Design Interview
My Travel Guide MUNICH Travel Guide for Kids · 20 questions
Principle : A TOY / ART 4 Kids. Idea: Narrative toy : Visualizing our world cultures playfully for the youngest travelers and citizens and forcing their creativity and joy to play. Inspiration: Own and foreign cultures .
What is the main principle, idea and inspiration behind your design?
Principle : A TOY / ART 4 Kids.
Idea: Narrative toy : Visualizing our world cultures playfully for the youngest travelers and citizens and forcing their creativity and joy to play.
Inspiration: Own and foreign cultures .
What has been your main focus in designing this work? Especially what did you want to achieve?
Aim : Designing an interesting and joyful toy , which is practical , comfortable and easy to handle for babies - toddlers . The main idea is a soft cloth/fabric design .The toys stimulate creativity , memory, and recognition and force communication of new things playfully .
What are your future plans for this award winning design?
Selling the ART 4 Kids , the original illustrations and / or leasing the production rights ( re- productions) ,coperation and collaborations with toy companies or publishers , art / design institutions , realizing other designs and design variations , etc.
How long did it take you to design this particular concept?
Duration of developing the main concept and realization of the soft cloth book was about a few weeks. The main idea has been continued also by creating the cubes and other product variations .
Why did you design this particular concept? Was this design commissioned or did you decide to pursuit an inspiration?
Own initiative , being inspired to discuss the subject " souvenirs " caused by a souvenir design contest in 2004 .
Is your design being produced or used by another company, or do you plan to sell or lease the production rights or do you intent to produce your work yourself?
It is NOT produced or used by another company .
Interest in selling or leasing the originals and /or the production rights as well as developing and realizing other My Travel Guides and product variations .
What made you design this particular type of work?
Being interested in toys , art 4 kids, travels, foreign cultures and traditions and in designing creative
and playful "souvenirs " for mini - travelers, visualizing our world cultures playfully .
Where there any other designs and/or designers that helped the influence the design of your work?
NO . No team .
Who is the target customer for his design?
International children and their parents and friends ; mini- travelers, babies- toddlers (main idea: soft cloth/ fabric designs ) ; art and toy - lovers
What sets this design apart from other similar or resembling concepts?
good concept ( main idea soft cloth designs for toddlers/ mini travelers ) , flexible concept, , opportunity to develop design variations ( material , target group , etc.), "timeless"; forcing creativity and communication playfully, provoking interest in own and foreign cultures and traditions , art ,nature and activities
How did you come up with the name for this design? What does it mean?
My ( first) Travel Guide ...... : flexible design name / title for each country and city .
Our would cultures & cities : used as a subtitle for the products , taking into consideration the possibility to combine diverse " cultures" ( memory , domino, etc.)
Which design tools did you use when you were working on this project?
Realization of the TOYS / ART 4 KIDS : My Travel Guide Munich and My Travel Guide Korea .
Design Tools : handmade illustrations ( e.g. colored pencils, tempera) , Corel Draw , digital transfer printing , sewing
What is the most unique aspect of your design?
Creative and comfortable designs for mini- travelers .
Children playing : forcing individual experiences , memories , imaginations , recognition , communications
Who did you collaborate with for this design? Did you work with people with technical / specialized skills?
Nobody. Not yet !
What is the role of technology in this particular design?
Technology : materials , production , print process , presentation of the design .
Design Variations : digital presentation .
Is your design influenced by data or analytical research in any way? What kind of research did you conduct for making this design?
General Research : certainly- our world cultures, discussion of main characteristics of our own and foreign cultures and traditions ,literature , architecture/ arts , which could be useful and satisfying for kids ,own experiences , travel, childhood studies , children toys and literature , " observation" of tourists using travel guides , souvenirs , babies- toddlers reading picture books ( baby carriage) .
What are some of the challenges you faced during the design/realization of your concept?
Achieving good quality design / TOY / ART 4 KIDS .
How did you decide to submit your design to an international design competition?
How? Why ? Joining the World of Toys !
The realized ART 4 KIDS , My Travel Guide Korea and My Travel Guide Munich has been succesfully displayed in international art and art- book exhibitions . This international design competition " discusses and evaluates " the designs as TOYS / designs . Furthermore, this Design contest has the aim to offer professional contacts , publicity and professional communication .
The developed concept is a design/ art concept .
The presentation of the design variations ( memory , domino and the sketch) were not specially made for the contest . These were only additional sheets- informal sheets- , which underlines the written conception .
What did you learn or how did you improve yourself during the designing of this work?
main idea , concept , .......but the realization and production always take much more time ....,
Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?
Taking further interest in designing TOYS / Art 4 kids . Thank you for your attention .