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Inspired by local street book and free item libraries, dog lover and daytime therapist, Jacqueline (The Dog Librarian), established a free library for dogs. The library was founded on the concepts of creating delight for passers-by, lifting spirits, offering an outlet for people’s generosity, helping people feel safer in their neighbourhood via fostering community connections, and embodying the concept of ‘everyday magic.’ Having never seen one quite like this before, people weren’t sure what the dog library was at first glance, so Jacqueline commissioned a logo to clarify its purpose. The project quickly grew with the development of a few other pieces of signage. Merch is also in the works!
One of the biggest challenges was to cater to a very broad audience, from kids to grannies, metalheads to hippies, and everyone in between. The founder also really wanted to create moments of ‘everyday magic’ for community members as a means to lift people’s spirits during these increasingly unsettling times. Formerly the ‘Dog Library,’ we renamed it to the ‘Good Dog Library’ to emphasize the founder’s belief that all dogs are good dogs. The tagline, “For everybuddy.” emphasizes the library’s inclusive mission. We also created a few additional pieces to encourage little ‘easter egg’ moments of discovery and delight, such as a Pooch Parking sign and a poop bag metric that measures your love for your dog.
The shaggy logo works a dog into the type to make it clear that this library isn’t for ‘hoomans.’ Vibrant colours reflect its cheerful spirit and the colourful neighbourhood, and teal represents East Vancouver’s official colour.
The identity was enthusiastically received with many folks sharing it on social, which expanded the library’s reach and resulted in a greater sense of community and safety, and also brought in new small business sponsors who supported the library with a constant supply of freshly restocked treats. It also netted a bigger-than-ever attendance for the library’s events, such as the annual Halloween Treat Crawl, and provided greater access to community assistance for pups in need.
Hastings-Sunrise is a neighbourhood within the area of East Vancouver: historically a low-income, harbour- and railway-adjacent, semi-industrial area with lots of blue-collar immigrant families from all over the world. There’s been some gentrification of the area, but the neighbourhood remains largely low-income. The Good Dog Library has been a helpful resource for those experiencing hard times and having difficulty providing for their families, including their dogs. Via the community of GDL dog lovers, the founder has been able to provide a free gear exchange and free treats, and has gathered crucial supplies for community members in need, such as dog food and other means of support.
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