Responses by Andrew Rutledge, partner of design, View Source.
Background: Watts is a new premium pet wellness brand designed to redefine the daily pet supplement category, addressing a broader issue in the supplement market where pet owners have long been forced to choose between efficacy and palatability. Built for owners seeking the same standards for their pets as they expect for themselves, Watts needed a brand to reflect this premium nature.
Design thinking: We developed a brand built on the idea of premium simplicity that reflects the minimal ingredients list of the product itself. Rather than a sprawling system of marks and sub-brands, we developed a single, distinctive mark and paired it with bold visual design and clear messaging to communicate quality and trust. This stripped-back system was designed to move quickly into new product ranges that Watts plans on offering in 2026 and beyond.
Because this is a new product, we had to signal that to the consumer through the packaging design. Given the detail and craft that went into the custom wordmark, we felt that displaying it as a hero element helped us make that signal bright.
Challenges: Bringing strategy, brand naming, identity, packaging, content and digital together under one roof within an eight-month engagement. As we took Watts from an unnamed concept to execution, we had to build most aspects of the plane while flying it. Every turn in the process required a tight, often cost-free solution. A lot of scrappy ingenuity had to go into the work.
Luckily, our team consisted of many pet parents. When it came to casting a crew to produce photography for the brand and website, we had our hands and paws full of top models for an impromptu off-the-cuff photoshoot in several locations. While we’re excellent at dialed-in commercial and studio photography, there’s so much that can be produced with an open mind and more casual art direction.
Favorite details: Two details in particular. First, the simplicity of the final packaging is truly going to stand out on shelves. The premium supplement space for pets is a bit dated, full of confusing design decisions and writing. Second, the interactive 404 error page mini-game on the Watts website that rewards users with a discount code. That page transforms an overlooked moment into an engaging brand experience tied directly to sales—a feature we developed beyond the original project scope.
Visual influences: The pet food category is often overly clinical or excessively playful, so we chose restraint: a single primary hue called “Beef,” grounded by black and a neutral “Bone” white, with photography that favors authenticity over stylization.
Specific project demands: The packaging needed a compact format intended to be refrigerated after opening, supporting customer experience and maintaining the freshness of the product. That was challenging because we also had to maximize shelf standout and a Velcro zipper. In a way, those constraints led us to a meticulously simple design.
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