As a follow up to Witzig, a previous brand for dachshund owners, The Fetchery collaborated with New York-based brand design studio ThoughtMatter and cartoonist Gemma Correll for the launch of Moopers: a new online community specifically created for pugs and pug lovers. The brand and platform offers breed-specific expertise to help owners care for their pugs as well as products including shampoo, food, cooling vests and more.
ThoughtMatter was tasked with creating the complete brand architecture, including identity, website, and various brand applications such as a newsletter and Instagram marketing. The Moopers identity was also anchored by Correll’s custom illustrations, tapping into the comedic aspect of pug ownership glorified through illustrations and memes.
With the illustrations as a foundation, ThoughtMatter came up with various messaging, design elements, typefaces and more, all taking inspiration from the physical attributes and personalities of pugs themselves. The pugs’ iconic black and fawn coats became the basis for the Moopers color palette, mirroring the look of newspaper comic strips which reinforced a comedic feel. This was accompanied by secondary colors symbolizing their clown-like behavior and antics. The primary typeface, like the breed itself, is short, compact and doughy. Secondary brand marks and icons further express the co-dependency between pugs and their owners by highlighting some common activities and routines.
“Moopers … builds on the Scottish word ‘moop,’ which broadly means to ‘keep company,’” says ThoughtMatter Creative Director Ben Greengrass. “It gave us a lot of flexibility, with two Os that can be used as holding devices for graphics that symbolize human and pug faces, emotions and expressions.”
