Main Project Aesthetics: Snuffle Mat

The aesthetic that I am planning on for the snuffle mats is Bloomcore.  Bloomcore is essentially an aesthetic based on flowers, gardens, and nature. It is a bit different that Naturecore because it focuses more on the flowers and bright colors. After researching different snuffle mat designs, I decided that my favorite ones looked like they belonged in gardens. If you would like to read more on what a snuffle mat is the link to my last post is here: https://www.aesdes.org/2024/02/28/main-project-plan-snuffle-mat/

I decided that if I have time to make more than one snuffle mat, I would make them all similar but with a difference that is unique to each of my pets. My first dog is Dino. He is a 3 year old German Shepard Huskey mix with lots of energy. For him I decided that it is best to add as much detail as possible to make it a little more work for him to get to the treats. My second dog is Sedona, she is a 3 and a half year old German Shepard mix that is a little more laid back. I decided to make hers more pink and a bit easier to navigate. My cat is Nico, he is a 16 year old domestic longhair that is more food motivated than both my dogs combined. I decided his would be best to have a mix of complicated flowers and a tiny bit easier folds so that he has a bit of a challenge but not too much. The sketches for the three pets are shown below in Images 1, 2 and 3 in order.

For the first different aesthetic I chose to go with minimalism. I figured it was vastly different than the Bloomcore aesthetic because of the muted color pallet and basic shapes. I would normally actually choose this aesthetic for myself but since I wanted to get the maximum enrichment for my pets, I decided that the brighter colors were the way to go. I also think that a minimalist snuffle mat would have less complicated folds, so there would be no big addition of any flowers or anything along those lines. My minimalist sketch for a snuffle mat is shown in Image 4 below. 

For my second different aesthetic I chose to go with the gothic aesthetic. This aesthetic has lots of dark colors, candles, and skulls. I figured that because it is so dark it is a complete opposite of the Bloomcore aesthetic. I think that the dark colors would not be as well perceived by my pets, so that is why I did not go with this aesthetic. My home also has lots of bright colors so I feel like if the mats were done in this aesthetic it would stick out against the rest of my home decor. A gothic sketch for a snuffle mat is shown in Image 5 below.

After sketching the different styles, I still believe that the Bloomcore aesthetic is the best choice for my final project. If the mat were made for me (haha) I would probably lean more towards the minimalist mat. However, since I am making it for my fur babies and I want them to have the best experience, I think that Bloomcore is the way to go.