QUBS’ “Cody Block” Art Direction

The Client

QUBS‘ mission is to empower children to explore the learning world in a fun and accessible way. They make tech wooden toys that are loved by children and trusted by parents & educators. By enabling kids to gather new skills through play, QUBS aims to encourage the next generation of tinkerers and creators of the future.

The Problem

Qubs was about to launch its first toy Cody Block, and needed help creating a campaign for Kickstarter and build a trustworthy brand.
Cody Block is a Montessori inspired, screen-free wooden toy for children 3+, introducing the basics of computational thinking through tangible programming. The design of Cody Block takes its inspiration from classic wooden toys and the Montessori philosophy in its material and shape: solid beech wood and intuitive design.

The Solution

In this project I helped the client with the project management of the product launch of the Kickstarter Campaign and advised on the art direction. This involved overseeing the output of all marketing and visual material for the campaign (video, photography, ads, landing pages) and creating the company’s positioning and tone of voice.

Thanks to my background in game design and educational games for children, I’ve also took charge of the play testing phase of the toy. I organised playdates with families and children of different ages, but also with schools and teachers. The goal was to observe how little ones interacted with the toy and fix or improve any design or engineering detail that didn’t make the interaction smooth.

During the project I also helped designing the challenges in the City Guide, which is an important part of the experience with Cody Block. The exercises from the book stimulate kids to solve problems and think about what they are creating with their sequences of Building Blocks. They also introduce terms of the coding language like “infinite loop”, “debugging” and “function”, explained in a tangible and play-led way, so children can understand their meaning.
The City Guide’s challenges demonstrate how all the different Blocks work, and become more difficult as the story progresses and the fundamentals are mastered.