The traditional vet experience leaves much to be desired. The lack of transparency and process feels transactional and overwhelming to pet parents. Dedicated to pioneering a more thoughtful and proactive approach to pet health, sibling founders Dr. Audrey Wystrach and Michael Wystrach tapped integrated creative agency Zero to be their holistic creative and strategic partner for Petfolk, a modern veterinary care brand reshaping pet care for today’s pet parent.

Petfolk is tailored for modern pet parents – those who view their pets as an extension of themselves and are looking for the best care possible – placing quality pet care with an emphasis on the patient experience at the forefront of their company values. This supportive mission also extends to vets and care teams too, who are looking for a work environment that prioritizes their health and mental wellbeing. Reflecting these values in building the Petfolk brand, Zero looked to defy expectations, joyfully bringing veterinary care into the modern era with a brand that’s simple, trustworthy, thoughtful and intentional, with room to grow over time.

“The consumerization of healthcare and the humanization of pets are two key trends that have shaped the veterinary market,” said Chelsea Goldwell, Zero partner + creative director. “When we looked around at the industry, none were built by vets or shared Audrey’s vision for how the space should be serving the pets, pet parents and veterinarians. Inspired by this, we aimed to make Petfolk stand out and feel different by making the brand feel warm, nurturing and community-oriented – infusing the brand with joy and making it feel less clinical than other brands in the space.”

Taking this insight, Zero set to work on designing the entire Petfolk experience. Beyond research and brand strategy, the agency was tasked with positioning, naming, voice and tone, branding, art direction, content strategy and production, animation, copywriting as well as web design, social media design and management and environmental design.

In developing the Petfolk logo, Zero’s team focused on making it a visual representation of the brand’s core values and personality traits – feeling friendly, approachable and trustworthy with connecting ligatures that symbolize Petfolk’s brand platform of “Community of Care”. The symbol “seal” evokes both an animal’s snout and the shape of a heart – suggesting the brand’s dedication to pets, their parents and the people that make up the Petfolk team. This message is also supported by the brand’s primary colors, which mirror the natural tones of fur and skin, while a secondary palette inspired by the lush tones found in nature express the diverse emotions and experiences associated with pet parenthood.

Photography also plays a central role for the brand, communicating compassion by highlighting the artful anatomy of the pets and the emotional relationship between pets and pet parents. Lastly, Zero collaborated with acclaimed artist Alex Proba to create proprietary brand patterns that embody the joyful nature of the brand and celebrate life with a pet.

“The Petfolk team is thrilled with the results of our rebrand, with the incredible support of Zero and artist Alex Proba,” said Dr. Audrey Wystrach, co-founder and CEO of Petfolk. “As we continue to expand, we’re excited to share the Petfolk mission and vision with pet parents nationwide with an updated name, logo, colors, photography and patterns that reflect the Petfolk brand and experience.”

For Zero’s Goldwell, creating the Petfolk brand and applying it across a wide range of brand touchpoints provided an enormous platform for their wide-ranging expertise. “This project hit on Zero’s value proposition of offering a digitally-native approach and full service capabilities. We worked with Petfolk on the foundations of their brand through launch and beyond, supporting any and all things they needed – from creative support to strategic thinking. Essentially acting as their in-house team, we were able to ensure consistency, brand storytelling and quality, helping them set a new standard for veterinary care.”