Barkbox
Design Manager at BARK, leading toy design and development across Direct to Consumer (DTC), Add-to-Box (ATB), and Licensing channels.
About
As a Design Manager on the Toy Design team at BARK, I lead the creation of monthly toy collections across three key merchandising channels: Direct-to-Consumer (DTC), Add-to-Box (ATB), and Licensing. Each vertical delivers an average of 25+ original toy designs per month, tailored to diverse customer experiences and retail strategies.
Process Overview
My Role & Evolution
I joined BARK as an Industrial Designer for the Super Chewer team, crafting ultra-durable toys for the toughest pups. Leveraging my background in both hard and soft goods, I quickly expanded into a Senior Industrial Designer role, overseeing collections across Super Chewer and Plush categories.
My strength in project management, design operations, and cross-disciplinary collaboration led to my promotion to Design Manager, where I now oversee toy design and development for all DTC and ATB collections—managing creative direction, timelines, and output across teams on a fast-paced monthly cycle.
Process & Impact
Beyond design leadership, I’ve played a pivotal role in bridging design with production, safety, and development teams. My contributions include:
Leading in-house play testing, material development, and new playstyle R&D
Driving factory communication and sample iterations via Centric PLM
Facilitating alignment with internal stakeholders at each design milestone
Implementing scalable systems for product safety, material approvals, and cross-functional visibility
Designing with a Subscription Model
One of the most unique aspects of BARK’s workflow is our monthly subscription model. Design timelines are staggered and always in motion—we may be kicking off August’s box while finalizing July’s assortment and approving production orders for November. This overlapping cadence requires strategic planning, coordination, and deep collaboration across teams.
Design Process
This role has allowed me to merge creative leadership with systematic design process building. I’ve helped evolve how our team collaborates, plans, and ships collections on a monthly cadence—all while creating toys that deliver joy, enrichment, and safety to thousands of dogs.
More details to follow, but below I’ve created a visual framework that illustrates the cyclical and multi-round nature of our design process:
Step 1: Ideation & Concepting
Each monthly box begins with a creative kickoff led by our Design Director and Art Director, who provide high-level moodboards and visual narratives. My role is to translate these broader stories into collection-specific design languages, developing working boards for our team that define textures, form factors, characters, and material suggestions.
Step 2: Design Rounds
We move through three structured concept review stages: Initial, Refined, and Finalized.
I manage both my own designs and guide team reviews—synthesizing stakeholder feedback and communicating clear next steps to keep momentum.
Step 3: Assortment Planning & Development
Midway through design refinement, I collaborate with our planning team to define final assortments that meet design vision, box value, and customer segmentation goals. If gaps arise, I guide quick pivots or optimize existing designs to ensure full lineups are ready for development.
Step 4: Product Development
Once designs are approved, I lead the transition into development, coordinating with sourcing partners and factories to ensure accuracy and quality. While I previously managed this process directly through Centric PLM, we now collaborate via detailed comment cards submitted to sourcing, who liaise with factories to generate updated design cards.
Most toys go through 3–5 iterative rounds of sampling, addressing materials, construction, and safety. For high-risk toys, I initiate internal testing and play sessions, refining molds and specifications to meet safety and durability standards.
Step 5: Costing & Pre-production
Throughout development, I partner with production to ensure each box meets target amortized cost goals. Once final costing is approved and pre-production samples are validated, we prepare for launch—and simultaneously begin the cycle again for the next collection.
Examples of My Work
A small sampling of my favorite toys designed at BARK, spanning a range of themes, materials, and playstyles.
To give a glimpse into my creative process, I’ve also included early sketches and ideation work—showing how each toy evolved from concept to final product.
