What is Toy Design?

Toys are an integral part of our culture since pre-historic times. When modern means of production and technology were not available, toys were hand-made, mostly of stone, wood and clay. They are fundamental to the growth of our society. With the advent of technology, toys are getting sophisticated and the industry is getting competitive day by day. Toys are not only meant to be played with, but also carry the responsibility of entertaining and educating the smart user. A toy designer, designs and creates toys for different age groups. A lot of thinking process goes behind this job.

Skills Required to become a Toy Designer?

The skill set required to be a successful Toy Designer includes passion for the field, understanding child psychology, ability to create new concepts & good sketching skills. Designers should have intricate knowledge about materials & toy safety regulations, creating prototypes and determining which material will best fit for a particular toy. Estimating production cost & retail price and creating marketable toys for a company acts as an added bonus. As part of the process, designers may need to work in a team. Toy Designers can also specialize in one set type of toy like puzzles and games or create toys for a particular age group.

How to become a Toy Designer?

To start a career in the industry, a degree course in the field is highly desirable. Only a few colleges in India are offering courses in Toy Design: NID, MIT to name a few. 

Eligibility Criteria for Toy Design

For Postgraduation Degree: To pursue a Masters in Toy Design, a Bachelors Degree in design is required. 

Entrance Exams for Toy Design

All popular colleges conduct entrance exams in order to offer admissions to aspiring candidates. Some of the top Entrance Exams for Design are conducted by NID, NIFT and CEPT.

Toy Design Course Curriculum

Though the curriculum may vary from college to college, some of the topics included in the courseware are:

• History of Toys
• Theory of Games
• Design Thinking
• Prototyping
• Child Psychology
• Child Anatomy & Ergonomics
• Design Prototyping
• Contemporary Issues
• Production Methods
• Safety Considerations
• Package Design
• Materials & Finishes
• Visual Communication
• Probability & Geometry
• CAD
• Hard & Soft Toys
• Games
• Doll Design
• Motor Learning Development
• Product Safety
• Marketing & Promotion
• Business Development

Career in Toy Design

After completion of the degree course, students can start their career by doing internship with a toy manufacturing company. The industry offers great jobs and the pay scale depends on the expertise and experience of a person. Otherwise, freelancing can also be a good option. Designers can sell their toy design concepts to manufacturers or raise funds to start their own enterprise.

About the Author: Anu Handa is an Interior Designer, DIY Artist, Co-Founder and Educator at Mosaic Institute of Design. She has been the lead blogpost writer at www.mosaicdesigns.in since 2009. Her educational background in Interior Design, Urban Planning and the English Language has given her a broad base to cover a range of topics in her articles. Anu has spent 15+ years training Design & B.Arch Aspirants for entrance exams.

Passionate about Design Education, she’s briefly worked with Annamalai University as a paper setter for Design Exams. Likes to write about Design, Architecture and related fields, on online platforms like Quora. Aims at challenging the conventional & age old teaching methodology.