Lumen: The Lights Out Buddy
Hand Illustration | Sewing | 3D Printing | Screenprinting | Photoshop | Illustrator | Indesign
Lumen: the Lights Out Buddy is a fun little package that assembles trinkets to help children who are afraid of the dark. It includes a little stuffed toy, nightlight, lantern, book, glowing stars, and blanket.
- Awards
- Judge Choice Student Addy, 2017
- Nashville Gold Student Addy, 2017
- District 7 Silver Student Addy, 2017
- Best of Packaging - Split and Twisted, 2017
Logo
The logo had to fit in a small area on the front of the night light and the tag of the toy. That did not leave much vertical space. I played around with ideas, but eventually, I used the left type treatment to mimic the happy round style the rest has.
Feathers
The pattern went through several editions, it began fairly detailed and irregular. This made Lumen seem scruffy and rough. He didn’t seem friendly. The last version on the left worked much better. In addition, the color changed from purple, to a calming blue.
Face
The faces were also pretty rough to start. The first few editions were less friendly and more like the angry owl from “The Old Mill.” The more I worked on it, the simpler the design became, making Lumen look friendlier and cuter.
Box
Before he was an owl Lumen was a simpler package that could be rolled up or could be bundled in the included blanket in a way that made a silly face. More children would like an animal companion however, and the change was for the better.
The new box was then going to slide like a matchbox. However, on a whim I decided I wanted the box to be more like a hug, with its wings outstretched or tucked in. The construction is more complex, but it’s worth it for the fun it brings.
Book
The book was a fun task. I had an opportunity to illustrate five spreads of the owls having fun with the items that came in the box. I came up with a fun rhyme for parents to read and for children to listen to and maybe read themselves.
Nightlight
The nightlight was the smallest, but also the most difficult thing to make. I wanted to 3D print it, but at that point I had no idea how to do that. So, I took a crash course on Fusion 360 to make what I needed. This was a valuable decision for future projects. There were several iterations, but the last one turned out great. He prints without a problem, and he glows like he should.
