tailmates animal care
Brand Identity / Marketing Design / Founder & Creative LeadThis adventure began as a small dog-sitting service I started in high school in New Jersey. What began as neighborhood pet sitting quickly grew into a fully insured LLC with over 100 clients and a small team of five employees. When I moved to San Diego for college, I left the original business behind.
In Spring 2025, I revived the concept by launching a new San Diego–based dog walking and pet care service, this time with 3 years of collegiate design experience and complete creative control over the brand’s visual identity.
client guide
Business Cards
Promotional flyer
sticker
invoice
instagram feed
building the brand
typography
Ivy Presto Display is used for headlines to bring in a sense of personality and charm. Its slightly whimsical, editorial feel adds a touch of sophistication while still feeling playful and expressive. This typeface helps elevate the brand, making it feel both stylish and unique.
Gill Sans Nova is used for body text to keep everything clean, modern, and easy to read. Its simplicity balances out the more decorative fonts, creating a sense of trust and clarity. This supports the brand’s reliable and approachable tone.
Eds Market adds a hand-drawn, playful touch that reflects the brand’s quirky and fun personality. Its script style feels personal and warm, like a handwritten note, which ties into the idea of personalized pet care. This typeface brings the brand to life with a cheeky and relaxed energy.
color paletTe
The color palette blends soft, sun-washed tones with playful pops of color to reflect Tailmates’ coastal, carefree personality. Warm neutrals and light pastels create a relaxed and welcoming foundation, while brighter oranges and pinks bring in energy and a sense of fun.
This balance keeps the brand feeling both elevated and approachable, capturing a lifestyle that is equal parts stylish and laid-back. Overall, the palette supports the idea of a sunny, feel-good experience where pets are cared for in a way that feels both personal and thoughtfully designed.
additional assets
The patterns add an extra layer of personality to the Tailmates brand, bringing in movement, energy, and a sense of play. Curated by Erin Harwood, each pattern pulls from the color palette while introducing fun, slightly retro-inspired motifs like the zigzag, sun icons, and swirls that reflect the brand’s coastal and whimsical vibe. They are used to create visual interest without overwhelming the design, helping the brand feel dynamic yet still cohesive.
The illustration style is central to expressing the brand’s whimsical and personality-driven identity. The hand-drawn umbrella adds a subtle coastal reference, reinforcing the relaxed, sun-soaked “pet staycation” feel, while also bringing in a slightly retro, playful charm. The illustrated dog, commissioned by Charlie Clark captures the heart of the brand, combining humor, warmth, and style through its expressive and slightly exaggerated features.
Together, these elements reflect a hand-drawn, textured aesthetic that feels both artistic and intentional. This approach allows the brand to feel elevated yet approachable, using character-driven visuals to create an emotional connection and highlight the fun, personalized experience Tailmates offers.
brand stamp
The goal of the Tailmates brand identity is to create a visual and emotional experience that feels both elevated and playful, redefining pet care as something stylish, personal, and full of personality.
By blending whimsical, hand-drawn elements with a clean, modern foundation, the brand captures a “coastal staycation” vibe that reflects both trust and fun.
Every design choice works together to position Tailmates as a reliable yet boutique service, one that feels thoughtful, curated, and genuinely caring, while still embracing a cheeky, lighthearted tone that resonates with modern pet owners.
contributors
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erin harwood
This project was made possible with the collaboration of Erin Harwood, a friend and fellow graphic designer. Throughout the creative process, we worked closely together, sharing ideas and refining concepts to bring the Tailmates vision to life. Her creativity played an important role in shaping the final identity.
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charlie clark
The Tailmates logo features a custom illustration by Charlie Clark, an illustrator, and graphic designer. He was commissioned to create the dog illustration, his hand-drawn style plays an important role in capturing the playful, expressive, and approachable feel of the Tailmates identity.