BFA in Toy Design

Our Mission

Toys and play are an essential part of our world. Otis College offers one of the only four-year Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Toy Design. Taught by faculty and guest mentors who are renowned toy and entertainment professionals, the program focuses on the process of designing and bringing toys to market. Students create toys for all ages, across numerous categories, with a focus on play. Our graduates will shape the industry, impact society, and inspire generations to come.

Toy Design is a specialized major and requires skills from many disciplines, including drawing, engineering, sculpting, prototyping, and digital design. Students will gain knowledge in child psychology, storytelling, presentations, and business practices. They’ll learn about
manufacturing, product safety, sustainability, and packaging, and will gain an understanding of the evolution of a toy from concept to the end consumer.

Many of the world’s largest toy and entertainment companies are a few miles from campus. They are at the center of a multibillion dollar industry that provides an enormous professional stepping-stone for our emerging toy designers. The Toy Design program offers students the opportunity to participate in summer internships after their sophomore and junior years. Often our students are hired by the companies where they worked.

Students will graduate with a final portfolio that highlights their unique talents, technical skills, and innovative ideas to launch them into a creative, rewarding, and meaningful career.

Program Learning Outcomes

Students in the Toy Design Department will:

• Creativity and Entrepreneurism: Demonstrate individual expression and an imaginative approach in the creation of unique, innovative concepts and designs.
• Visual and Oral Communication: Express their ideas clearly and effectively through conceptual drawings, prototypes, and written and verbal presentation.
• Skill and Technical Knowledge: Use their critical thinking skills and technical knowledge to manipulate art and design media in expressing their work.
• Resource Literacy: Recognize when information is needed and be able to locate, evaluate, and effectively utilize information from multiple sources and media.
• Professionalism: Collaborate effectively and work in teams with other designers and related areas including marketing, engineering and manufacturing.
• Social Consciousness: Make ethical decisions with consideration of social and environmental factors in the design of toys. Play is crucial for the development of skills including decision-making, socialization, and creativity, and toy designers must be aware of the impact they have on society.

Degree Requirements

All programs’ curricula are developed in response to Program Learning Outcomes, which signify what students learn within a degree program or emphasis area. All program learning outcomes respond to overarching Institutional Learning Outcomes. View the Product Design program learning outcomes here or request information.