THE CHALLENGE
Chara is a new pet food brand for dogs and cats, created by a team of breeders, handlers, and veterinarians who devote their lives to raising and caring for champions. Their expertise shaped a slow-cooked recipe made in a state-of-the-art kitchen near Boston, using wild-caught fish, farm-raised meat, organic vegetables, cheddar cheese, and fresh eggs sourced from New England.
The company had a strong product and a credible founding story, but it needed a brand to bring that story to life. The pet food aisle is crowded, and most brands look and sound alike. Chara needed a name that was ownable and meaningful, along with an identity that felt warm and distinctive and worthy of a family’s most beloved member. It also had to work equally well on the shelf and online, where an e-commerce experience would be central to the business.
INDUSTRY
Food & Beverage
SERVICES
Research & Analysis, Positioning, Brand Messaging, Logo Design, Visual Identity, Packaging, Website Design, Digital Marketing, Illustration
THE SOLUTION
We began with the name. Chara is one of the brightest stars in the constellation Canes Venatici, the Hunting Dogs, and it is also the Greek word for “joy.” That meaning captured the idea at the heart of the brand: the dogs and cats in our lives are our bright stars, and they bring us daily happiness. From there we developed the brand strategy and a voice that celebrates pets as champions, while grounding the brand’s claims in the expertise and ingredients behind the food.
The identity brings that strategy to life with confident geometric illustrations of a dog and a cat, built from bold blocks of navy, red, yellow, and blue, set against an elegant wordmark. That look carries across the pet food packaging, which makes each box stand out on the shelf, and an e-commerce website that brings together rich ingredient photography, clear nutrition information, and a simple path to shop. We also created a custom icon set for ingredients and preparation, along with social media templates that let the brand stay consistent as it grows.
