The challenge
Leap Year Publishing was developing an extensive Playskool-branded art-supply line. The challenge was larger than designing a few attractive packages: the system had to work across crayons, markers, colored pencils, chalk, activity products, educational workbooks, and multiple sizes and formats.
Every product needed to feel unmistakably Playskool while clearly communicating what was inside, how it worked, and why it belonged within the same retail family.
Build enough flexibility for more than 100 products—without letting the line become visually fragmented.
My role
Design
Created packaging concepts, product-specific logos, information hierarchy, and layouts across a large family of formats.
Illustration
Developed original icons and illustrations that explained product features, use, and educational content.
Production
Built production-ready mechanicals with dielines, bleeds, CMYK/Pantone specifications, proofs, and factory-ready files.
The team
The line was created by a collaborative Leap Year Publishing team: external consultant Linda El-Fakir, Creative Director Abby Rose, Senior Graphic Designer Katie Collins, Graphic Designer Tim Dodd, and me as Senior Graphic Designer & Illustrator. A production manager coordinated directly with factories in China; our design team prepared the final files and specifications required for manufacturing.
Building the system
Define the product family
Established a repeatable hierarchy for the Playskool brand, product name, age information, count, features, and required retail details.
Create product-level personality
Designed supporting logos, color cues, icons, and illustrations so individual products could stand apart without leaving the broader system.
Explain through illustration
Created instructional graphics—including the Doodle Roll opening and use sequence—to make unfamiliar formats easy for parents and children to understand.
Extend beyond the package
For educational products and workbooks, designed interior pages and developed content as well as the external packaging.
Prepare for manufacturing
Translated approved designs into accurate mechanicals across many structures, sizes, print requirements, and product variations.
The work
The finished system balanced the warmth and recognition of a trusted children’s brand with the practical demands of retail packaging and overseas production.
Product family — a consistent retail system across formats
Finished product — packaging designed for instant recognition
Front panel — brand, product, and benefits at a glance
Back panel — features, instructions, and required information
Doodle Roll — custom instructional icons show how the product works
Production detail — artwork built precisely to the dieline
Outcome
The strongest proof is the scale of the assignment. A packaging idea became a working system capable of supporting more than 100 products, duplicate configurations, and extensions featuring Mr. Potato Head—while remaining clear, consistent, and ready for production.