Target : These Product Designers Turn Small Details into Meaningful Moments for Target’s Guests

June 24, 2019

Target's growing selection of owned brands (now 39 and counting!) make it easy for every guest to find something they'll love. Our product design teams use expertise in areas like fabric research, technical development and engineering to create high-quality, affordable pieces for each assortment.

But it's the personal touches our designers bring to their work from their own backgrounds and experiences that make the pieces truly meaningful. Meet a few team members whose attention to detail led to joyful moments for our guests.

Sarah
Designer, Pillowfort

Our teams put extra thought and care into each product they create with our guests and their families in mind. Like Sarah, a designer on our kids' home brand Pillowfort, who approaches each piece with the belief that everyone deserves to be seen and celebrated.

'Growing up, it was always so exciting to find a toy or doll that looked like me,' she says. 'That's what inspired me to design dolls for kids today, and hopefully they can see themselves in the products we've created.'

Those dolls (and other favorites from the collection) have been a hit with guests. One happy mom even posted about them in an Instagram story: 'Target will always have me as a loyal customer because of products like this. It shouldn't be rare to find dark brown dolls with cute hair and fun outfits, but it is. … I never worry when I go to Target, and Maci loves seeing herself in advertisements, toys, books, art and games all round the store!'

Reading those words makes Sarah smile. 'It's moments like this that inspire me to do what I do,' she says. 'I'm so glad that these dolls brought happiness to that guest and her daughter.'

Kim
Textile Designer, Cat & Jack

Our guests look to Target for inspiring product options that let their kids be the author of their own stories. Kim, a textile designer who helps create the graphics for our kids' clothing and accessories brand Cat & Jack takes this to heart with every product she works on.

'For Cat & Jack, we design directly with kids,' she says. 'We want to empower them and showcase things that they're actually passionate about. When I was a kid, I was super into science and math, so it's really exciting to create artwork for kids who are just like me.'

Guests are big fans of the graphics she's created on products like this Stay Curious tee. One even tweeted: 'Seeing this science shirt brought me so much joy. My niece will proudly wear it in a few years. Cat & Jack @Target, keep doing this!'

'That made me so happy,' Kim says. 'Seeing kids wearing the shirts our team designed is really the most rewarding thing.'

Victoria
Senior Product Designer, Auden

Senior Product Designer Victoria created some of the first pieces that launched with Target's new intimates brand, Auden. Her mantra? Every body is unique, and that's what makes it beautiful.

'When we were designing Auden, body positivity and size inclusivity were the most important things to our team,' she says. 'Self-care starts with the perfect bra.'

Since the brand's debut earlier this year, guests are loving the feeling of finding their perfect fit. One guest tweeted: 'Today I literally bought a cute bra that fit me in a physical store for the first time in years because Target added a size-inclusive lingerie line. I really can't say thank-you enough. I'm stoked.'

For Victoria, stories like this are her favorite part of the job. 'Our guests are truly our inspiration,' she says. 'I want every woman to feel confident and know that their body is beautiful.'

Thinking about joining the Target team? Visit our Careers pages to explore product design & development roles and other available positions across the company. Meet more of our team members on the Pulse Blog.

Don't miss out on the latest Target news and behind-the-scenes happenings! Subscribe to our bi weekly newsletter and get the top stories from A Bullseye View delivered straight to your inbox!