pawsh
project type
Packaging, Branding, Ux/Ui
year
Winter 2025 – Fall 2025
role
Graphic Designer, UX Lead (app)
team
5: 3 Graphic, 2 Structural Designers
project overview
PAWSH took 2nd Place and People's Choice at the 2025 PPA Student Design Challenge, one of three North American finalist teams. Built over ten weeks with a cross-disciplinary team of five, our brand pairs dog DNA testing with breed-matched gear in packaging that's 100% recyclable. I bridged our graphic and structural design courses, built the shared systems that held the team together, and led the app end to end from architecture through prototype.
Team Pawsh
Sophia Levin
Graphic Design
Elizabeth Ridley
Graphic Design
Brandon Schwartz
Graphic Design
Sonia Andrade
Structural Design
Dominic Corrente
Structural Design
Advised by Linh Toscani, Irene Carbonell & Javier de la Fuente
Sponsored by PaperWorks & RRD Packaging Solutions
project outcomes
2nd place
One of three North American finalist teams at the 2025 PPA Student Design Challenge.
people's choice
Voted on by roughly 230 packaging industry professionals at the PPC Fall Meeting in Vancouver, November 2025.
100% recyclable
Even the swab pouch, the reseal, and the hang tab. All paperboard.
the brief
300 million lbs
of plastic packaging generated by the U.S. pet industry every year (Pet Sustainability Coalition)
Every year, the Paperboard Packaging Alliance challenges student teams across North America to reimagine a category plastic still owns, entirely in paperboard. In 2025: pet care.
The assignment: design an original pet care line with at least one DNA or lab-dependent product: one unit that sells on a shelf, teaches sampling at home, protects the sample, and ships it back to the lab.
the four gaps we found
what is pawsh?
PAWSH is where science meets style: dog DNA testing paired with breed-matched gear, delivered in packaging that's 100% recyclable, resealable, and returnable.
the pawsh user flow
project timeline
Weeks 1–2
finding the idea
It started with our own pets. We were drawn to playful pet brands because they reminded us of our own silly dogs, and that love became PAWSH.
shared workspace
Our graphic and packaging design classes could only meet once a week. To bridge two separate courses into one team, I set up a shared Notion and Figma from day one. Months later, preparing for Vancouver, the system paid off. We had receipts on everything.
Weeks 3–4
defining pawsh
brand positioning + visual identity
Liz's funky dog sketches became the brand's visual voice. From there we experimented with typography as its stylish counterpart. Our faculty advisor Linh Toscani pushed us to keep the logo dog-free, fashionable, and modern. Illustration for personality, type for sophistication.
scoping the app
I mapped the full user journey: a pet profile linked to DNA kit activation, a breed results screen, personalized product recommendations, and a return shipping flow. Three flows built around one idea: the right gear for your dog, with nothing wasted.
Weeks 5–8
designing the system
brand refinement
Variable fonts became our visual metaphor: a brand that evolves and grows alongside your dog. I vectorized Liz's original illustration set and added in a few dogs and details of my own, then uploaded each dog as an SVG to our shared Figma file. With the brand system finalized, we moved into the primary packaging, iterating on text hierarchy, layout, and illustration placement in close collaboration with our structural designers.
wireframing
With the three core journeys mapped, I ran a competitive audit across three apps, pairing each with the flow it would inform. Depop and Shop shaped purchasing and Re-PAWSH returns; Embark, whose onboarding flow I went through firsthand, shaped activation. The complete user flow came out of that research.
structural prototypes
Fifteen cardboard prototypes, one problem at a time: how to eliminate plastic, make instructions obvious, and convert the same box for return shipping. Drop-tested at every stage.
Weeks 9–10
the final sprint
drop testing
Sonia and Dom conducted 10-point drop tests to identify structural flaws and verify durability. The results shaped the final design: locking air cushions on the shippers, reinforcing the box at its most vulnerable points.
print + assembly
Print day it was raining. We ran between the car and the studio trying to keep the paperboard dry. Back inside, we scored, cut, and assembled each box by hand.
the app
I designed the onboarding and Re-PAWSH screens, worked with Liz on the shop home screen and DNA results visualization, then prototyped all three flows end to end.
video + photoshoot + slide deck
The team shot all the product photography in studio. We borrowed Lando, our dog model, and brought him to PetSmart to film the in-store experience. Sonia and I co-narrated; Brandon edited the final video. Then we built the slide deck and exported it for the competition.
The road to Vancouver · September–November
presentation prep
Once we learned we were finalists, we compressed ten weeks of work into 30 slides. "An ecosystem that works for both e-commerce and retail" became our framing.
Add images to the "Images" list in the panel
the brand system
the logo
Refined Obviously Variable logotype by Brandon
the color system
Somewhere in the process we started naming every color after a dog as an inside joke. It stuck.
the grid pattern
A subtle scientific touch across the brand system.
the dogs
Liz's sketches set the illustration style; I vectorized the set for production and added several dogs of my own.
The DNA test kit
The final kit opens like a book, guiding users step-by-step.
intuitive
Large, bold text and clear icons for each step make the instructions easy to follow and visually accessible.
transformative
The package becomes its own return shipper. One dieline, two lives.
recyclable
Existing kits use one paper side and one plastic side. Ours uses medical-grade paper on both, fully recyclable without compromising sterility.
The breathe easy harness
the p-window
The "P" window was my idea, built to help the product stand out on shelves and extend the brand mark into the structure so shoppers can touch the harness before buying.
retail + e-commerce
We designed a folding carton with a hang tab, giving us an edge over retail-only competitors.
the shippers
Kraft shippers complete the four-package system, protecting primary packages during distribution with air cushion padding validated in 10-point drop tests.
reusable: the re-pawsh mechanism
Users pack an outgrown harness back into the same box it arrived in. The shipper reseals for returns: send one back, get 30% off the next.
special thanks to
the pawsh team
Thank you to Linh, Irene, and Javier, whose guidance pushed the work further than we thought it could go, and to the incredible PAWSH team.
advisor testimonial
"Huge congratulations, Sophia!! Such a well-deserved recognition! Fabulous design and outstanding presentation in Vancouver!!
You really wowed the audience! An exceptionally capable and energetic team that went above and beyond!"
reflection
Looking back
Standing at the podium in Vancouver, I looked across the stage at the PAWSH team and felt immense pride. Somewhere between the 6 a.m. file uploads and the Mike Sherm all-nighters on FaceTime, five teammates became close friends. The award was the honor of my college career; earning it was the joy of it. I developed my ability to build and extend a brand across four printed boxes, a digital app, a film, and a live presentation that earned the love of a room full of strangers.
