Pooch Selfie – 2019
“Here, boy!” and “Look over here!” are the all-too familiar calls of the amateur pet photographer. The pros have their bag of attention-grabbing tricks but for everyone else, there’s the Pooch Selfie. Our client came to us with an idea to capture those lovable smiles from our furry friends. And what better way to get their attention than with balls and treats? We teamed up with Pooch Selfie to design two holders that clip onto your smartphone to attract your dog’s attention for that perfect shot.
Design
It’s a scientifically proven fact that 100% of dogs love at least one of two things: treats and balls. So we designed two clips for guaranteed results! For both products, we sought to keep size small and pocketable with a simple and robust mechanism that could adapt to a wide range of smartphones. The Treat version also needed the flexibility to hold several types and sizes of treats so that fido could be enticed by his favorite snack.
For the Treat version we found inspiration in our subjects. The graphical dog silhouette, aside from being cute, is functional. Molded from a flexible rubber, the mouth can hinge open to grasp the treat. A light tug on the clip’s “ears” releases the treat for a quick reward for your patient canine model. The treat holder is molded straight onto the clip base, making for a simple and cost-efficient design. We worked through several iterations to arrive at an elegant and highly manufacturable solution.
Designing the Ball version was an exercise in balance. We needed the right amount of hold to grab the ball securely for action shots. The holder had to be as minimal as possible though, and easy to mount and remove the ball when desired. Our final solution was a product of several prototypes and refinements that improved function, moldability, and of course, fun!