Suhasini Paul is an eminent Toy Designer, an alumna of NID, and a TEDx speaker. Her work has been honoured by the Prime Minister of India Mr. Narendra Modi as a Designpreneur of the Year in 2005 and the President of Taiwan Mr Ma Ying-jeou in 2010. She has been a Young Creative Entrepreneur Award Finalist organized by the British Council.
She is a speaker at several design events and appears on the NDTV chat show, “Bringing up Baby”, to share her perspective on choosing and buying age-appropriate toys for children. She has designed over 300+ toys for her clients in India, Thailand, Italy, the UK, the USA, Turkey, and France, which are launched every year at various Toy Fairs across the globe. She also designs toys for Kinder Joy, Disney, Hape, and Chhota Bheem. She conducts toy design workshops for all age groups.
Q. What made you choose such an offbeat and unconventional profession?
As a child, I used to create my toys and games. I remember making a personalized hexagonal carrom board to accommodate more than 5 other friends of mine. My maternal grandmother was my initial teacher, who taught me different stitching techniques, paper folding, and chalk sculpting. My mom encouraged my creative side by giving me all the raw materials from the junk to create something new. My dad is a creative person himself, I have grown up seeing him design a lot of stuff using jugad in his free time. While pursuing B.E. in Electrical Engineering, I started Dreamz Decorations, where my work entailed window displays and organising birthday parties for kids in my free time apart from engineering studies. In 2002, the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, started a new discipline – Toy Design and Development and I enrolled in 2003 and did my post-graduation in toy design.
Suhasini Paul is an eminent Toy Designer, an alumna of NID, and a TEDx speaker. Her work has been honoured by the Prime Minister of India Mr. Narendra Modi as a Designpreneur of the Year in 2005 and the President of Taiwan Mr Ma Ying-jeou in 2010. She has been a Young Creative Entrepreneur Award Finalist organized by the British Council. She is a speaker at several design events and appears on the NDTV chat show, “Bringing up Baby”, to share her perspective on choosing and buying age-appropriate toys for children. She has designed over 300+ toys for her clients in India, Thailand, Italy, the UK, the USA, Turkey, and France, which are launched every year at various Toy Fairs across the globe. She also designs toys for Kinder Joy, Disney, Hape, and Chhota Bheem. She conducts toy design workshops for all age groups.
Q. Did you face any challenges in your journey to becoming a designpreneur? What were they and how did you address them?
The biggest challenge was spreading awareness amongst parents about selecting age-appropriate toys for children. As a designer, this is the first thing I keep in mind while designing toys. Also, it was very important to make manufacturers realise the importance of in-depth research before designing or conceptualising toys.
Please simplify the design process for nonspecialists like us.
My design process is quite simple. I am inspired by the behaviour and experiences of children — physical, cognitive, social, emotional, and cultural. The process starts with understanding my end consumers that are kids and the manufacturer who is going to produce those toys. It involves observation and identification through in-depth research leading to analysis and conclusion on what has to be done. With these insights, I return to the drawing board and conceptualise the toy. After this, the most crucial phase is detailing the toy to make it user-friendly and cost-effective, as well as increasing its perceived value many folds. It generally takes four weeks to design a toy and then another three to four months to make it available in the market.
Q. What makes your design unique? What is your signature style?
I work closely with our customers, the manufacturer, and users together. I combine in-depth research, user understanding, and technology to create a customized design process which results in truly innovative and cost-effective designs for my clients with an understanding of material, process, and optimized costing. I always want to facilitate organizations to identify untapped potential. I completely believe in completing the cycle of designing from concepts to end product to packaging to catalogue. I am very glad and thankful to all my International and Indian clients who acknowledge my craft and give credit for my work by imprinting my name on the toys/games designed by me. It is a great sense of accomplishment to see your name and work recognized out there!
Q. How do toys help in children’s cognitive development and encourage creativity and imagination in them?
Can we as adults imagine our world without any work and sitting idly? The thought of it sounds dangerous in the long term. Similarly, play is the WORK of children, it contributes to the physical, cognitive, social development, and emotional well-being of children. Toys enable children to PLAY. While playing with toys children use their creativity, thus developing their imagination. Toys make kids happier. The utility of toys is not just restricted to entertainment for kids, toys play a vital role in the overall growth and development of children.
Tell us something about your experience as a TEDx speaker and when you were awarded by the National Award by Shri Narendra Modi ji.
It surely feels great to be recognised for the number of efforts that one is putting in!
Q. What do you consider your best or favourite work to date?
The most surprising and memorable opportunity came was to design toys for Kinder Joy. I had never dreamt of it, but it was very gratifying to see my toys being manufactured by Kinder Joy. I was at the top of the world when I bought kinder Joy chocolates, and in one of them, I found a toy that was designed by me.
Share with us about your husband’s support and contribution to your journey.
I truly have found great support in my husband and my design partner, Paul Sandip. He is an award-winning eminent Product Designer also from NID, Ahmedabad. He believes in minimalism and voluntary simplicity when it comes to his designs. About our working relationship, I would say – We build on each other’s ideas, but most of the time, we share our thoughts and ideas with others. I feel that couples can have different likings but must have the same opinion.
Q. In the age of social media and online games, do you think tangible toys are losing their relevance?
For smaller age groups, infants and toddlers, physical toys play an important role in their cognitive and physical growth. In this age group, tangible toys dominate digital games. Parents are conscious and aware nowadays, they are spending more on toys for their babies than a decade ago and I think there is an exponential curve for the next coming decade.
Q. This brings me to the next question that is how do we balance physical play and digital play in current times?
Everything in excess is harmful. The internet is a window to the world. Any information they seek is at their fingertips, which is good. Parents can introduce to their offspring a wide variety of free-time activities, like spending time with their friends and playing indoor as well as outdoor games with them, which can help develop a healthy body and balanced mind. Arrange active indoor or outdoor activities for your children and their friends, it helps children to cut down their screen time playing online games. Try to find what your child is passionate about, encourage them to do that, and also participate in those activities with them to give them momentum initially.
Q. How important is sustainability in the toymaking industry? What are your thoughts on it?
During the design and conceptualisation phase, it is very important for me as a designer to marry all the parameters like the right materials, safety, play value, cost, ease of manufacturability, parents’ and children’s needs etc. Sourcing the right material and ethical production processes are of utmost importance because it not only affects the environment but also the users.
Q. What are your thoughts on representation in the toy-designing industry? How important is it to be reflective of our beautifully diverse culture?
This is an important question as the things and experiences that children are exposed to while growing up influence their minds. I truly believe that children’s toys apart from nurturing their imagination should reflect the outside world and be as diverse as they can be. For example, it is important to have a doll that represents different ethnicities and cultures to inculcate awareness and acceptance.
Q. India has a vibrant tradition of making handmade toys like Channapatna and Kondapalli clusters in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh respectively. How can we popularize the toys made by local artisans in global markets?
We can surely create wonderful, innovative, cost-effective, safe, global-level handmade toys in India. We need to integrate Design and Manufacturing to create original intellectual property and patents. We can represent India as a Big Toy Market and supplier to the world if we just focus on “DESIGNED in INDIA” toys. Our traditional toy-making lacks context, they are indigenous age-old techniques but with a little outdated appeal. For the new millennial generation, we can design those toys using the same techniques but with a modern outlook. As a trained toy designer, I am confident that we can innovate the playability of traditional toys and also improve the look and feel of the packaging, making it attractive, eco friendly and cost-effective, to grab the attention of a modern-day buyer who is exposed to international toys through social media and toy retail chains. We can talk about the sustainability and safety aspects of those toys, we need to be more VOCAL about LOCAL.
Q. You also conduct your toy designing workshops – MAKE YOUR OWN MINI MONSTER. What is it all about?
Yes, my workshop – “Make your own Mini Monster Toy” is for all age groups above 6+ years. It’s about turning their favourite monster into a Mini Pocket Toy! In this workshop, the participants learn the basic techniques of needle felting. Also, learn how to turn their drawings into cute little 3D objects/toys. This workshop is about how to make textile collectable toys (without a sewing machine) that are super cute, sustainable, and fun! It helps them discover and unleash their unlimited creative potential.
Is there something exciting that you’re working on now? If yes, tell us something about your new project.
I was approached by the young founder of KIZOO, a brand that offers a range of exciting and engaging products for kids to create their logo and brand identity, ice cream packaging, character design for the brand, and toys based on them. I am a creative advisor for Kizoo. I work closely with Kizoo’s founders, 22 years old twin brothers, Harshal and Himanshu throughout the design process to ensure that their products align with their brand and vision. I have designed imaginary characters – Kizoo Monsters, a small group of 5 friends and have also created the character’s profile/ persona, behaviour, names and overall visual appearance which will make these characters memorable and relatable.
These are magical monsters which have imaginary tales and superpowers. Kizoo Monsters live in the Kizoo World, which is the most beautiful habitat, an island on the planet Earth, it has a balance of both nature and technology. It is full of resources, and a safe, desirable place to be in as it’s greener, healthier, and inclusive. Based on the characters, Sandip and I together have created surprise toys which will come with ice cream as a freebie. We have created mesmerizing toys which will instigate young ones to move and play.
Q. Any advice for young entrepreneurs, especially women?
Do things only if you believe in them.
2. Many of us think we are different but few believe we can make a difference. Be a Doer.
3. Work for JOY.
