RSA Student Design Awards 2017/2018 FAIR PLAY

Description

• Toys are an important part of children’s physical, mental, social and emotional development across different cultures and age groups. They stimulate imagination and creativity, support learning and education, and provide opportunities for play and fun.
• Toy packaging fulfils some useful and important functions: protection of goods; brand identity and promotion; storage; display and advertising at the point of sale; provision of product information; meeting safety requirements, and even social ritual (eg giving packaged gifts).
• But despite the many positive aspects of toys and their packaging, many become obsolete and are discarded very quickly. Toys and their packaging are one of the worst offenders when it comes to landfill – enormous volumes of waste are generated in their production and consumption, despite the resources and energy expended in their creation.
• Given the finite resources of the planet and increasing rates of consumption by a growing population, current levels of waste are simply unsustainable. Just ‘using less’ and recycling is not enough. We need to completely rethink the manufacture and life cycle of products and their components, and design them in a way that eliminates waste.

• This brief asks you to apply circular design thinking – ‘designing out waste’ – to a consumer toy and its packaging. The Ellen McArthur Foundation, the Circular Design Guide and the RSA’s Great Recovery Project provide further information and practical circular design resources that should inform your approach to this brief. (You could even consider designing a circular toy that teaches children early on about the circular economy, waste and sustainability principles…)
• You can design a toy targeted at any age group or culture, anywhere in the developed or developing world. Make sure you explore the real user need/s of your target audience through primary research, and ensure your toy and its packaging are attractive to them as well as safe to use and handle.
• In addition to the toy itself, make sure your submission details the packaging design, including:
• positioning of the company/brand logo
• material production and specification
• photographs or renderings of models and prototypes
• an indication of cost
• For the purposes of illustration only, the following would all be viable responses:
• a toy and associated packaging made from a repurposed waste stream
• a toy that promotes reuse, repair and retention
• a way of repurposing packaging to become part of the toy itself
• a toy and packaging that can be easily returned to the product manufacturer for remanufacture
• a toy and packaging that grows with a child’s changing needs and desires
• … and many others are possible.