Q & A with Kevin Dresser + Kate Johnson of Brooklyn Bunny
By Tania Fardella
Published in 24 Carrot Lane’s Quarterly Binkygram
Fall/Holiday 2008
Around the world on any given day, if anyone wonders what it’s like to live with a rabbit, they need look no further than Kevin Dresser and Kate Johnson’s website, Brooklyn Bunny. The site features a live webcam starring Roebling, their adorable dwarf hotot named after John A. Roebling who designed the Brooklyn Bridge. Whether enjoying a delicious snack from his fancy Jonathan Adler bowl, napping under a cozy blanket, or settling in for a good petting by Kevin and Kate, Roebling has truly become a star in his own right with fans and friends all over the globe, and is a pioneer and goodwill ambassador for rabbits everywhere.
I first met Kevin and Kate at the House Rabbit Society’s 20th Anniversary celebration in Oakland, California last summer. Since I’d been a fan of Roebling and Brooklyn Bunny for ages, imagine my surprise when I learned that they were “The Brooklyn Bunny People.” They are also super-talented artists behind the graphic design firm Dresser Johnson, and have been featured in respected publications and websites such as HOW Magazine and Gothamist.com. When they are not busy with design projects, Kevin and Kate apply their design skills for the greater good of rabbits, and we’re honored to share this recent Q&A:
What inspired the idea for brooklynbunny.com?
After Kate and I lost our previous bunny, “Bun,” we didn't want a replacement. We were too sad. So, we thought that maybe we should start a bunny-sitting service and take care of one bun at a time. I thought it would be great to have a live cam that the owner could watch while they were away. So, we came up with the idea for Brooklyn Bunny that way. We were setting up the website and the webcams when a friend of ours mentioned a bunny that was up for adoption. All of a sudden, this little white bun was dropped off for a weekend “test drive.” And you know how that is, it meant that the bunny was here to stay. That's how we went from the bunny-sitting idea to a webcam of our bun, Roebling.
What is the general reaction when people learn about Roebling and his webcam?
Sometimes we are out at a party or event and we meet new people. Usually during the introduction, our friends mention that we are Brooklyn Bunny. So, I always grab my iPhone and go to the website. The reactions are hilarious. Anything from, “oh my god! that is great” to “wait, what are you talking about? you have a webcam of what?” or “wait, the bunny is out of a cage?” That's when the bunny preaching begins. Ha!
What has been most surprising/interesting to you since you started?
The most eye-opening thing for us is that we are no different to most people out there in the world. Most people that tune into Brooklyn Bunny are at work and want something to make their day easier. Which is why we started the site in the first place. We wanted to feel better about life because we had recently lost our bun and we had some deaths in our family. It was a sad time. Having the website has made us realize that everybody is looking for happiness in life. It’s been so nice to hear from viewers that tell us how Brooklyn Bunny helped them through the day.
You are amazing graphic designers! How have your talents and abilities enabled you to raise awareness about rabbits?
Oh, thank you so much. I think that most people that first hear about us via our graphic design at DresserJohnson.com, they look around and wonder what Brooklyn Bunny is. We have links on the site. It’s really a nice way to let people know that we have this “pet” project as well. Also, it has really helped when we are meeting new clients. They can see we are not just serious graphic designers, but we have a fun side as well.
As far as raising awareness about rabbits, currently we are using our graphic design skills to do that. Actually, we think broadcasting Roebling's lifestyle really raises rabbit awareness because his life seems to be the opposite of what people expect. He’s like “a picture speaks a thousand words.” Through our Brooklyn Bunny products, we are spreading the word about our site and this really gets people out there to notice that a bun can live outside the confines of a cage and free like a cat or dog. Whether it’s a printed postcard, a magnet or t-shirt, it really gets the word out.
Tell us about your logo – what made you notice that the Brooklyn Bridge had a resemblance to a bunny, and what was your design process?
Well, I started looking at the Brooklyn Bridge as reference for the logo. I was trying to figure out how he could incorporate the shape of the bridge into an icon. Then, it just hit. The bunny ears appeared! As far as design process, we think the cuteness of the logo may be influenced by all the little Japanese plush toys we have around the house. The lettering for the logo was based on moveable wood type from 1887, the same decade that the Brooklyn Bridge was built. The current logo has many optical illusions. The first is the bunny ears appearing as the negative spaces in the Brooklyn Bridge. The second is the bunny eyes and head appearing at the base of the bridge icon. And, the third is a hard-to-notice design trick. Since Kevin designs lettering and fonts, he noticed that when the BKLYN and BUNNY were stacked on top of each other, that the bunny looked smaller in height. Because BUNNY is more condensed than BKLYN, he tricks the eye by making BUNNY a little taller than BKYLN. This helped balance the whole logo.
Any general advice you would give people wanting to help educate the world about rabbits?
Well, just explaining to people that rabbits are great pets is nice. As we bunny owners know, people are always shocked when they hear that a bun can roam free in a house or apartment. What I tell people is, having a bun is great. They’ll never jump on your keyboard like a cat. I tell people that Roebling is litter trained too. People don't expect that from a bunny.
What are some lessons you’ve learned from Roebling? Please share some of his endearing habits or activities.
Like, what I said above, we’ve learned to not take ourselves too seriously. Something that can happen easy here in New York City. Whenever, we have something going on that might stress us out, all we need is to turn around and Roebling let’s us know that we should just relax and not worry. Roebling's most special habit is the Roebling flop-down. After shredding for a long time or after getting a treat, he tends to flop down like a black lab. Sometimes with all four paws in the air. It is so funny. He allows us to pet him when he is like this too. So nice.
Another thing he does is when he is relaxing in his box (on Kevin’s webcam), whenever we walk past, he puts his head down for pets. We call this “paying the toll.” Since we are working most of the time and running around, he really does physically makes us “stop and smell the roses.” He’s a good friend.
