Candylab Toys Vintage Wooden Cars (Student Project)

Derrick Lin

Global

Designer: Ivan Aguiar
Project Type: Student Project
School: University of North Texas
Course: ADES 3520: Packaging Design
Tutor: Karen Dorff
Location: Euless, United States
Packaging Contents: Wooden Toy Cars
Packaging Substrate / Materials: Cardboard, Paper
Printing Process: Digital Printing

This is a packaging project for the Kickstarter based company Candylab Toys. Their toys combine modern design with glamorous mid-century muscle car aesthetics. Also, as wooden toys, these cars recall a simpler time before plastic toys came into the scene. I felt like these were all noble reasons, so I wanted the packaging to evoke all these traits from the get go. The diagonal lines that run all over the package are meant to evoke speed and motion. The use of illustration, instead of showing the actual car through clear plastic, is a play on how these toys were made to stimulate the imagination and creativity of children instead of zoning them out as many do today. The kraft backdrop highlights the accent color to create an elegant contrast. Finally, the design of the cardboard box makes an emphasis on the ideal of children using their imagination to create their own stories.

What’s Unique?
What is unique about this project is that the box transforms into a ramp or race track and becomes a complement to the toy car. In this way, the kid’s imagination is further stimulated by encouraging the creation of stories and adventures, while the box is recycled and not simply discarded.