Product design
In our in-house design department, many creative minds are at work. They draw, design, craft and test … until our female and male designers, as well as our product management, are satisfied with the designs for the various new Toys and children's room accessories satisfied. "It's not magic, it's creative work," explains designer Ines Frömelt. Months pass before a new product can be manufactured and then purchased by customers: The designs are presented, discussed and optimized. Once everyone responsible has agreed on the product's appearance, the price is calculated and the construction drawing is requested from the technical department. Then several prototypes are built or sewn, which now go on a journey through the other departments. Stops include, for example, the photo studio, packaging design and the advertising agency. Because, in parallel to the production of the new toys, the packaging and brochures for our specialist retailers and end customers are also produced. This requires various photos and texts in several languages, which are used both by the packaging designers and by the print and online graphic designers for the respective media. So you see: From the first draft in the design department to the finished product, it's quite a long way!
Allow me? Our designers introduce themselves:
Matthias Böck
I studied product design in Hanover and have been working in the HABA family of companies for 11 years. For HABA I have designed all Terra Kids-products. Otherwise I also work for the other sales divisions of the HABA family of companies and design, for example, outdoor play equipment.
I get inspiration from my children, through research and lots and lots of work. What is special about HABA is that we take children seriously.
My favorite product is the carving knife from Terra Kids, because it is made for children, but not a toy it is. It is designed and made to accompany someone for a lifetime and can even be passed on to the next generation.
Anna Lena Filipiak
I am a graduate designer and have been working at HABA since September 2010. I studied at the University of Art and Design/Burg Giebichenstein in Halle an der Saale. My focus is Baby and toddler products in wood and textiles as well as illustrations. Currently I am mainly occupied with the marble run Kullerbü.
I always try to go through the world with open eyes – inspiration can, after all, be waiting for you in the most unexpected places. The best ideas usually hide at first and then come of their own accord later when you are occupied with something completely different. In addition, exchanging ideas with my colleagues and working in a team is very important to me. Here, detailed solutions mostly arise by themselves because the individual ideas and thoughts enrich, complement and further develop one another.
What makes HABA special for me is that we keep children in our sights and in our hearts … You can feel that in our products too. They are cheerful, playful and safe. Simply HABA! My favorite product is the Lighthouse stacking game, because it is nicely simple, yet very colorful. With its rounded pegs it wonderfully supports the littlest ones in their first stacking. You can also delightfully knock the tower over … and do it again and again.
Ines Frömelt
After my Abitur and a short carpentry apprenticeship, I studied at the University of Art and Design / Burg Giebichenstein in Halle an der Saale. Since 1993 I have been with HABA and actually design everything: Greiflinge, placement games, stacking and insertion games … a focus is dolls, hand puppets and doll accessories. But I have also designed children's room accessories or designs for melamine tableware. My favorite HABA product? I like the fantasy stones, the insertion game 'Color Ring' and also individual doll characters have grown very dear to me, such as Mali, Rubina and Imke. However, the work on Kullerbü and Little Friends especially important to me.
I get ideas while drawing, observing and tinkering. Many everyday things or travel can inspire me. Books or the experiences of children also continually lead me to new things.
I think HABA combines children's products with a lot of design, love and care, but also with modernity. In my work here I can apply the experiences and learning outcomes from my studies almost without restriction. The collaboration with colleagues from different areas in particular makes the results efficient. HABA has already become a feeling, a small philosophy of its own.
Jutta Neundorfer
I studied interior architecture in Coburg (with a focus on furniture design) and have been working at HABA since 1992. I have designed almost everything. Currently they are mainly various Products for babies from wood, fabric or plastic, toys for toddlers, various gift items, a wide range of mobiles and children's room decoration items, but also carpets and lamps. I also designed a children's bag and backpack series. In the past I also did a lot for the game editorial team (developed game rules, game design/themes) and Games illustrated. Illustration is still a major part of my work.
It's hard for me to trace where my inspirations come from. Sometimes from working on or seeing completely different things (always keep your eyes open and collect memories). Sometimes I see something only briefly and don't recognize it as what it is, but see something entirely different in it, which I then realize as a design. But sometimes there are also fairly concrete product specifications, then you just have to get everything to fit under one (affordable) hat.
What's special about HABA products for me is the relatively high degree of innovation. Evidence of this is when we are copied by other companies. And also the "beautiful" color and material combinations. My favorite product changes from time to time; at the moment they are the Rainbow Ball Mobile, the Memoboard Little Bird and the coat rack Catch the Mouse.
Jan Schenkel
After my training as a dental technician I studied industrial design in Wuppertal. Since 2001 I have been working in the HABA company family and design Toys for children, but also furniture, both for HABA and for the other sales channels.
In the toy sector my main focuses are on swings, the HABA marble run and sand toys. With our creative sand-play series Sun Bistro we have created something new: This enables realistic role play in the sandbox or at the beach, whether stirring sand-cake dough, baking pizza, or creating a sand garden.
I get inspiration from playing with my children, but also by observing other industries or discussing with my colleagues … all in all designing is hard work. My current favorite product is the Kullerbü marble run, because it combines the principle of a classic marble run with a lovingly designed play world.
Mirka Schröder
I studied toy and learning materials design at the University of Art and Design/Burg Giebichenstein in Halle an der Saale and have been in HABA's design department since February 2013.
I get ideas when I play with children or watch them handling things, building and stacking, knocking over or 'repurposing' them. In doing so I learn a great deal, above all: to preserve the child's perspective on things (or try to). I then bring that into my designs for wooden and textile products for the Baby/Toddler und auch in Geschenkartikel, wie verschiedene Steckdosenlichter oder Taschenlampen-Projektoren. Von mir stammt auch die Serie Minimonster mit verschiedenen Kindergeschirr-Produkten, einem stacking toy, beanbag and doorstop.
For me, HABA products combine function, high play value, good design and a humorous view of things. Designing wooden toys for the toddler range is what I find most interesting. I really enjoy creating things that support children's essential first play experiences, challenge them and, in the best case, make them laugh. And Pacifier chains! They are something else. They look so simple: a few little figures and beads strung together, that's it. But you wouldn't believe how many template, tensile and impact tests such a pacifier chain has to pass before it's ready for series production. Sometimes you despair – but you also learn a lot!
