Client
Melouli/THA Fakultät für Gestaltung
Overview
Developed as part of my bachelor thesis at Hochschule Augsburg, Melouli is a product designed to foster individuality through free, self-directed play. Inspired by forms found in nature, the toy encourages interaction with the natural world—one of the most important environments for personal and cognitive development in early childhood. The system includes object design, packaging, branding, illustration, and storytelling—all connected through a strong visual identity. Research collaboration with the Max Planck Institute for Human Development (Berlin) and the Children’s Cognition Centre (Vienna) informed the pedagogical foundations of the work.
Client
Melouli/THA Fakultät für Gestaltung
Industry
Toy Design & Identity Design
Service
Design Concept
Identity Design
Packaging Design
Content
Illustration
Duration
6 months
The Challenge
The main challenge was to create a toy that supports individuality—free from gender stereotypes or adult-driven assumptions about how toys should look or function. Rooted in scientific research, the goal was to design a system that reflects children’s perceptual needs, awakens early curiosity, and creates space for fantasy, freedom, and nature-based exploration.
The Solution
Melouli consists of modular, 3D-printed forms inspired by organic structures—flora, fauna, and the human body. The toy is intentionally open-ended and encourages interaction with natural materials collected by children themselves, extending the play beyond the object. The form language was carefully developed to balance detail and reduction, while the color palette was chosen based on research into neural and emotional responses to hue and contrast. The project combines analogue play with digital fabrication and is embedded in a tactile, illustrated brand world that supports emotional engagement and storytelling. It invites children to explore freely—with no right or wrong, and no predefined outcome.
The Result
The final concept was realized as a multi-sensory, research-based design system that bridges product, play, and visual identity. Melouli has been praised for its originality, sensitivity, and clarity of intention. It offers children a space for slowness, exploration, and connection—with themselves, with nature, and with their own inner narrative. By shifting the design perspective toward the needs of the child, Melouli challenges conventional toy aesthetics and proposes a new, mindful way of designing for play.
