BRANDING // UI & UX // CUSTOM GRAPHICS
Designing the brand and digital experience behind Paw match - the ‘Tinder for dogs’
Project role:
Project summary
Goal
To create a playful yet professional brand and user-friendly website for Paw match — a new startup connecting dog breeders and owners through an innovative online matchmaking platform.
Contribution
I led the creative direction and project management — overseeing every stage from brand strategy through to UX, UI, and final high-fidelity website designs. My role involved collaborating closely with the client, managing timelines, and ensuring a cohesive outcome across all touchpoints.
Achievements
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Developed a cohesive, memorable brand identity
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Designed a playful, intuitive website experience
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Created custom graphics and UI elements
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Built a scalable design system for future development
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Managed the full creative process from concept to delivery
Client
Paw match
Key skills
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Brand Development
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UX/UI Design
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Wireframing & Prototyping
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User Journey Mapping
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Design Systems
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Visual Design
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Project Management
Software
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Adobe XD
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Adobe Photoshop
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Adobe Illustrator
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Wordpress
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Trello
Brand design
Brand iterations
Early explorations focused on finding the right balance between playful and professional. Multiple logo variations, icon styles, and colour palettes were developed to express Paw match’s friendly, trustworthy personality.
{BRANDING ITERATIONS}
Final concept
I created custom cake icons, patterns, and graphic elements used across web, packaging, and print. These assets built a cohesive visual system that made the brand instantly recognisable across every touchpoint — from social feeds to market stalls.
{FINAL LOGO CONCEPT}
Brand in use
The brand identity was rolled out across digital and physical applications, ensuring consistency and recognisability. The result is a vibrant, modern brand that resonates with both breeders and dog owners.
{BRAND IN SITU}
Website design
Defining user journeys
To understand user needs, I mapped out two primary personas - stud owners and bitch owners - and defined their user journeys. This informed the sitemap and initial wireframes, ensuring a smooth, goal-driven experience from start to finish.
{LOW FIDELITY DESIGN & SITEMAP}
Key features
The platform was designed with functionality that supports both stud and bitch owners throughout the matchmaking process:
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Favourites. Bitch owners can favourite their preferred dogs, which are saved to a Your Favourites page for easy comparison and future connections.
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Stud dog finder. A search feature allows users to filter stud dog listings by breed and location, making it quick and simple to find a suitable match.
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Stud “dating profiles”. Each stud dog has its own product-style page acting as a dating profile, complete with photos, health documentation, reviews, and connection options (with a small fee).
{FAVOURITES & STUD DOG FINDER}
{LISTINGS & DOG DATING PROFILES}
Custom graphics
Unique illustrations and iconography were created to give the website a friendly, distinctive feel. These visuals help communicate features clearly and enhance the brand’s approachable tone.
{CUSTOM GRAPHICS SCREENSHOTS}
High-fidelity design
The final website designs bring together clean layouts, clear navigation, and playful visual touches. The interface supports easy registration, search and filtering, and a “Tinder-style” matching system for breeders and owners.
{HIGH FIDELITY DESIGNS}
{LIST A STUD PROCESS}
The result
A cohesive brand and digital design system that captures Paw match’s energy and purpose — professional, fun, and user-focused. From concept to delivery, I managed the full creative process, ensuring the brand and website worked seamlessly together to represent Pawmatch’s vision.
{BRAND & WEBSITE}
What people say about working with me
“…Nicola from the design team has been great. We are extremely happy with the design she has created….”
Andy Gilfillan
Aquatic Control
“….a shout out to Nicola who has been brilliant with her research and the level of detail she has put into our website….”
Steve Pearson
Valve & Process Solutions
“…very professional, flawless design and great customer service. Nicola has been brilliant from start to finish with her research, design and detailed input. Very helpful and a pleasure to work with!!”
Reece Fielding
EcoPower Wood Fuels