Bun Studio's playful dog snack branding injects some fun into the pet food industry

Pet food tends to be pretty buttoned down when it comes to branding. Enter Bun Studio, a playful and creative studio focused on breathing new life into brands, who has recently created a cheeky identity for healthy dog snack company Denzel's.

Written By: Dom Carter

15 October 2021

Six Denzel's dog chew packaging designs featuring a cartoon cocker spaniel in different coloured outfits with flavour variants including superfood, high protein, crunch, paleo, tropical and nut butter

Created by Bun Studio's head creative, Victoria Hemphill, the branding for Denzel's focused on being eye-catching and characterful to stand out from aisles filled with traditional images of cats and dogs. And judging by its unique cartoon-like graphics of Denzel, the owner's cheeky cocker spaniel, we think they succeeded.

"Oozing charm and personality, just like the real Denzel, the fun extends off-pack with collectable cards, 'pooch post' delivery boxes and newsletters all led by Denzel's escapades," Bun Studio tells Creative Boom. As well as being pleasing to look at, these cards come packed with doggy facts covering everything from their dietary needs to their learning habits.

Multiple Denzel's dog snack packaging boxes featuring colourful cartoon illustrations of a brown cocker spaniel in various poses and outfits, arranged on a white wooden surface

Cartoon brown cocker spaniel wearing sunglasses and yellow outfit, holding a passport and camera with a colourful suitcase against a pink background

The charming packaging and accompanying goodies feature a gym-clad Denzel working out for his high-protein dog chews, and also see him kitted out in a cape and superhero mask while eating his superfood chews. Even compared to pet food that forgoes photography for illustration, Bun Studio's work is still quite the contrast.

It's an adorable piece of design that comes at an exciting time for the healthy dog snack brand. Denzel's gently baked dog snacks with a human twist - think spinach, peanut butter and salmon flavours - have recently been nominated for a Grocer award and received funding from Holly Branson. And with its fully compostable packaging, Denzel's has cemented itself as one of the greenest pooch products on the market.

Assorted Denzel's dog snack packaging and collectible cards arranged flat, featuring playful illustrations of a brown cocker spaniel in various scenarios with colourful text and doggy facts

Brown cocker spaniel character wearing a blue "Coach" shirt and red gloves, jumping rope against a light blue background

For the designer, illustrator, and Bun Studio head creative Victoria, the project was a perfect fit for their desire to bring brands to life, warmly and playfully. "Naturally, we create top-notch, beautiful packaging. However, our speciality is creating the magic that lingers off the pack," she reveals. "Everything is injected with pockets of colour, magic and goodness within the competitor brand world and straight into consumers' hearts. We work closely with every client, pouring love, humour and meticulousness into each project. "And puns, we really can't get enough of those."