UNtil
The Best Graduate Project Award, the 9th ICD Graduate Project
The Best Graduate Project Award, the 9th ICD Graduate Project
Because of babies are rapidly growing, many products designed for them are always used for a short time. However, most of those products, including bathtubs, bassinets and riding toys, are necessary in childhood.
"UNtil" is not only a baby bathtub but a riding toy as well. You can switch the functions by turning it over. UNtil can be a bathtub for a bady. As the baby becomes a child, it can be a riding toy. That gives the product a new life. The abstract and organic shape can stimulate children’s imagination, which give them more opportunity to develop their thinking.
Oct 2008 - May 2009
Concept Development
Product Design
Logo Design
School Project
Babies do not start trying to sit until 5 months old, and they can sit without support one month later. So, the back of bathtub is designed to be slightly inclined, staying close to a baby's back curve. The blocker in the bathtub prevents a baby from slipping.
The handle helps not only children to grip, but also parents to turn over UNtil. The protrusive rim also can help parent to grip when they turn over it.
The shape of UNtil is different from other bathtubs or riding toys on the market. The unconcrete and organic shape can stimulate children's imagination, which give them more opportunity to develop their thinking. The shape is full and round, which makes children feel soft.
After collecting and analyzing information about the baby products on the market, I found that most of shapes of baby bathtubs were dull and boring, ignoring aesthetics. In the term of riding toys, most of their shapes imitated animals and transportation forms.Through a mood board and a user board helping guide the design of the product’s form, aesthetics and emotional notions, the direction of design was decided. The aim is designing a product more distinguishing than others on the market, making it simple and vivid.
Explorative sketches helped me to meditate and identify potential ideas at the beginning. Then I made many rough models to develop the form of the product. The handle on the riding toy was from additive, integrative to integral.
Upon design finalization, I made the full-sized model by sculpting Styrofoam. The shape was tuned slightly at the same time. It was also considered anthropometric estimates. Finally, Styrofoam, which was covered with fiberglass, reinforced plastics.
Color of the product was designed according to the research and color theme. The medical report said that too vivid color will irritate baby’s eyes. Consequently, I chose the light color, such as baby blue and pink.
"KINDERLAND" is the word integrated Kinder and Land. Kinder is not only a Germanic word meaning "children" but also an English word referring to "more friendly"; besides, land refers to "country" in both of languages. This word represents that children make this world more friendly and wonderful.
Brand logo consists of tree pieces of puzzles, which also looks like three children, hand in hand, striding forward. Puzzle represents the company specializes in designing, producing and selling educational toys and kids product. It also means that each child is unique and important, like a puzzle, which can complete the friendly world.
