CUDDLE BUDDIES
Role: Research, Ideation, Production, Presenter.
Team Members: Allyson Hernandez, Anh Nguyen, Elianna Ruperto,
Molly Loftis.
Skills: Craft, Communication.
Time Frame: 2 weeks.
Tools Used: Illustrator, Photoshop, Indesign, Figma.
Cuddle Buddies is a brand that strives to create a supportive and comforting sensory experience for young children with autism. With consciously chosen materials, functional use, and sensory elements, Cuddle Buddies are perfect for providing emotional support and serving as a role-playing tool.
BRIEF & PHILOSOPHY
How do we design physical support that will aid the development of children with autism?
Inspired by historic designers, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, William Morris, Marcel Breuer, and Eero Saarinene, my team created a guiding philosophy: Design should be well-crafted with intentionality and the needs of the user at the forefront. Along with creating items of high quality, they should, in tandem, be easy to replicate in a mass production setting to reach the highest amount of users. The overall product should accomplish the needs of the intended audience while creating an empowering sense of self to comfort its users.
AUDIENCE & RESEARCH
My team went through intensive research to grasp a greater understanding of the impairments children with level 2 autism experience day to day.
PROCESS
DEVELOPING CUDDLE BUDDIE PATTERN
SKETCHES OF POSSIBLE POSITIONS
LOFI PROTOTYPE
PAPER PROTOTYPE OF WORKING PATTERN
1. Sensory Stimulation: Crafted with crinkle fabric, when touching a Billie the Cuddle Buddie’s ear, a stimulating sound will be created.
2. Scent Stimulation: Each Cuddle Buddie's left arm is sewn with an absorbent pouch for essential oils.
3. Textural Stimulation: Each Buddie can be crafted with fabric that fits the users' needs, including ribbed cotton, canvas, and flannel.
4. Tactile Stimulation: Each Buddie is weighted with beads to create a comforting experience for the users.
EVOLUTION
BRANDING
#c3d7ea
#4273B0
#f8f5eb
BRAND COLORS
LOGOS AND WORDMARKS
SOLUTION
REFLECTION
From this project, I learned about empathy for my audience and the process of designing for their betterment. In hindsight, I wish I could have made the finished prototype more differentiated from the marketed stuffed animals. Maybe I would solve this by designing a more unique body, and not just unique features.