Creaon Toy by Menglin Tian

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DI: What is the main principle, idea and inspiration behind your design?

MT : The appearance of CREAON is inspired by the unique street architecture landscape of the UK As the children draw with CREAON, they will create different roofs for the cubes. Then CREAON can become unique building blocks that children can play imaginary games with them. As children draw pictures, CREAON can become unique building blocks, which can be combined with the children's drawings to play games such as imaginary situations and role play. CREAON can still be played even if it is damaged. It is also a crayon to help children realize their ideas and be creative, a building block to build, a balance block to exercise concentration and so on. It no longer has a single gameplay function, and because of the nature of the material used (Soy Wax), it can continue to play even if it is damaged. When CREAON has done its job, most of CREAON will exist in the form of cute paintings for children, rather than as space-hogs for parents to deal with. Because it is made from soy wax, even if discarded, the material used makes it more environmentally friendly than regular plastic toys. The cardboard packaging of CREAON is more simple and more environmentally friendly.

DI: What has been your main focus in designing this work? Especially what did you want to achieve?

MT : I focus on two aspects: on the one hand, how to meet children's multiple demands for toys to achieve the purpose of increasing the service life of products; on the other hand, how to choose materials to achieve that they will not be discarded due to damage and have a more environmentally friendly end.

DI: What are your future plans for this award winning design?

MT : I hope to develop more lines and put them into production and sales.

DI: Why did you design this particular concept? Was this design commissioned or did you decide to pursuit an inspiration?

MT : I learned from an exhibition that a significant amount of the garbage in the ocean that we don't expect comes from children's toys. After my later research, I found that more than 80 per cent of children's toys are made of plastic. The results and the contents of the exhibition shocked me and I thought I should do something.

DI: 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?

MT : If any company is willing to cooperate with me, I am also very welcome. If not, I may make it by myself.

DI: What made you design this particular type of work?

MT : I've always liked things like toys. But I also want to play more environmentally responsible.

DI: Where there any other designs and/or designers that helped the influence the design of your work?

MT : In my research, I found that there are many designs for the recycling of existing children's toys, which gives me inspiration in another direction. If there are many people who have made efforts after the end of plastic toys, is it possible to reduce them before they are born?

DI: Who is the target customer for his design?

MT : Parents who are guilt-ridden about buying plastic toys.

DI: What sets this design apart from other similar or resembling concepts?

MT : It has multiple functions and encourages children to explore multiple ways of playing.

DI: How did you come up with the name for this design? What does it mean?

MT : I put crayon and create together， then Creaon. Let children use their imagination and creativity through this product.

DI: Which design tools did you use when you were working on this project?

MT : I use quick-drying clay, which helps me quickly implement my ideas and test and iterate.

DI: What is the most unique aspect of your design?

MT : These small houses can be painted to produce different roof shapes, each unique. Children can play more games with these little houses combined with paintings.

DI: Who did you collaborate with for this design? Did you work with people with technical / specialized skills?

MT : I work with children and their parents. They give me feedback on feel, size and experience.

DI: What is the role of technology in this particular design?

MT : Help me with the data analysis.

DI: Is your design influenced by data or analytical research in any way? What kind of research did you conduct for making this design?

MT : At the beginning of the design, these data shocked me about the use of plastic and environmental pollution in toys in our era of environmental protection and sustainable development.

DI: What are some of the challenges you faced during the design/realization of your concept?

MT : I need to find out that the need for toys is the long-term need of children as they grow and develop.

DI: How did you decide to submit your design to an international design competition?

MT : I have heard about this design competition before, and I always hope that my design can be seen and understood by more people.

DI: What did you learn or how did you improve yourself during the designing of this work?

MT : When a problem is like a big ball in front of you, try to list them one by one. When it is broken down bit by bit, you can always find the part where you can contribute

DI: Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?

MT : I hope you have enjoyed my work. I'm happy to share my work with you. Feel free to contact me: menglintian.design@gmail.com