Puzzle Experience

More than just puzzles!

project developed for Hape

Flexible
System

Puzzles with
extra value

A world of
illustration styles

A girl with red hair sitting on a white stool next to a tall, vertical Hape Ocean life puzzle of an underwater scene with various sea creatures including whales, fish, octopus, and mermaids.

Puzzles Journey

Asked to refresh a puzzle line, we didn’t stop at the visuals, we reimagined the whole idea.

Driven by the belief that play inspires learning, we set out to create more than just puzzles, a complete playful learning journey designed to distinguish us from traditional competitors.

At the same time, we created a flexible system that supports each child’s development, from toddlerhood to school age.

Refresh with purpose

Our contribution

Magnifying glass icon over peach-colored background.

Research

Strategy

A line drawing of a lightbulb with a yellow circle background.

Concept

Outline drawing of a pencil and a circular shape with a loose line.

Identity

Line drawing of an artist's palette with a paintbrush in front of a full moon.

Design

Illustration of two gears with a peach-colored background.

Development

Simple illustration of a cube with motion lines indicating it is spinning or falling, set against a circular background.

Communication

A light green speech bubble icon overlaid with a dark gray outline of a chat bubble.

Puzzle System

Puzzle Experience rests on a simple premise: children don’t develop in neat, predictable steps. So, rather than rigid age bands, we created eight flexible and overlapping stages, spanning 12 months to 12 years. The result is a system that adapts to real development, offering the right challenge at the right time.

A flexible system that evolves with children

A developmental stage chart shows progression from toddler to school age. It is divided into three sections: Toddler (12-24 months to 18-36 months), Preschool (2-4 years to 4-7 years), and School Age (5-9 years to 8-12 years). Each stage lists skills like language skills, creative development, social skills, exploring & discovery, and problem solving, with corresponding age ranges and activity levels.

Our Stages

Each stage mirrors a phase of early childhood development, divided into eight overlapping stages to allow for natural progression and individual variation, far from a one-size-fits-all model. The visual language reflects this philosophy: dynamic stage icons represent progress, while a fresh and vibrant colour palette ensures relevance and emotional connection.

Color palette chart with eight color circles and corresponding Pantone color codes, ranging from shades of red, orange, yellow, green, turquoise, blue, purple, with labels for stages 1 through 8.

The Extra Mile

We designed a puzzle collection where each piece offers something more, a unique feature that sparks curiosity and invites children to explore, discover, and engage in meaningful ways. 

These aren’t just puzzles!

They’re designed experiences that fuel imagination, support learning and bring extra value to every moment of play.

Two children, a boy and a girl, playing Hape's dinosaurs puzzle on a colorful mat inside a tent at night.
A progression of dinosaur character designs from sketches to a final cartoon style, including a realistic T-Rex and a colorful cartoon T-Rex, with stages labeled 'First sketches,' 'Character design,' 'Realistic,' 'Cartoon,' and 'Final'.

behind the scenes

~

behind the scenes ~

Two children, a boy and a girl, lying on the floor and assembling a space-themed Hape puzzle with images of astronauts, rockets, and planets.
A young boy lying on a beige carpet next to a large Hape jigsaw puzzle of a human body's internal organs, smiling and waving.
Two people assembling a large educational Hape jigsaw puzzle of the human body on a carpeted floor, focusing on the torso and internal organs.
Two children working together on a colorful Hape magic forest puzzle on a wooden floor.
A partially completed Hape puzzle on a light wooden surface, featuring a vibrant underwater scene with children swimming, playing, and dolphins, with loose puzzle pieces scattered around.
A young girl lying on her stomach assembling a blue ocean-themed Hape jigsaw puzzle shaped like a whale on a wooden floor in a bright room with white decorations.
A young boy is assembling a Hape puzzle of a blue dinosaur on a light-colored wooden floor near a window, with some puzzle pieces and a dinosaur poster nearby.
A person assembling a space-themed Hape jigsaw puzzle featuring astronauts and aliens on a purple background on a light-colored table.
Two children lying on the floor playing with a Hape space-themed puzzles in a cozy living room.
Child playing with a bright sun on a colorful illustrated Hape puzzle themed seasons.
Two children, a girl and a boy, playing with a colorful Hape jigsaw puzzle of a city on a wooden floor.
A young girl sitting on the floor decorating a d coloring sheet with colored markers, with a completed coloring page of a dolphin, octopus, and various sea creatures in front of her.
A young child playing with animal-shaped Hape puzzle pieces on a hardwood floor in a room with a tent and large potted plant.
A young child lying on a plush white rug playing with colorful animal and nature-themed Hape jigsaw puzzle pieces.
A young child playing with colorful animal-shaped Hape puzzles on a beige carpet in a well-lit room.
A young girl with blonde hair in a bun playing a colorful Hape puzzle on the floor, holding a yellow game piece.
Hape puzzle depicting an underwater scene with various sea creatures, mermaids, and divers.

Shelf Presence

Our work didn’t end with the product itself.

We designed the entire communication system, from packaging and leaflets to in-store displays.

Each detail echoes the Puzzle Experience identity, ensuring clarity and charm at every touchpoint.

Whether on shelf or in hand, the design speaks one language: engaging, thoughtful, and delightfully child-focused.

Display stand with various children's puzzles, including themes like ocean life, dinosaurs, and solar system, and a picture of children playing with a puzzle.
Hape long puzzle featuring colorful dinosaurs in a prehistoric jungle scene with trees, plants, and flying pterodactyls.
Hape dinosaurs long puzzle box featuring a colorful jungle scene with a purple long-necked dinosaur, a green T-Rex, flying pterodactyls, and a glowing skeletal dinosaur in the dark.
Hape magic forest puzzle box depicting a magical forest scene at night, featuring a unicorn, a princess, fairies, a fox, an owl, and a girl resting under a large tree with glowing elements.
Ocean life Hape puzzle featuring underwater scene with sharks, whales, turtles, divers, and marine animals, some of which glow in the dark.
Educational solar system Hape puzzle in a round box featuring planets, space objects, and a rocket, for children ages 5 to 9, with 93 pieces for stages 5 and 6.
Colorful four seasons children's Hape puzzle box with illustrations of autumn, winter, spring, and summer scenes, featuring animals, trees, and outdoor activities, designed for ages 3-6, including 16 pieces and a built-in LED sun lamp.
Round underground world Hape puzzle box with colorful illustrations of subterranean layers, dinosaurs, fossils, and underground elements, labeled for children ages 4-7, by Hape.
Colorful circular Hape puzzle box featuring stone age themed illustrations, including animals, humans, and natural elements, with a red sun in the center, labeled for ages 6-10, containing 100 pieces, and highlighting educational and fun features.
Colorful dinosaur-shaped Hape puzzle box featuring a detailed illustration of a T-Rex with botanical and geometric patterns
A colorful Hape puzzle box featuring a whale with an underwater theme, designed for children ages 8 to 12, containing 200 pieces, with special finishing and eco-friendly FSC certification.
Hape wooden 24-piece dinosaur-themed puzzle for children ages 3 to 6, featuring a prehistoric jungle scene with volcanoes, palm trees, and various dinosaurs.
Unicorn friends Hape puzzle box with a colorful illustration of a girl playing a violin with a unicorn, a rainbow, and a tree with apples, designed for children 3 to 6 years old, containing 24 pieces.
Hape puzzle box labeled 'Ocean Rescue Puzzle' with an underwater scene of a robotic submarine rescuing marine creatures, designed for children ages 4 to 7.
A space-themed Hape jigsaw puzzle box labeled 'Space Friends Puzzle' for children aged 4 to 7. The box features cartoon illustrations of children and aliens in space, with a depiction of the assembled puzzle showing astronauts, aliens, and planets.
A colorful, illustrated puzzle brochure with sections showcasing different types of puzzles and activities for children, and two small puzzle boxes labeled 'Puzzle Experience' featuring children working on puzzles.

The Full Collection

A collection of children's educational puzzles displayed on a white background.