Behind the Design: Who is Fluffy Dog?

Fluffy Dog is the newest addition to the Jin Designs Collections. A soft, curly creation, Fluffy Dog is here to be your next companion—whether on tableware, kitchen accessories, or gifts for the home. But Fluffy Dog isn’t just any design. Like every design I create, it’s taken weeks of work, countless sketches, and a lot of heart to bring to life.

So, what inspired Fluffy Dog? And why didn’t my mum approve? Let me share the story behind an adorable new friend.

Designing Fluffy Dog was a labour of love. I don’t get to design very often. Running the business takes up so much time that it’s difficult to focus on both. Each design is a big investment - not just financially, but in the hours and weeks it takes to bring it to life. So, when I finally received the finished products back from production, I was thrilled. My new dogs - Fluffy Dog and Sausage Dog were here - ready to be shared.

Naturally, I was keen to send the finished products to my parents. Both dog lovers, I thought, "this might be the one they actually love". After all those weeks of work, I waited to hear their thoughts.

A few days later, to my delight, my dad was keen. But my mum - well, she’s always been hard to please. And sadly her response was a little predictable. Her verdict? “I don’t like that other dog,” meaning Fluffy.

I can’t lie - hearing that left me feeling a little deflated. How could she not like Fluffy? I wanted to defend the design, to explain why I’d created it like that, but I didn’t. Over the years, I’ve learned to let go of the need to justify my work. But it did get me thinking. And I asked myself, is this why I keep creating? Am I still searching for approval? Perhaps a question for therapy rather than a blog post on the Jin Designs website!

The truth is, I design because I love it - but also because I want people to love it too. Hearing that someone connects with my designs, that it brings them joy or reminds them of something they love and cherish, is what keeps me going. Not everyone will like what I create, and I'm ok with that. What matters to me are the people who see Fluffy Dog and smile, those who find meaning or comfort in my work. Those are the ones I create for.

There have been many encounters with fluffy dogs in my time and I think each and every one of them has influenced the design. When I first started to illustrate it, I was looking at photos that friends had sent me plus researching all the fluffy dog images I could find online, including cockapoos, labradoodles, and generally any kind of fluffy dog type. 

I didn’t want to settle on one breed - not because I couldn’t decide, but because I wanted Fluffy Dog to be a reminder rather than a portrait of a specific dog. I wanted people to look at it and think, That reminds me of…

Fluffy Dog is Fluffy Dog, but it can be any dog you want it to be.

I loved bringing this one to life. All my creations start off as sketches, usually in Adobe Illustrator, my preferred software. I start in black and white to focus on shape and style, then add colour later to refine the overall look.

When it came to colour, I decided on light grey - again, to keep it universal. Pantone 427C to be exact! It’s the same light grey that runs through my other designs, like Sausage Dog, bringing the collections together. Clean, simple, and stylish, just how I like it - and hopefully how you like it too.

And the moral of the story is? You can’t please everyone - not even your own mother! But that’s okay. Success isn’t about universal approval - it’s about connecting with the people who do love what you create and finding joy in the process.

You can find Fluffy Dog on a range of homeware and gifts, available now. I hope you’ll enjoy this new companion as much as I enjoyed bringing it to life.

Jinny
Designer / Founder of Jin Designs