From Mohawks to Paw Prints: Building the Emo Dog Walk Brand
PROJECT Overview
SERVICES:
BRAND IDENTITY
LOGO DESIGN
ILLUSTRATION
SOCIAL MEDIA
MERCH DESIGN
EVENT COLLATERAL
Emo Dog Walk is a unique charity initiative combining organised dog walks with the nostalgic energy of early 2000s punk rock and emo culture. Designed to resonate with a music industry and pop culture audience, the project aimed to create a brand identity as bold, playful, and edgy as its theme.
Emo Dog Walk was founded by Jack Davis, owner of Uprawr Birmingham, as part of their mental health charity initiatives. The charity invites communities to gather for organized dog walks in specific cities, celebrating shared love for dogs, music, and a culture that shaped a generation. Jack’s vision was to craft a brand that felt authentic to the emo and punk aesthetic while introducing a modern, cute twist to appeal to a broad audience.
THE CHALLENGE
To create a cohesive brand identity system that captures the essence of early 2000s emo culture while remaining accessible and engaging for today’s audience. The brand needed to:
Appeal to a niche audience passionate about emo and punk rock culture.
Stand out visually while maintaining a balance between edgy and approachable.
Be versatile across various applications, including social media, events, merchandise, and promotional materials.
THE PROCESS
Discovery Phase
I began by diving deep into the emo and punk rock culture of the early 2000s, studying visual cues from iconic brands like Vans, Johnny Cupcakes, and Thrasher Skateboards. This research informed the direction for the brand’s personality and aesthetic.
Moodboard and Art Direction
The moodboard highlighted a mix of grungy textures, bold typography, and playful illustrations to strike a balance between edgy and cute. Colour palettes leaned on bold black, white, and vibrant blue, pink and yellow colour accents to evoke energy and nostalgia.
Logo Concept Sketches and Development
Logo sketches explored combinations of bold, skate-inspired typography and playful dog illustrations. The final design integrated a punk rock style expressive word mark with a quirky dog character to encapsulate the brand’s dual personality.
Brand Asset Development
I created a suite of brand assets, including:
Custom illustrations and patterns
Typography and a vibrant colour palette
Social media templates optimised for event announcements, community engagement, and fundraising campaigns.
Style Guide Build
A comprehensive style guide was delivered, outlining the proper use of all brand elements to ensure consistency across all touchpoints.
Social Media Templates
I designed versatile and visually striking templates, with taglines and copy that keep the tone of the brand consistent to maintain a cohesive presence on social platforms.
THE solution
An identity system which is bold, playful, and edgy - That captures the essence of early 2000s emo culture and speaks directly to its audience of music industry and pop culture fans.
THE result
The new identity resonated strongly with Emo Dog Walk’s target audience, generating excitement and anticipation for the charity’s events. The cohesive visual system ensured a memorable and consistent brand presence across platforms, helping Emo Dog Walk build a loyal community of supporters.
“Alex was fantastic to work with; he was able to take our pretty unstructured ideas and turn them into something that perfectly captured the vibe and aesthetic we were going for. He was brilliant with taking feedback and blending our ideas into a professional but friendly aesthetic that we were struggling to define on our own. He was also brilliant for developing ideas and providing assets that helped round out the project with a bank of images and icons that we wouldn't have thought of ourselves, but have proved extremely useful and important.”
Jack Davis - Founder
CONCLUSION
This project showcased the power of combining cultural nostalgia with a fresh perspective. Emo Dog Walk’s identity stands as a testament to how meaningful design can unite communities and drive positive change.