OVERVIEW
Colorlay is a creative learning toy that teaches children ages 5-6 the concept of color theory through primary colored shape tiles.
ROLE
TIMELINE
ADVISOR
PROGRAMS
Designer
Fall 2023, 5 weeks
Kimberly Snyder
Fusion 360
Keyshot 11
Adobe CC
Ps, Ai
Keyshot 11
Adobe CC
Ps, Ai
Design Brief
Design a fun toy that teaches an important learning concept to children.
More Than Fun
Child development can be accelerated through toys, allowing kids to learn while also having fun. Many core concepts are learned at young ages - one being color theory.
Exploring Types
Before narrowing in on color theory, I explored various toy concepts that taught different things. It ranged from cognitive development to more physical things such as fine motor skills.
Concept Selection
The next set of concepts focused on teaching color theory. Out of these 5, the Colorlay concept was the most well rounded, accomplishing more than just the learning goal, the toy has the potential to grow with the child and provide a variety of activities.
Figuring Out Form
One of the main components of the toy is the lightbox. I explored different features that would make the lightbox serve its purpose in a way that would be easy and intuitive.
Implementations:
- Shape drawer moved from the front-face to the sides so that it wouldn’t get in the way when opened.
- Paper clamp removed due to safety concern for fingers.
- Raised frames were added to create a border for the paper to sit in place.
- No edges on the side frames, allowing for pieces to slide into drawers.
- Slight cut-ins added to the screen cover to make paper removal easier.
Implementations:
- Shape drawer moved from the front-face to the sides so that it wouldn’t get in the way when opened.
- Paper clamp removed due to safety concern for fingers.
- Raised frames were added to create a border for the paper to sit in place.
- No edges on the side frames, allowing for pieces to slide into drawers.
- Slight cut-ins added to the screen cover to make paper removal easier.
The Brand
When ideating the brand logo, I focused on incorporating defining aspects of the toy itself as well as trying to capture mood.
- Defining Aspects: primary shapes & colors
- Mood: loose, bright, fun
- Defining Aspects: primary shapes & colors
- Mood: loose, bright, fun
*work in progress*