Tetra Connector Color Markers by Himanshu Shekhar Soni is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2018 A' Design Award in Toys, Games and Hobby Products Design Competition Category.
IronToy· 2018
Tetra Connector Color Markers
Client: Himanshu Soni
A' Design Award Winner in Toy Category
Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #68018The Design
About Tetra Connector Color Markers
Tetra is an amusing color marker with interactive building toys for kids and the idea of tetra marker is not only encourage children to be creative but encourage them to reuse the marker rather than simply discarding these into the trash after the ink dried up and this will help kids to develop and raise awareness of reuse among them. The shape of a tetra cap makes it easy to press and pull out. Kids can put each cap and pen barrel together to form a shape and explore to build a new abstract shape and it’s up to their imagination bend the rule and come up with new structures.
The Recognition
About the A' Design Award
Tetra Connector Color Markers is an Iron A' Design Award winner, a prestigious recognition granted to good designs that meet the professional and industrial requirements expected from well-designed creations. Iron winners demonstrate great skill, high specialization, expert understanding, and creative capacity of their creators. Tetra Connector Color Markers is expected to be a highly regarded, admired, and cherished creation that is practical and innovative. This Iron A' Design Award-winning design integrates industry best practices and has competent technical characteristics linked with know-how and talent. Tetra Connector Color Markers is respected for its thoroughness and is designed to provide quality of life improvements that help make the world a better place.
Interviews
Design Interview
What is the main principle, idea and inspiration behind your design?
The main inspiration for tetra markers not only encourage children to be creative but to encourage children to think about reuse rather than simply discarding these into the trash after the ink dried up.
What has been your main focus in designing this work? Especially what did you want to achieve?
The objective was to create color markers with interactive building toys for kids to create an opportunity for creativity extends beyond the page and the main focus was on functionality, aesthetics, and uniqueness. So I started investing in myself, in my competencies and knowledge. I wanted to create a product that encourages unique social behavior skill.
What are your future plans for this award winning design?
I would like Tetra marker to produced and I am looking for what the competition offers in terms of promotion and commercial contacts so that Tetra reaches to many kids as possible.
Grand Interview
Your innovative approach to integrating play with sustainability in Tetra Connector Color Markers challenges traditional marker design - could you elaborate on how the concept of reusability influenced your creative process?
Reusability was central to our creative process for the Tetra Connector Color Markers. We wanted to move beyond disposable markers by creating something that stays useful even after the ink runs out. The interlocking design lets kids reuse and connect the markers like building blocks, turning them into a fun, creative toy. This approach helps children learn about reusing materials at an early stage, building lasting habits and encouraging a positive behavioral shift toward sustainability .
The geometric design of Tetra Connector Color Markers appears to be both functional and educational - what inspired you to choose this particular shape, and how does it enhance the learning experience for children?
The geometric form of the Tetra Connector Color Markers was inspired by building blocks and modular toys that encourage creativity and problem solving. The tetra inspired shape allows children to connect, stack, and create various structures, blending art with play. This design not only improves fine motor skills but also nurtures spatial awareness and imagination. By integrating geometry into a familiar object like a marker, learning becomes a natural and engaging part of creative exploration.
As an Iron A' Design Award winner, Tetra Connector Color Markers stands out for its unique combination of art supplies and construction toys - could you share the journey of how this dual-purpose concept evolved?
The idea for Tetra Connector Color Markers began with a simple thought kids naturally blend play and creativity. We wanted to design something that encourages both artistic expression and imaginative building while promoting positive habits. The concept evolved from observing how children use everyday objects as toys. By combining markers with interlocking geometric shapes, we turned a regular stationery item into a tool for creativity, reuse, and learning. A key intent was to influence kid behavior early on helping them understand the value of reusing and minimizing waste from a young age.
Behind the Design
Press Kit
Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.
- Unique Properties
- Tetra is an amusing color marker with interactive building toys for kids. It’s made of interesting shape and combined form to create an opportunity for creativity extends beyond the page. The shape of a simple compound makes it easy to press and pull out. Also, kids can put each compound together to form a shape and explore to build the new shape like a geometric shape, animal, flower, abstract shape etc. And it’s up to their Imagination bend the rule and come up with new structures.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Tetra Cap: Height 55mm X Length 28mm X Width 28mm
Tetra Barrel: Height 128mm x Dia 9mm - Tags
- Kids, Play, Color, Creative, Fun, Behavioral, Social Skill, Block puzzle
- Production Technology
- Tetra markers are made of HDPE plastic and injection molded part.
- Design Challenge
- The first challenge was to understand how to encourage children to develop social skill through a product. The second challenge was designing this cap product’s functionality as a toy to create abstract and beautiful shapes by connecting the same shape.
- Research
- The initial stage of online and market research showed a lack of new children stationary or toys which engage and positively impact children behavior and social skill. The next stage of research was performed on different toys which encourages interaction and helps develop social skills. I look to repurposing of the Tetra Marker cap to not only encourage children to be creative, but to encourage children to think about reuse rather than simply discarding these into the trash after ink dried up and I want to create a new paradigm for children’s products that encourage unique new behavior and a productive afterlife for the product.
- Inspiration
- The main inspiration for tetra markers to not only encourage children to be creative but also encourage them to think about reuse the marker pens instead of it being thrown away after ink dried up and this will help children to develop social skill and raise awareness of reuse among them starting at small ages and collecting the pens for children to play with them will have an important and enhancing role on the consumer preference.
- Project Duration
- The Tetra color marker concept started in Jan 2018 in Noida, India and finished in March 2018.
- Operation Flow
- The shape of a tetra cap makes it easy to press and pull out. Also, kids can put each cap and pen barrel together through the snap-fit to foam a shape and explore imaginative crafts.
- Team Members
- One
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