As a former Senior Designer & Illustrator at KidKraft, I had the pleasure of working on the surface design for the Shimmer Mansion Dollhouse, a dazzling and spacious dollhouse that sparkles with glamour and adventure. My main role was to create original surface artwork for the house, furniture, and fabrics, using Adobe Illustrator and CMYK printing techniques. I also designed glittery and sporty elements, such as roller skates, surfboards, and skateboards, that added some fun and flair to the dollhouse.

My process started with creating a mood board to establish the color, style, and feel of the project. I wanted to create a design that would appeal to both kids and collectors, and that would reflect the magic and charm of the Barbie world. I chose vibrant colors, eye-catching patterns, and subtle sparkle effects to create a stunning visual impact.

Next, I sketched out ideas for the interior and exterior design, paying attention to every detail to make the dollhouse a true showstopper. I drew inspiration from various sources, such as fashion magazines, interior design blogs, and of course, Barbie movies. I wanted to create a design that would capture the personality and style of Barbie and her friends.

After sketching out my ideas, I created all of the surface artwork in vector format using Adobe Illustrator. This included everything from the glitter texture on the exterior brick to the subtle sparkle on the interior walls. I also used Adobe Photoshop for additional texture and detail work.

To provide an accurate representation of the final product for in-house approvals and production callouts, I used Keyshot 3D to create 3D mockups of the dollhouse. These mockups were then tweaked to ensure the colors were just right and matched our high-quality standards.

The production files for the Shimmer Mansion Dollhouse were highly detailed and accurate, ensuring that the final product would meet our exact specifications. I created vector-based files in a clean, layered format with color and material callouts. This level of attention to detail was crucial for the manufacturing process, as the files were sent to Asia for production.

In addition to the production files, I also created sample art for the New York Toy Fair on large format printers in-house. This allowed us to create an actual sample for the show, exactly a 1 to 1 scale with what it would be in real life. The mock-up was created with the help of our team in the shop, set up for building the sample. This process allowed us to see how the product would look in production and make any necessary adjustments before showcasing it to the public as well as submitting it to manufacturing. It was a crucial step in ensuring that the final product met our high standards and matched the vision we had for the Shimmer Mansion Dollhouse.

Overall, the Shimmer Mansion Dollhouse was a project that required attention to detail at every step of the process. From the initial mood board to the final production files, I ensured that each element of the design was carefully considered and executed to perfection.

I’m very proud of the outcome and the positive feedback we received from our customers and partners. It was an honor to work on such a dazzling and inspiring product.

All artwork and design for the Shimmer Mansion Dollhouse are © KidKraft, Inc.

 The industrial designer for the project was Kaitlin York, who provided the structural design for the house, as well as all the 1-to-1 and 3D files for me to create the Keyshot mock-ups. The plastics and sculptor for the project were Stephen Bates, who worked on all the plastics and sculpted parts.

#kidkraft #dollhouse #surfacepatterndesign #illustration #adobeillustrator #barbie #BarbieTheMovie #BarbieWorld #BarbieParty #mattel