BARK Core Collection | 2021-2022

Designers: Katie Lim, Jacob Brosius, Grayson Hild, BARK, New York, New York, USA
Manufacturer: BARK, New York, New York, USA

The Core Collection is a thoughtfully, beautifully designed dog toy assortment that focuses on durability, functionality, and variety. Our 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. We drew inspiration from not only our own experiences, but the experiences of hundreds of dog parents so we could address human pain points and human ergonomic considerations in addition to the dog's. Our 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 we have learned from dogs and their parents, but include improvements from our observations of market offerings, watching play up close, and consulting doctors of dog behavior. We also prioritized aesthetic needs. Dog toys are often scattered throughout the home, why can’t these look good as well? Dog toys don’t have to look like a dog toy.

While no toy is indestructible, our designs set the bar for durability through form design, assemblies, and material considerations. These 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. We also consider the overall human experience. The “Kingpin” was designed to have a rubber overmold that made the hard nylon chew toy quieter on hard floors.

Or, our “Pivot” toy puzzle that zooms around the floor doesn’t roll under standard height furniture. The designs have form factors that influence movement of the toy, ergonomics, and benefitting 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. We considered the limited color spectrum in dog eyesight to lead us to an active blue toy color, which also takes into account human visibility. Where appropriate, we applied a vanilla scent to help with breath and add additional engagement for dogs.