December 12, 2018
New Book on Designing for Kids is a Primer on Child Development
Praised as a Case Study in Design Thinking, Invaluable Resource for Design Professionals and Students
Designers, especially design students, rarely have access to children or their worlds when creating products, images, experiences and environments for them. Therefore, fine distinctions between age transitions and the day-to-day experiences of children are often overlooked. The new book, Designing for Kids by ArtCenter College of Design Professor Krystina Castella, brings together all a designer needs to know about developmental stages, play patterns, age transitions, playtesting, safety standards, materials and the daily lives of kids, providing a primer on the differences in designing for kids versus designing for adults.
Castella provides educators and practitioners with actionable methodologies that will aid us in understanding childhood development today and how this will have a lasting impact on children’s growth and development as they progress.
“Our role and responsibility as designers for kids and teens in the products we make, the spaces we design, and the services that we offer can strongly influence their childhood,” Castella expresses as the current world of childhood today is vastly changing due to technology, media, education and other social contexts.
Designing for Kids, published by Routledge, covers developmental stages with the main pillars of development including physical, cognitive, social and emotional development with special consideration for today’s kids, Gen Z and Gen Alpha.
Research and interviews with designers, social scientists and industry experts are included, highlighting theories and terms used in the fields of design, developmental psychology, sociology, cultural anthropology and education.
Steven Heller, co-chair of School of Visual Arts MFA Design/Designer, author and entrepreneur states that “Designing for kids is designing for the future. The objects both physical and virtual will mold a child’s future and Krystina Castella’s brilliant book will help designers bring that future to life.”
Castella is a professor of industrial design and business at ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, California. She has practiced as a designer and taught at ArtCenter across disciplines for almost three decades. Her research and teaching focus on designing for play, the intersection between design and ethical business, designing for social innovation, and sustainable materials and manufacturing innovation.
The Designing for Kids textbook includes more than 150 color images, helpful discussion questions and clearly formatted chapters, making it relevant to a wide range of readers. It is a useful tool for students in industrial design, interaction design, environmental design and graphic design with children as the main audience for their creations. It will also be of interest to researchers and educators around topics of play, technology and play, social play, and play for social impact.
Praise for Designing for Kids
“An invaluable resource for both novice and experienced designers in the kid space. Filled with interesting and actionable takeaways, this book allows you to incorporate its teachings into your work immediately. It's delightful and inspiring, and well worth a read.”
- Brendan Boyle, Partner and Founder of the IDEO Play Lab, Consulting Associate Professor at Stanford
“A case study in design thinking itself with its meticulous attention to both theory and practice with foremost empathy for both the teacher and student. Castella does a magnificent job of tailoring her design thinking methods to specific development stages of a child. It’s destined to be a classic for any STEAM educator who seeks to master design thinking in the classroom.
- John Maeda, Global Head of Computational Design + Inclusion at Automattic, Inc.
"Thoughtful and breathtaking in its scope, Designing for Kids proves itself an invaluable resource. Krystina Castella melds her years of experience and expertise with nearly 100 interviews with industry professionals across a wide range of fields providing deep, real-world insights."
- Eric Poesch, Senior Vice President of Design and Product Development, Uncle Milton Industries
"This is an inspiring read that is full of wisdom and best practices, one that every designer who aspires to create consequential products, services and experiences for children and teens will want to have on their library shelf."
- Mariana Amatullo, PhD, Associate Professor, Parsons School of Design, The New School
"Not only is this book all you need to know about any sort of design, but it is also a comprehensive review of early child development. The tradecraft is right, and the background science is up to the minute."
- Jay Beckwith, Play Systems Designer, Expert in Residence Gymboree play and music
Publication Data:
Designing for Kids is available via Routledge:
www.routledge.com/9781138290761
ISBN: 9781138290761 | Paperback | 466 pages | $49.95 | November 27, 2018
For Further Press Inquiries:
For press inquiries, interview or appearance requests, please contact:
Samantha Wallace
Teri Bond
To request a copy for review, please complete this online form:
pages.email.taylorandfrancis.com/review-copy-request
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Check out Krystina's Author Q&A with at the link below:
About Taylor & Francis Group
Taylor & Francis Group partners with researchers, scholarly societies, universities and libraries worldwide to bring knowledge to life. As one of the world’s leading publishers of scholarly journals, books, ebooks and reference works our content spans all areas of Humanities, Social Sciences, Behavioural Sciences, Science, and Technology and Medicine.
From our network of offices in Oxford, New York, Philadelphia, Boca Raton, Boston, Melbourne, Singapore, Beijing, Tokyo, Stockholm, New Delhi and Johannesburg, Taylor & Francis staff provide local expertise and support to our editors, societies and authors and tailored, efficient customer service to our library colleagues.
About ArtCenter College of Design
Founded in 1930 and located in Pasadena, California, ArtCenter College of Design is a global leader in art and design education. ArtCenter offers 11 undergraduate and seven graduate degrees in a wide variety of industrial design disciplines as well as visual and applied arts. In addition to its top-ranked academic programs, the College also serves members of the Greater Los Angeles region through a highly regarded series of year-round continuing education programs for all ages and levels of experience. Renowned for both its ties to industry and its social impact initiatives, ArtCenter is the first design school to receive the United Nations’ Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) status. Throughout the College’s long and storied history, ArtCenter alumni have had a profound impact on popular culture, the way we live and important issues in our society.
