Concept development, visual identity, and activity materials for a children's party where children are welcomed as Junior Designers at IKEA — for a day.
Customer
IKEA
_______________________
Sweden
Year
2024
Background
IKEA is a brand built on the belief that good design belongs to everyone. The mission from IKEA Sweden was to translate that belief into a concrete children's party concept — a format that could roll out in the IKEA environment and provide children with a memorable experience linked to creativity and design. It was a broad assignment: OUF would solve both the conceptual framework and the visual identity, as well as develop the actual activity materials that would support the experience.
Challenge
The challenge lay in balancing two demands that easily pull in opposite directions. The celebration needed to feel like a real party for the children — not like a brand project disguised as one. At the same time, the concept needed to authentically convey IKEA's story about creativity, collaboration, and democratic design, not just as decoration. The solution could not come from the outside in. It needed to grow from within the concept itself.
Strategy
The key was to give the children a role, not just an activity. Instead of framing the party as an event to witness, the concept was built around a clear role reversal: the children are welcomed as Junior Designers within the IKEA team. It’s a simple gesture — a little uniform and a name tag — but it changes how the entire experience feels. The children are not guests; they are truly part of it. From there, a material package was designed where each element, coloring book, puzzle, and activities, introduces simple design principles without feeling like a lesson. The activities are built to allow collaboration and storytelling to arise naturally, without an adult needing to drive it. The strategic requirement of the concept was also that it should be scalable — not a one-time event but a system that can be rolled out and adapted without losing its core.
1
1
Engraved character tokens
Engraved character tokens
2
2
Coloring books in the book set
Coloring books in the book set
3
3
Built from the ground up
Built from the ground up
Visual system
corrected) The visual identity for Junior Designers balances IKEA's established design language with a playful, child-friendly expression. The coloring books are designed with simple line-based illustrations — furniture, characters, and shapes taken directly from IKEA's world. Puzzle activities with stuffed animals and a two-part book set work together as a visual system with a consistent illustration style throughout the package. The eight embossed character tiles give the material a tactile and memorable quality. Everything is designed to work together — from cover to individual page.
Result
The result is a party that children remember, and a concept that actually extends what IKEA already believes in. Children's Party Junior Designers is not a one-time event — it is a scalable system, visually, conceptually, and materially, ready to be rolled out in IKEA's environment without losing its core. The concept shows that brand values and a child perspective do not need to compromise with each other — they can enhance each other when the solution is resolved from the inside.
Deliveries
(corrected) Concept framework (Junior Designers role), uniform and tray for children, coloring book with illustrated design exercises, puzzle activity, book set in two parts, 8 embossed character tokens, complete visual identity for the concept.
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Concept development, visual identity, and activity materials for a children's party where children are welcomed as Junior Designers at IKEA — for a day.
Customer
IKEA
_______________________
Sweden
Year
2024
Background
IKEA is a brand built on the belief that good design belongs to everyone. The mission from IKEA Sweden was to translate that belief into a concrete children's party concept — a format that could roll out in the IKEA environment and provide children with a memorable experience linked to creativity and design. It was a broad assignment: OUF would solve both the conceptual framework and the visual identity, as well as develop the actual activity materials that would support the experience.
Challenge
The challenge lay in balancing two demands that easily pull in opposite directions. The celebration needed to feel like a real party for the children — not like a brand project disguised as one. At the same time, the concept needed to authentically convey IKEA's story about creativity, collaboration, and democratic design, not just as decoration. The solution could not come from the outside in. It needed to grow from within the concept itself.
Strategy
The key was to give the children a role, not just an activity. Instead of framing the party as an event to witness, the concept was built around a clear role reversal: the children are welcomed as Junior Designers within the IKEA team. It’s a simple gesture — a little uniform and a name tag — but it changes how the entire experience feels. The children are not guests; they are truly part of it. From there, a material package was designed where each element, coloring book, puzzle, and activities, introduces simple design principles without feeling like a lesson. The activities are built to allow collaboration and storytelling to arise naturally, without an adult needing to drive it. The strategic requirement of the concept was also that it should be scalable — not a one-time event but a system that can be rolled out and adapted without losing its core.
1
1
Engraved character tokens
Engraved character tokens
2
2
Coloring books in the book set
Coloring books in the book set
3
3
Built from the ground up
Built from the ground up
Visual system
corrected) The visual identity for Junior Designers balances IKEA's established design language with a playful, child-friendly expression. The coloring books are designed with simple line-based illustrations — furniture, characters, and shapes taken directly from IKEA's world. Puzzle activities with stuffed animals and a two-part book set work together as a visual system with a consistent illustration style throughout the package. The eight embossed character tiles give the material a tactile and memorable quality. Everything is designed to work together — from cover to individual page.
Result
The result is a party that children remember, and a concept that actually extends what IKEA already believes in. Children's Party Junior Designers is not a one-time event — it is a scalable system, visually, conceptually, and materially, ready to be rolled out in IKEA's environment without losing its core. The concept shows that brand values and a child perspective do not need to compromise with each other — they can enhance each other when the solution is resolved from the inside.
Deliveries
(corrected) Concept framework (Junior Designers role), uniform and tray for children, coloring book with illustrated design exercises, puzzle activity, book set in two parts, 8 embossed character tokens, complete visual identity for the concept.
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