This is a rebranding and redesigning of the packaging for the popular Hasbro toy of the early 2000's called "i-Dog", a robotic dog toy that plays music and dances. The goal of this project is to redesign the packaging to a different modern audience, both children of the modern age, and Gen Z buyers nostalgic for the original toy.
Gradient Mesh
The iDog used in the packaging was made using an Adobe Illustrator tool called Gradient Mesh. A gradient mesh is an object filled with a smooth transition between colors arranged into a grid with nodes at arbitrary locations. A mesh consists of a grid of nodes, and curved shapes defining the sides of the grid or the edges between the nodes. It's not the simplest method but looks very realistic when done properly.
Original Logo
While effective for the time, this logo has become rather dated to the early 2000s, and does not fit the sleek aesthetic of modern electronics branding.
Logo Redesign
One of the most important changes for me was to get rid of the hyphen. The name and the overall design of the toy is meant to evoke Apple products without copying their look. None of Apple products contains hyphens and the name looks more streamline without it. The typeface originally used looked nice but needed to be modernized as well. The chosen typeface is called Nasalization and takes design notes from the NASA logo, looking technological and modern while maintaining an element of retro.
Logo Redesign
The 7 dots replacing the tittle of the first letter complicated the design even further. It seemed more efficient to separate those two elements and use either to represent the product whenever possible, similar to how other electronics branding operate. Once again, the design was simplified by making all the dots the same color as the iDog.
Original Box
The original box relies on showing the actual product using a plastic screen. Modern day toys, especially those made my Hasbro, do not use plastic in their packaging as a way to save costs and be more environmentally friendly. The blue pattern used on the right is also an outdated trend of electronics of the time. Overall, the box is straightforward but lacks excitement and color that toys need.
Package Front
The priority with the new design was to make the toy look fun. The illustration used here used a very neon bright color palate that fits in with other packaging on toy shelves. The bright colors call attention to children and the emphasis on the product makes it easy to identify for those already familiar. The stage, speakers, and light up backdrop emphasize the toy's functionality with music.
Side Panel
Toy packaging commonly uses pictures of people using the product and being overly excited. The people in the photo are teenage in order to identify the key demographic, but also young enough to not discourage children as well. Emphasis is put on iDog's key feature of playing music.
Bluetooth Compatibility
The main problem that would be encountered if iDog were to be re-released today is the way it connects to devices. The original toy used a headphone jack to connect. As phones are starting to phase out headphone jacks in favor of wireless headphones, Bluetooth compatibility would be an easy but important fix.
Meet i-Dog
Safety warnings and a detailed description of the toy are on the back for those curious and want to know more about the toy. iDog is shown enlarged to put make it easier to look at smaller details.
Social Media Ad
As a promotional campaign and a way to organically gain attention, social media posts will be made to spread the word and attract attention of younger shoppers.
Billboard
As a way to attract attention to parents and older shoppers who could be interested for nostalgic reasons, billboard ads will be made.
