FORMS – System of elements supporting
creativity and physical development of children
DESIGN: Zuzanna Wdowik
Poland
make me! 2022
I have noticed that young parents are more and more often interested in alternative methods of recreation for their children. They are consciously approaching development of their children’s creativity. I have deepened my knowledge about natural playgrounds, which use surroundings to create activating obstacles for the youngest. So why not design furniture, that does not limit children’s imagination? This is how the project “FORMS – System of elements supporting creativity and physical development of children” was created. “FORMS” is a set of purposely designed shapes that helps to develop great motor skills in childrens. Through exercises performed under the supervision of parents or guardians, they support creative recreation. The sizes and shapes of the elements are adapting to the size of children’s and their development stage. They facilitate learning and support process of acquiring the most important skills that children’s learn in the first years of their life. A set of 5 elements with different colors is adapted to their development. For the set I have developed a color palette consisting of RAL colors. During choosing colors, the universality of the set was an important matter. It was important for me to make set not aimed at specific gender. The colors are vivid and very joyful. Interesting forms, resembling abstract sculptures, are also an element of the decor that makes a child’s room more attractive. The prototype is made of styrodur covered with a polyurethane coating spray. Finally, in serial production, I would like to use injection molds for plastics. The whole shape would be made of high density polyurethane foam covered with a colored polyurethane coating. The materials used in my project not only allow furniture to be used in the privacy of a child’s room, but also outdoors, on the beach or in the water.
FORMS – System of elements supporting creativity and physical development of children, design: Zuzanna Wdowik / from designer’s archive
FORMS – System of elements supporting creativity and physical development of children, design: Zuzanna Wdowik / from designer’s archive
FORMS – System of elements supporting creativity and physical development of children, design: Zuzanna Wdowik / from designer’s archive
FORMS – System of elements supporting creativity and physical development of children, design: Zuzanna Wdowik / from designer’s archive
ZUZANNA WDOWIK
1st-year, master degree student of Art&Design at the Pedagogical University. Currently, I’m working on my master’s thesis on material experiments. I come from a small town in Podkarpacie, but on my daily basis I live in a Cracov. From an early age, I was active in the Polish Scouting Association, where I learned how to make something out of nothing, using objects creatively. This fact and my dad’s teachings about DIY, gave base for my design passion. During my study, I learn the workshop, the possibility of materials and the verification of ideas with reality. My love of DIY is often reflected in my projects and the way I work. If I had to choose one step from the entire design process, it would definitely be modeling. The first ideas, results, mistakes and the analysis give me the most fun. As a representative of Gen Z, I try to be realistic and act according to the principle “Rome was not built in a day”. I do not believe that the design field will change beyond recognition in one day. In my projects, I try to rationalize both the assumptions and the materials they are made. The materials themselves are also within my interests. I have worked, among others on the design of sound-absorbing concrete panels, washable notebook sheets or material made of furniture laminate waste. I am very proud when I find a material that increases the potential of the entire project.
