The key is to identify what truly works for your brand. What truly works in shaping your brand image and seamlessly fits into your branding. It is about creating designs that reflect your vision for your brand, your brand values and therefore resonate well with your target audience. So, how do you create such a pet brand logo? 

In this blog, we have put together some tips, tricks, and ideas to inspire you. By the end of this blog, you’ll have a solid understanding of how to plan and execute pet brand logos that make a lasting impact. 

So, without further ado, let’s get started.

Is Branding Crucial for Pet Brands? 

Short answer: yes. But we’ll give you a few facts so you can decide for yourself. 

• To begin with, the pet industry is a gold mine of opportunities with Americans shelling out almost $103.6 billion a year on pet products. But there are countless brands vying for the attention of pet parents. Amidst this, you definitely need a catchy and memorable logo to stand out. To make that strong first impression. 
• Data shows that about 62% of pet parents stick to the same brand when it comes to buying pet food demonstrating the power of brand loyalty. A strong brand identity built around a unique pet brand logo is a must have for fostering brand loyalty. 
• Additionally, the internet is now the go-to source for pet-related information for most pet parents (about 62.8%). Therefore you need a strong online presence. Remember that your logo is often the first thing customers see when they find your brand online. 
• Big-league players like Purina PetCare understand the game and are investing more than $100 million in paid advertising in the year 2019 alone. When this is the kind of competition you are up against, a well-crafted logo can be just what you need to level the playing field for you. 

In essence, a strong brand and a stunning pet brand logo are pivotal to success in the competitive pet industry. Let’s now explore some tips and ideas for designing such impactful pet brand logos that win the hearts of pet parents. 

5 Tips, Tricks & Ideas For Purr-fect Pet Brand Logos & Branding 

1. The power of the right palette in pet brand logos 

In pet brand logos, colors are more than just aesthetic elements. They are visual representatives of your brand’s personality. 

Do you want to be perceived as a fun and vibrant brand? Perhaps for brands selling pet toys and accessories. Warm colors like orange and yellow work well. 

Or one that is professional and can be trusted? Perhaps for brands selling pet healthcare products and supplements. Blues and greens are often the most popular choices. 

Finally, for pet spas and premium pet products, earthy tones, and muted hues combined with an overall sophisticated logo style will be the best fit. 

In short, let your logo colors reflect what you want to be perceived as. 

The next question is to identify the right number of colors you need. While a vibrant color palette feels relevant to most pet brands, too many colors can cause confusion and can dilute your brand.

Therefore, identify one or two primary colors that effectively capture the spirit of your brand. The energetic color palette of the popular pet brand Native Pet is a brilliant example. 

Their bright blue primary brand color adds so much life to their wordmark logo. From their packaging to ads, this color takes center stage throughout their branding and advertising designs. 

The lively choice of color and the consistent use of this color set the brand apart in the crowded space. 

2. Use relevant pet-related imagery 

While a simple wordmark logo works for some brands like Native Pet adding relevant pet-themed imagery is one of the most common practices. 

Pet-related symbols and illustrations can instantly communicate what your brand is about. If you specialize in one particular pet type then this logomark (pictorial element in the logo) is what communicates this. 

Moreover, relevant symbols and illustrations can also evoke all the right emotions establishing deeper connections with your customers. Finally, they also enhance the memorability of your pet brand logo. 

Here’s the catch. As we briefly discussed at the beginning of this blog, adding a pet-related symbol is very common. So, how do you create something unique? 

Choose a simple metaphorical representation rather than an actual pet illustration. For instance, a paw print or a custom silhouette of a pet. But ensures the chosen design can be creatively integrated into your marketing designs. Consider the IAMS brand logo. Variations of their signature paw print illustration appears on their product packaging as well. 

Or use custom illustrations like the design here to demonstrate the types of pets your brand caters to. 

3. Tweak typography to reflect your brand’s mood

Every brand should have a well-defined mood of its own. And every single element of the brand’s logo should communicate this mood. Undoubtedly, typography is one of the noticeable elements to achieve this. 

So, our next tip is to use typography to effectively represent your brand’s mood. 

One way to do this is to use bespoke fonts that differentiate your brand. Like the logo design here. Despite being a wordmark logo every letter in the wordmark has a personality and the font itself reflects the brand’s playful tone. Designs like this can work strongly in favor of pet brands.

Or if you wish to stick to more classic font styles you can still tweak the typography in your design by adjusting the kerning, the alignment or even the placement of some characters in your logo. Adjusting the shapes of counters of specific letters in the chosen font is another way to add your creative flair. 

For instance, take the logo of the pet brand Chewy. While the chunky fonts set the stage, the subtle bounce added to each letter in the wordmark logo is what makes the design unique. Besides, the playfully tilted “C” is also used as a lettermark in some places. 

KIMP Tip: While these waggish strokes and lively bounces look good in the logo and in short text sections like headlines or hero text, for the taglines and text communicating the core message in your ads, stick to clear and legible fonts that are easy on the eyes. 

Need help choosing the right fonts or designing bespoke fonts for your pet brand logos? Sign up for a KIMP Graphics subscription. 

4. Identify a signature visual style for your brand 

When we say a “signature visual style” we mean the combination of colors, fonts, and imagery. The wholesome visual theme. This should be in a distinct style that effectively captures your brand personality. There is one pet brand that exemplifies this approach and hence let’s quickly look at their brand identity to understand the impact of a signature visual style. 

This is the logo of the popular pet brand Smalls which deals with precisely what the logo tagline says – cat food. 

Despite using uppercase letters, the lively bounce in the letters and the bright yellow color lay the groundwork for the fun personality of the brand. 

But what truly adds value is the hand-drawn flat-style illustration theme they use across their branding and marketing designs. This includes their website, product packaging and other graphics that represent the brand. 

Here’s the quirky theme and the cat mascots the brand uses. 

Such unique eclectic styles work for brands with a playful personality. But if yours is to be identified for its chic and more serious professional personality, then a minimalistic style works. 

For instance, NutriPaw is another popular brand in the pet industry. They are particularly known for their “100% natural pet treats”. Their focus is therefore on clean ingredients and health-focused formulations. Their minimalistic brand logo works in favor of this theme. The refined sans-serif font they use on their logo, website, and other marketing graphics aligns with the brand’s personality as well. Together they portray the brand as one that can be “trusted”. 

KIMP Tip: Taking cues from these contrasting examples, clearly define your brand’s personality. Based on this design custom iconography, illustration, and other elements to effectively introduce your brand. 

5. Design a mascot, the face of your brand 

Mascots are known to humanize a brand – to enhance the brand’s personality and boost memorability. Naturally, they are wonderful additions to pet brand logos as well. Besides, mascots are fun and can be optimized in many creative ways to add a new dimension to the brand’s ads. 

But remember you need a well-designed mascot. Not just an ordinary dog or cat illustration. Imagine building a storyline with your mascot as the protagonist. What outfit and physical features would you add to bring the character to life? Deploy these ideas to create a unique mascot that gives your brand a competitive edge. This is also the kind of mascot that forges a strong emotional bond with your customer. 

Here’s a logo featuring a unique pet mascot. 

A dog or cat is often the most popular choice of mascots for pet brand logos. That’s evident. Therefore, it all depends on how you creatively build the chosen character’s personality. Ensure that the personality you define resonates with your target audience and reflects the core values of your brand. 

For instance, a rugged and adventurous dog mascot is more suitable for brands dealing with pet experiences and outdoor toys and accessories for pets. But such a mascot will not be suitable for a pet brand that caters to pet grooming services or pet healthcare supplies. Understand these nuances to create the most accurate mascot representation of your pet brand. And ensure that this representation fits seamlessly into your logo as well. 

Design Fun & Friendly Pet Brand Logos With KIMP 

In short, a little creativity goes a long way in bringing a pet brand logo to life. Working with professionals can help bring this creativity into your logo design project. Along with this, to ensure a strong foundation and consistent designs for your brand, an unlimited design service is just what you need. 

Schedule a demo with the KIMP team to understand how an unlimited design service works and how it can elevate your pet brand’s design workflow.