Color-Your-Own PlayHouse

CLIENT - Sugar Leaf, rebranded to Mondo Llama

Mondo Llama is the in-house craft brand at Target
Sugar Leaf is a vendor for Target

MY ROLE - Product Design & Illustration

Target works with numerous vendors to develop, design, and manufacture their Mondo Llama craft kits and supplies. To make sure there is a cohesive look, Target provides seasonal illustrations, icons, colors, and fonts for each of these vendors to work with. Target then provides a detailed list of the types of crafts and kits they are looking for. Multiple vendors may submit production files and pricing for the same item, but only one of these production files will be rebranded and produced under the Mondo Llama name.

I’ve been hired by Sugar Leaf to design their cardboard house submissions on several occasions, and below are three of the houses that were selected by Target. On each occasion, all I have to run with are the seasonal icons provided by Target, and two or three words describing the type of house they are interested in. I start by creating rough paper models, to get the basic shape of the house, to show my vision to Sugar Leaf. Then, I move on to creating the production files, incorporating as much of Target’s provided artwork as possible, and then illustrating all of the features of the house in a similar style. To help sell the finished design, I make a final paper model (as seen below in the photos with my kids) that I photograph for Sugar Leaf to use in their presentation. My files are then sent to Sugar Leaf’s factory for pricing, and if Target is initially interested, a sample will be made and shipped to the Target buyers for final testing and approval.