triX Modular Toy by Vladimir Zagorac is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2017 Silver A' Design Award in Toys, Games and Hobby Products Design Competition Category.

SilverToy· 2017

triX Modular Toy

by Vladimir Zagorac

Client: triX Modular Toys

Silver A' Design Award Winner in Toy Category

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Verified Award Winner

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The Design

About triX Modular Toy

triX is a modular connectable toy for children aged four and above. The toy is built around a hexagonal three-dimensional grid, so forms can be extended in any direction. Six elements are used: straight and curved extensions, three axis and four axis nodes, links and caps. A small number of parts can encourage creativity and support spatial thinking and motor skills. Ambiguous printed symbols help children express emotions and build characters, because each symbol changes meaning with rotation and placement. Group play can also support social skills.

The Recognition

About the Silver A' Design Award

triX Modular Toy is a Silver A' Design Award winner, an extraordinarily prestigious recognition granted to top-of-the-line, gorgeous, and impressive designs. Silver winners are tremendously brilliant and exceedingly creative works that illustrate the outstanding expertise, talent, and acuity of their designers. triX Modular Toy is expected to be a wonderful, showpiece work that is remarkably professional and profoundly innovative. This Silver A' Design Award-winning design is a highly notable, admired invention that benefits and advances the boundaries of art, science, design, and technology. triX Modular Toy is a vastly envied creation that evokes desires, introduces positive feelings, and sparks amazement and wonderment.

Image Analysis

Color Temperature: Slightly WarmSymmetry: Both DirectionsBackground: Left and Right

Where to Get It

Award-Winning Product Design Services

We specialize in innovative product design across consumer goods, electronics, packaging, and furniture. With decades of experience and international recognition, we transform concepts into functional, aesthetically refined products that resonate with users and drive market success.

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Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: triX is a connectable modular toy for children of age 4 plus. Devised around a complex grid, it can contribute to development of spatial thinking and motor skills. The toy can be used to create various types of structures including complex patterns, objects or animals and characters. A small number of parts can encourage creativity, while the child could get the opportunity to learn and express different emotions using funny symbols, and evolve social skills when the toy is used in a group.
Dimensions & Packaging: Straight Extension: 10 x 10 x 22.5mm,
Curved Extension: 10 x 13 x 19.5 mm,
Three axis Node: 15.5 x 13.5 x 13.5mm,
Four axis Node: 16.5 x 15.5 x 13.5mm,
Link: 5 x 5 x 12.2mm,
Cap: 10 x 10 x 11mm
Tags: Child, Play, Creative, Fun, Exploration, Expression, Socialization, Character, Symbols
Production Technology: Different technologies are currently being analyzed in order to find the most cost-effective high series manufacturing process. Non-toxic materials are planned for production: plastic for Nodes, Extensions and Links; rubber for Caps. Graphics are planned in non-toxic tampon and round silk-screen print.
Design Challenge: Determining the most appropriate pattern of growth represented the first challenge, which was made more difficult with the intent to use a minimal number of elements. Creation of universally understandable graphics for facial features and body details on Caps and Straight Extensions represented a challenge of its own. That was made even more complicated with the idea to use ambiguous symbols in order to get a different connotation depending on placement and rotation of the parts.
Research: First stage of research showed a lack of new toys on the market which engage and positively impact creativity. Initial inspiration required analysis and evaluation of different growth patterns in nature. Another stage of research was devoted to creating a familiar toy which encourages interaction and helps develop social skills. This required a research of character and comic-like expressions and minimal communication using symbols and emoticons.
Inspiration: A developing child needs a toy which enables learning trough exploration, creative expression and socialization. triX connectable concept is an open source of creativity inspired by natural growth patterns and universal communication. The basis is found in a hexagonal 3D grid derived from four axes of a tetrahedron. Using this principle, continuation of tridimensional form is always possible in any direction, while simple and versatile parts allow various possibilities of expression.
Project Duration: The project started in Belgrade, Serbia during 2015.
Operation Flow: The concept is designed around six elements, depending on the selected number of axes in the grid. Extensions are straight or curved and use one or two axes, while Nodes use three or four. Colored caps bring character and create groups of objects, while Links are used to connect two neighboring parts with female protrusions. Combining the parts in different ways and utilizing available ambiguous graphic symbols - e.g. eye-mouth, eye-nose,... - creates and endless array of interesting characters.
Team Members: Designer: Vladimir Zagorac
Mentor: Tijana Sekulic
Mentor: Dusan Nesic