Do you love children and playing with them? Do you have an aesthetic sense, great visualization, terrific imaginations and innovative thinking; love to work with your hands and create something new and attractive? Then why not think about putting your talents together to create a wonderful world for children while helping them to play and learn through something they just love–toys-by becoming a toy designer?
Playtime
Play is recognized as a vital part of learning and growing. Toys attract babies and kids and games are an important part of play and an invaluable to a child's development. It helps them relate to their parents and peers, it helps them understand their place in the world. Toys expand their realm of imagination, and toy designers have an important role in both the entertainment, and education of children.
Trends & Technology
Successful toy designers keep abreast of trends and issues affecting the toy industry. Issues may include government regulations about toys, copyrights, new materials that could make a toy cheaper to produce or more popular to use, and related social trends that might make a toy more or less popular.
The trend of making the toys has taken a tremendous change. Toy industry is experimenting a lot to develop new type of toys for the coming generation. Automatic cars, robots, guns etc are more preferred by the new generation.
New technology used to make toys has made them more attractive and provided the means to improve their quality according to the changing environment. The knowledge of electronics and mechanical has helped to improve toys immensely. Sound effects create a good impact on children and they enjoy the imitation of original sounds to create a magical effect. Lighting effect attracts and amazes children. The colour combination and quality of paints and the materials used to make the toys is essential for the purpose of selling the toys in different parts of the world.
Believe It
Even former aerospace workers, NASA scientists and race car designers have in fact enjoyed their careers so much that they become designers of a different type after retirement. What do all these people really consider when deciding what types of careers they can make their second claim to fame in? Believe it or not they choose toys. Why you ask? Well because they can put their full creativity into it without hard core project managers debunking their concepts and designs.
Skills & Education
A toy designer is a very creative individual that is able to develop a completely new type of toy, game or children's activity, and then bring it to life. This means drawing, sketching or making a computer model of the concept, deciding how to make each detail, and then creating a prototype of the toy and originality and an ability to relate to the interests of children. They need to spend a lot of time watching children play so they can create new ideas for children's toys and think about modifications to existing toys or games. They need to make sure their toy designs are safe for children, and that they only use materials that are approved by safety regulations.
They must hence be good artists, able to conceptualize three-dimensions in their head as well as on paper; understand technological applications to toy making; have knowledge of toy history, art, carpentry, sewing, and metalwork; child psychology, sociology, anthropology, business, merchandising, and administration. Soft skills include good written, interpersonal and visual skills as they're required to explain technical and manufacturing toy concepts to non-technical team members and upper-level management.
Toy designers should have a working knowledge of computers, as well as graphic art or design and drawing skills and computer design programmes, as well as a good working knowledge of computers. Since most toys are now first generated through various computer programmes before they are actually physically made by having the ability to do these themselves the toy designer can speed up the development process.
The Work
Toy designers create new and unique toy concepts, activities, and games for children and adults. They then bring these ideas to life for a client or market them to manufacturers.
They create toys like board games, puzzles, computer games, stuffed animals, remote-control cars, infant toys, and dolls. They work with a variety of materials including injection moulding, polymer clay, plastic, rubber, vinyl, plush, metal, wood, computers, and electronics and even different types of fabrics and stuffing. They must ensure safety of the toy they develop and use only approved safety materials to be able to be sold.
They may sketch their initial ideas by hand, create computer models or sculpt in plastic-clay. Toy designers then create a prototype of the toy (usually a physical model or computer-animated graphic), which they show their manufacturer.
Merchandising is an important part of modern day marketing, and particularly for children's movies, music and entertainment toy designers are in demand to create promotional merchandise such as toys, games and novelty items so an interest in marketing is a plus when pursuing a career as a toy designer.
Prospects
Toy designer can become entrepreneurs and start up their own toy design and manufacture company, or work full-time with a well-established toy manufacturer. They can get into industrial design, furniture design, or apply their artistic talents to illustration or animation. They can also be lecturers.
Success
Understanding child psychology and mind reading capability is required to develop toys. The likes and dislikes of the people living in a particular region are also responsible for better sale of toys. Everyone has a favourite toy from their childhood. Maybe it was a doll that talked when they pulled a string. Maybe it was a pirate ship made of interconnecting blocks. Maybe it was just a stuffed teddy with black button eyes and soft brown fur. Whatever it was, it was cherished and it was brought everywhere. The more children like their toys, the more successful the toy designer who created them was. Toy designers should also be a bit of a child themselves, and use their childhood experiences as inspiration for your designs!
COLLEGES& COURSES
Bachelor of Science in Information Technology with a focus on Interactive Multimedia design allows students to integrate information technology into a variety of other areas including animation, graphics and music.
The BA in Digital Media with a specialization in Game Development can be a great way for students to launch a career in game design.
Students interested in designed computer applications, Internet media, and a variety of other interactive environments will be well served with this BA degree.
Bachelor of Science in Game & Simulation Programming. This degree will prepare students for entry level positions in the video gaming industry.
Bachelor of Science in Game Art and Design is a very practical course that gives student the opportunities needed to develop their skills in both artistic ability and computer technology. The Bachelor of Science in Interactive Media Design is a great career for those students that enjoy creativity and also enjoy working with the latest in technology.
National Institute of Design: Toy Design (Eligibility - BE, B. Arch, Design/Child Development.)
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