We had the distinct pleasure to interview award winning designer Alessandra D'Alessio & Alyssa Vani about their original and creative toy design work. Alessandra D'Alessio & Alyssa Vani is an award-winning industrial designer, that makes our world a better place with their original toy works.
Alessandra D'Alessio & Alyssa Vani ("AD&AV") answered Design Interview ("DI") questions about their award-winning work braille blocks toy. Interview questions prepared by Frank Scott.
AD&AV : Braille blocks was initially designed for a university studio class at the Ryerson School of Interior Design. The entire project began at the beginning of January 2016 and was completed by the end of February.
AD&AV : The primary target market for braille blocks is toddlers and children who are blind or visually impaired, between the ages of two and seven years old. Although braille blocks caters to children with visual impairments, it is also a universal sensory toy that provides the same learning tactics for seeing children as well.
AD&AV : What sets braille blocks apart from other tactile learning toys on the market is that this toy combines the functions of a sensory board with the functions of traditional wooden building blocks. It uses a sensory board method to introduce children to textures and braille rather than letters and numbers.No other toy allows children to match textures with their corresponding meanings and learn how to define them.
AD&AV : a & a stands for our initials, Alyssa and Alessandra. “touch, learn, grow” became our slogan because it captured the essence and goal of the project in just three simple words. We chose the name “braille blocks” because it was clear, short, informative and complimented our company name and slogan perfectly.
AD&AV : When working on the project, we used AutoCAD and a laser printer to bring our design to life.
