TOY PRODUCT DESIGN

Kick things off, meet your instructor, and get the lowdown on what’s coming up. A quick tour through the course, assignments, and how we’ll roll from here. Nothing heavy — just setting the stage.

• Instructor introduction
• General housekeeping
• Assignment overview

Get the lay of the land in the toy world — how ideas become shelf-ready products, what toy designers actually do all day, and what makes a toy fly off the shelves (or flop). We’ll dive into trends, secrets, and the big names shaping the industry — plus, you’ll get to reflect on the toys that shaped you.

• Toy industry, design lifecycle & designer role
• What does it take to start designing? 
• Discussion: Why are some toys so popular? What makes a toy successful?
• Key industry trends: Nostalgia, sustainability, technology
• Case study: Leading toy companies, best-selling products, latest trending toys 
• Workshop: Analysing the toy you’d love

Assignment #1: Sketchbook Drawings
Start a sketchbook and fill it with toy ideas — bring it to each class for quick reviews and feedback.

Learn how toys go from sketch to shelf — and why some stay there longer than others. From safety and age-appropriateness to cost, branding, and retail strategy, you’ll dig into what makes a toy not just fun, but viable. 

• Safety, durability, ease of use 
• Understand age, cost, features, ways to market, packaging, license or brand
• Age-appropriateness & child development considerations
• Case study: Design principles for toys
• Business considerations: Licensing, self-production, retail distribution

Assignment #2: Toy Feature Improvements
Find a toy online and brainstorm smart, fun features that would make it even better.

Get into the heads (and hands) of your future users. Learn how to spot trends, blend themes, and dig for insights that turn a basic toy idea into something surprisingly fresh — and totally fun.

• Target audience’s needs & preferences
• Market research & trend analysis
• How to make unexpected features
• How to mix concepts & themes 
• Demo: Mixing themes to get a unique product idea

Assignment #3: Mood Board
Design a moodboard that captures the look and feel of a toy concept. Include one example to bring it to life.

Get to know the wild world of toy categories — what sets them apart, what ties them together, and where you might fit in. Whether you're all about action figures or leaning into learning toys, you'll explore how to design with versatility while playing to your strengths. Bonus: you’ll start mapping your own design direction, one childhood obsession at a time.

• Toy categories: similarities and differences
• Design specialisation & working in your comfort zone
• Brands & licenses overview 
• How toys define a child's personality & interests
• Case study: Successful designs in each specialisation 
• Workshop: Why do you want to work with a special toy category?

[Optional] Assignment #4: Toy Store Visit
Visit a toy store and snap photos of packaging that stands out (or doesn’t). What grabs your attention? What could be better? Share your take.

Learn how to make toy features that actually mean something — features that tell a story, fit the brand, and keep kids coming back for more. From LEGO legends to your favourite licenses, we’re digging into what makes a toy fun, smart, and unforgettable.

• Designing for play value, engagement, and user experience
• Creating toys with interactive elements
• Designing for different play patterns
• Discussion: Best practices for interactive design elements in toys
• Case study: Toys with strong play patterns
• Workshop: Describing toy features that best represent a brand

Take your research and turn it into real, creative fuel. In this session, you’ll brainstorm in teams, bounce around bold ideas, and build fresh toy concepts — learning how group collabs can actually sharpen your own vision.

• Group brainstorming benefits
• Creative thinking & brainstorming techniques
• Generating unique toy concepts & ideas
• Problem-solving in toy design
• Workshop: Sharing mood boards & creating a concept idea

Assignment #5: Toy Concept
Pick an idea from the group brainstorm and flesh it out into a full toy concept using class feedback.

Turn raw ideas into real products — sketch, plan, and shape your concept while thinking like a designer and a realist. This class is all about big thinking with practical limits — because the coolest idea still needs to survive budgets, materials, and the supply chain.

• Quantity vs. quantity 
• Feasibility analysis: Balancing cost, form, and function
• Cost impact on design choices 
• Discussion: Challenges in toy production, supply chain, and cost negotiation
• Workshop: Drafting a product plan with sketches for a concept

Time to take your 2D ideas off the page and into the real world. This session breaks down prototyping, materials, and manufacturing so you can build smarter, ask the right questions, and start thinking like a designer who knows what it takes to go from sketch to shelf.

• Weight, tooling, cost
• Plastics & their features
• Prototyping methods & materials
• Injection moulding, rapid prototyping, foam core 
• Demo: Creating a simple prototype using basic techniques
• How prototypes become mass-produced toys

Time to get hands-on with how your designs become real. This session dives into the manufacturing side of prototyping — think plastic moulding, painting tricks, tampo printing, and how to work with engineers. You’ll break down real products and pick up the know-how to design with production in mind.

• Painting techniques, exploded drawings, 3D renderings
• Weight in cost considerations
• Plastic moulding examples
• Demo: Manufacturing techniques
• Overview of Tampo printing
• Workshop: Assessing deco hits on an action figure

Assignment #6: Cost Reductions
Choose an existing toy or one of your own. Find ways to cut costs, reduce plastic, and simplify — without losing the fun.

Practise, practise, practise! Time to sharpen your sketch game. You’ll get hands-on drawing practice, learn how the pros do it (hello, guest speaker!), and pick up tips for prepping files that won’t drive your vendors mad.

• Guest speaker: Sketching and drawing skills
• Demo: Drawing on Photoshop
• Preparing files for vendors and manufacturers & common mistakes

Get into the mindset of a mini human. This session breaks down how kids think, grow, and play — so you can design toys that are fun, safe, and developmentally spot-on for every age group.

• Child psychology & developmental stages
• Discussion: The role of toys in child development
• Designing toys for specific age groups
• Safety regulations & testing requirements
• Ensuring toy safety & regulation compliance 
• Workshop: Analysing safety, age appropriateness, developmental benefits

Assignment #7: Create a Baby Toy
Take a cartoon from your childhood and turn it into a smart baby toy that teaches something useful and tugs at nostalgic heartstrings. 

Dig into how toys become household names — from eye-catching packaging to smart marketing moves. We’ll explore branding, licensing, and how to protect your brilliant ideas, with insider tips from an IP lawyer who knows the game.

• Understanding good packaging
• Discussion: Toy stores & packaging
• Marketing techniques: Online, commercials, etc.
• Branding & marketing your toy designs
• Licensing, intellectual property rights, patents, trademarks
• Guest speaker: Intellectual Property Lawyer

Get the inside scoop on turning your toy idea into a real business. From pitching to packaging to popping up on shelves (and Amazon!), this session covers the gritty essentials of launching and growing your own brand — with a guest speaker who's done it all.

• Guest speaker: Launching your own toy business
• How to work with manufacturers
• Skills for success: Problem-solving, adaptability, communication, collaboration
• Demo: Selling on Amazon, Etsy, and other platforms
• How to get into big-box retail (Target, Walmart, etc.)

Learn how to talk about your toy like it belongs on every shelf. This class is all about turning your ideas into pitches that stick — think clear storytelling, smart pricing, and knowing how to work the room (or the trade show).

• Collaboration & teamwork
• Pitching & communicating your vision
• Networking & trade shows
• Workshop: Pitching the product using marketing knowledge, price point information, current trends, and highlighted features

Time to show off what you've built. Present your toy design, walk us through your creative decisions, and get feedback that’ll help sharpen your concept — even if it’s already awesome. Totally optional, but a great chance to flex your thinking and your design.

• Toy design presentation
• Feedback and Q&A

Final Project: Toy Board
Design a clear, compelling toy board that sells your idea at a glance. Capture the toy’s vibe and trends with strong visuals and short notes. Show your process with sketchbook images and quick thoughts. Present your toy and its standout features with a clean layout, playful logo, and crisp white background.