupe. He is a recent college graduate who lives in El Cerrito and works as a freelance writer and marketer. In the interest of full disclosure, he also works at Wildebeest, and believes the Wildebeest Starter Dog Kit he writes about above is an example of great product design.
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