MISSION–
It is no shock to anyone that there is a growing decline in the amount of time kids spend outdoors. According to the National Recreation and Park Association, kids these days are spending less time outside than any generation to come before them– between 4 and 7 minutes of outdoor play per day to be exact. This is balanced with an overwhelming 7 and a half hour daily average time spent using electronic media. Doodle Sprout aims to change statistics like these by fostering a connection between kiddos and the natural world at a young age. Through our art-based educational activity kits, we strive to combine creativity with hands-on learning to ignite a spark of curiosity in our youth and empower the next generation with knowledge. These activities are designed to get kids engaged with and excited about critters, bugs, and plants they might find in their own backyards! We hope Doodle Sprout encourages kiddos all over the nation to get outside and see what they can find!
For my Senior Thesis, I wanted to create an educational product for kids that would allow me to combine my illustration & design skills…
Click here to read the Doodle Sprout "Behind the Brand" book!
PACKAGING
“The Mighty Midwest” Backyard Nature Kit
“The Noble Northeast” Backyard Nature Kit
“The Wild Southwest” Backyard Nature Kit
This project is driven by several key goals. Firstly, I wanted to blend my interests and love for learning with my design practice. Creating educational kits allows me to do just that. Secondly, I aimed to add more branding and packaging projects to my portfolio to showcase my design skills and illustration versatility. Thirdly, I believe in the importance of having a personal project outside of my career, something I can pour my passion into. This project could potentially serve as that outlet and even open doors to new opportunities in the future. Lastly, as an aspiring Art Director, tackling a project like this illustrates my abilities in project management and demonstrates initiative.
Our Doodle Duo as seen on the inside of the packaging to greet each kiddo with a smile!
ACTIVITIES
PLANT IDENTIFICATION CARDS (SAMPLE SET)
The Plant Identification Cards aim to help kids better learn about and grow an interest in the flora around them! The initial concept was to design a tree identification kit, but I opted to broaden the idea to encompass plants in general to create a more diverse and comprehensive learning experience.
BUG MEMORY GAME (SAMPLE SET)
The Bug Memory Game moves away from the direct learning aspect of the kits and moves more into the realm of play and brain games, which are important for the kids within Doodle Sprout's age range.
I aimed for flat & graphic designs that would be playful for kids, while remaining accurate in depiction. Here, you can see experimentation with different posings, levels of detail, and eye designs. I found that a combination of birds-eye & 3/4th view compositions created a dynamic set of bug friends!
CRITTER ACTIVITY BOOK (SAMPLE)
The idea for Doodle Sprout’s Activity Book is that kids will take it with them outdoors, along with the other activities in the Mighty Midwest Backyard Nature Kit, to help them learn about and interact with the nature around them!
This activity was initially a Coloring Book during the brainstorming stage. However, after careful consideration of factors such as cognitive development and learning styles of the target child age range, I adjusted it to contain more than just coloring pages. Research into cognitive development and educational best practices helped me to better understand the importance of interactive activities beyond coloring for kiddos in this age group.
“The Mighty Midwest” Activity Book, Pgs 6-7
Thank you to the MIAD Alumni Association for their generosity and support for my project!