Some of my favorite types of graphic design projects are those that are to be catered to children. Bright colors, fun fonts, shapes and animals all come together to make a colorful world that kids will be drawn too.
As graphic artists, we have to be chameleons. One client may vary drastically in services, target audience and budget than another. We have to be prepared to mold and shape our skills to appeal to this client’s potential customer all the while staying within the scope of the client’s initial intent. But in designing for young children, there are a couple of universal things to keep in mind. Keep it fun A graphic design doesn’t have to use primary colors and a circus theme to be geared toward kids, but it does have to have an element of fun. Most of the time, if a client of yours is offering a product or service that would be for children, the design not only has to appeal to the child but the parent also. Be cognizant of this. Use fun shapes, animals or textures that seem childlike. Create fantasy backgrounds or bright colors to keep the mood of your project upbeat and interesting. Keep it simple Children are not little adults. They need to be able to understand the concept you’re going for in order to be drawn to it. Using big words or complicated arrangements can confuse children and leave them uninterested. Remember your attention span when you were a kid? It’s not long! Using a simplistic graphic design that will grab and hold a child’s attention is key. The child should look at your graphic design and instantly know that the product/service is something they want or looks like fun. Use your imagination Go do your research! Visit the circus, sit around Chuck-E-Cheese for an hour, go to Toys R Us and look at what’s new and the package design that causes those toys to fly off the shelf. Take yourself back to your own childhood and think about what grabbed your attention when you were young. Those experiences will help you to think outside of the box and tackle your next child-driven project with an innocence and wonderment that your client will love.
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