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I asked my puppy, Simone, to tell me how she felt
about design—if it mattered to her, being a dog. She reflected and
came back with, "Rob, I'm a modernist, as are most of my canine
peers. Form usually follows function in our world, and we're not
drawn in by appearances. Give me the right chew toy, one that holds
up well, that I can come back to again and again, and I'm happy.
Give me the big dog bed that will just get better with age, the
collar that's firm but not punitive, the Frisbee that won't hurt my
gums. Don't tart me up in some chic designer garb. We're dogs, not
humans. When you guys project your values on animals, look out. If
you doubt me, you obviously haven't seen Werner Herzog's Grizzly
Man."
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 Simone's strident response got me thinking about
design for pets. A designer friend told me that George on California
Street in San Francisco was a good local place to look for modern
pet designs, and I went to check it out. George has a personal
character that you sense immediately. It feels like a neighborhood
bakery or newsstand—small, intimate and filled with eclectic local
clientele. The tasteful, quirky visuals and products are unified by
an overarching aesthetic. It's sophisticated, friendly and unfussy.
I picked up a couple of toys for Simone that struck me as visually
compelling. The first was a "fluffy stick" made of sheepskin with a
picture of a stick on one side that had a Magritte-like sense of
wit. I also bought a few balls that had bull's-eye graphics.
Although these designs pleased me, would they work for Simone? They
turned out to be a hit. Click
here to have a look.
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 This same week, I corresponded by email
with Aaron Betsky, former design and architecture curator at SFMOMA,
now director of the Netherlands Architecture Institute in Rotterdam.
Betsky is well-known for his design intelligence, acumen and
enthusiasm. I sent him a JPEG of Simone and her fluffy stick, and
Betsky responded that George was "something else we miss from SF."
How did an international design critic know about this pet store? I
had to interview the owner, Bobby Wise.
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 George was started in 1991 by Lyndon Lambert
and Bobby Wise, who had a fox terrier, George, and were unable to
find affordable and tasteful pet products. Their solution was to
develop and sell their own. They hired graphic designer Tom Bonauro to
develop the George identity, and now, 15 years later, George has
stores in San Francisco, Berkeley and Japan. And Betsky selected
some of their graphic works for rotation at SFMOMA, including Tom
Bonauro’s 1991 catalog for George. Obviously, I was not the first
person to spot good design there.
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 What distinguishes George from other pet
stores is that it designs many of its products itself and promotes a
unified aesthetic. There's a broad selection of beds, collars,
dishes, carrying cases and other paraphernalia. The color palette
alludes to mid-century modern, though without nostalgia, and what
they don't design, they select for unique appeal—like hand-woven
stuffed animals from Peru for a buck. The stores also display
antiques, vintage pet products and posters, which creates context
and depth. And they offer books and reading materials, including the
magazine BARk, a
straightforward choice for modernists.
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 Besides good design, George has a lot of
heart. The core values center around the care and infectious love
people feel for animals. There is some silly stuff, like horns and
batwings for Halloween. But the touch of silliness reminds us not to
take ourselves or our pets too seriously. Pet products that don't
need to be dumbed down also make me optimistic about design's
ability to add value to various parts of our lives. Click
here for more George. For those of you not in the Bay Area, the
George web site is a
well-designed place to shop.
Discovering George gave me the opportunity to get Simone into
Design Notes. Although we're not crazy enough to solicit photos of
your animals, we are looking for the best modern design for pets, so
please send along pictures of those modern pieces that you prefer
for your animal pals.
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