New York, New York, USA
Katie Lim, Jacob Brosius, Grayson Hild of BARK have designed the BARK Core Collection, a series of dog chew toys that solve problems identified for both the dog and their owners in terms of ergonomics, play scenarios, wear-and-tear, as well as noise and color, among others.
The Core Collection is a thoughtfully, beautifully designed dog toy assortment that focuses on durability, functionality, and variety.
BARK Core Collection has recently been awarded a 2022 Good Design Award by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.
The designer’s goal was to create a timeless collection that will communicate play function(s) and durability immediately, while also being iconic and memorable to the market.
The designers drew inspiration from not only their own experiences but the experiences of hundreds of dog parents in order to address human pain points and human ergonomic considerations in addition to the dog’s.
The products’ target users are dogs who have an energetic play style that typically destroys toys in seconds.
This includes their parents, who often have more anxiety and stress because there is not a large range of offerings that successfully focus on both the extreme strengths and mental capabilities these dogs display.
The designs cover a spectrum of play scenarios the designers learned from dogs and their parents, but include improvements from their observations of market offerings, watching play up close, and consulting doctors on dog behavior.
They also prioritized aesthetic needs.
Dog toys are often scattered throughout the home, so why can’t these look good as well? Dog toys don’t have to look like a dog toy.
While no toy is indestructible, these toys set the bar for durability through form design, assemblies, and material considerations.
They have been reviewed by vets, play tested by dogs across many sizes and breeds, play tested by search and rescue dogs, and tested in labs against extreme parameters of bite tests, pull tests, and cyclical chewing.
Each design focuses on the dog, but also elevates human ergonomics at various touch points.
The designers also consider the overall human experience.
For example, “Kingpin” was designed to have a rubber overmold that makes the hard nylon chew toy quieter on hard floors.
Or, the “Pivot” toy puzzle that zooms around the floor doesn’t roll under standard height furniture.
The designs have form factors that influence the movement of the toy, ergonomics, and benefit dogs for how they play with their mouths and paws.
This includes flat-nosed dogs being able to easily pick up and interact with all the toys.
The designers also considered the limited color spectrum in dog eyesight to lead them to an active blue toy color, which also takes into account human visibility.
Where appropriate, a vanilla scent was applied to help with breath and add additional desire for engagement for dogs.
Project: BARK Core Collection
Designers: BARK
Lead Designers: Katie Lim, Jacob Brosius, Grayson Hild
Manufacturer: BARK
