Shifting the Perception of Animals Shelters: Sydney Cats & Dogs Case Study
As a not-for-profit animal shelter, Sydney Dogs & Cats Home re-homes over 3000 animals each year. They’re different from many shelters in Australia – they don’t put down animals who aren’t rehomed ‘in time’. In fact, they have an average track record of ten days in finding the animals new homes.
The Brief
With a forced relocation on the immediate horizon, the shelter recognised the need to address the brand as a major part of a reinvigorated push for donations whilst building on their ongoing adoption success.
So although the initial brief was around a new identity, the conversation shifted to building a clearer brand and changing the experience people have with the shelter, online and onsite. We believed we could make a big difference to the shelter, in order for them to make an even bigger difference to the lives of animals and people.
The Idea
‘Lost’, ‘abandoned’ and ‘abused’, are words that pull on our heart strings when it comes to animals. Animal Shelters provide a valuable service to society, by giving a second chance in life for many of these creatures. But, just like many charities and not-for profits, they focus too much on worthiness and pity, as a means to connect with people and encourage adoption and donations.
With a constant focus on the day-to-day running of the shelter, Sydney Dogs andCats Home had fallen into the standard sector approach. Their communicationshad become jumbled and lacked the clear recognition and impact required to engagethe public on both the larger purpose of the shelter, and the positive impact ofadopting animals. The website experience was also confused, lacking the intuitiveneeds for the adoption process as well as clarity around helping the shelter throughdonation and volunteering.
It became clear that the shelter needed to change the way it engaged with itssupporters and the wider public – one that emphasises the positivity and joythat animals can bring us. They needed to drive greater awareness of the adoptionprogramme, and the larger set of community initiatives they run (like pairing rescueanimals with some of our communities at-risk humans, aged care, mental health,and disability care). These combined activities would help to put the purpose ofSydney Dogs and Cats Home at the forefront of people’s minds, and hopefully generatesupport and donations to help build a new facility and continue their work for decadesto come.
In the initial phase of the project, we ran it as part of an Incubator with The University of Technology, Sydney (UTS). This meant the approach for the project was quite educational and experimental for the team involved. We began the process through an in-depth look at the not-for-profit sector and animal shelters of all types. A key part of the early process was of course some volunteering at the shelter to get a true understanding of the task at hand.
Team discussions often centred around improving the online experience of the brand, and how to make a significant shift in the way animal shelters portray themselves. The idea of a cat and dog logo generator was born from all of this and the view to recognising and celebrating the vast number of animals that are homed each year.
A project of this type can be touched by many people through the process. Beyond my involvement, integral to the entire direction were the 3 month UTS incubator studentsThomas Ricciardiello, Timothy Busuttil and Ali Chalmers Braithwaite. Johanna Roca was the design lead, supported by Finnish artist, Andrew Sanney. The generator and website were built by Brady O'Halloran and Eugene Lai. Last but not least Damian Borchok was the key strategic mind in helping to shape some of the thinking.
When we began the project we had complete confidence from the client in what we would build for them. With this in mind, once we hit on the idea of the animal celebrity status idea and the logo generator, we believed we’d found the correct answer. There was no need to present anything else.
The Concept
We looked at all of the different ways in which animals have been portrayed over the years in different forms of media. The rise of animal stars and pet social media profiles led to the thinking around elevating the rejected status of shelter pets. We wanted to challenge some of the misconceptions surrounding these animals, and show that every single one of them is special and deserving of a home full of love and adoration. Elevate them to celebrity status - and the shelter and the adoptees as the animal’s entourage.
The animals needed a makeover, and so we began by photographing them in their best light - glamorous photos that capture their true quirks and personality. The identity spotlights every animal past, present and future through the new identity system.
The identity incorporates a multitude of dog and cat icons, created from a logo generator that uses an interchangeable set of features – ears, snouts and eyes. Thousands of them can be created, so that every kind of pure and mixed breed dog or cat that arrives at the shelter can have its own logo, and incorporated into the brand.
The digital experience has been overhauled, and the process of adopting has been simplified. Users can now find, share and adopt animals with ease. They can alsocreate their own pet logo for social media pet profiles, and merchandise opportunitiesfor those obsessed with their pet. The identity communicates the positivity of adoption and the importance of every animal that passes through the shelter.
The Challenges
Although the process was incredibly fluid and smooth sailing for the most part, there were some challenging aspects to the project. Building the logo generator and the system of interchangeable dog and cat features was more time consuming than difficult – creating a relatively small set of ears and snouts that could go on to create almost every kind of dog or cat took a lot of testing and redrawing.
Photography was another of those unexpected challenges - a lack of space and equipment at the shelter made it difficult, along with the random and often distracted behaviors of the animals. Luckily we were armed with treats and peanut butter to keep our models focussed and on track.
The main objective was around using design to help change the fortunes of the shelter and the lives of the animals they care for. Increasing donations significantly was key, which meant creating something that stands out whilst unifying everything they do.
Although it’s still early days, their new brand identity has led to a greater awareness and recognition of the shelter.
So much so, that monthly donations have tripled from $5000to $15,000 since the redesign. Social media interaction has also increased, with a 200-300% increase of likes and comments per post on instagram due to the personalityfocussed ‘celebrity’ shots of the animals up for adoption.
The shelter continues to make a difference to the lives of animals and people, and will hopefully continue to do so for many years to come.
Proudest Moments
We’re incredibly proud of the entire creative process and the outcome of this project: The incubator; the thinking around the sector; the creation of an identity that challenges some of the expected outcomes of animal shelters and not-for-profits. Being part of the positive change of the shelter, and making a difference to the lives of these animals is incredibly rewarding and adds real meaning to the work we do as designers.