Lyka

Lyka is an educational toy developed by Connected Sparks, designed to encourage children to learn through teaching another creature about the world around them. At the time I came on, Connected Sparks was still in its startup stages, and needed to produce an enormous amount of materials for the first set of Lyka orders going out all over the United States.

The first priority was the teacher’s manual, or Mission Control Guide, designed to aid the teacher through the Lyka lessons and to direct the class with the provided materials. I made each icon myself, and created a Lyka font to use for all of “Lyka’s” notes. The entire manual was finished within 3 weeks from start to finish.

Throughout the process, I was in constant contact with the Connected Sparks CEO. We worked closely on the care packages, deciding what elements would create the most believable experience of a visitor from outer space to their classroom.

I illustrated and typeset two letter inserts from Lyka, as well as a variety of Challenge Cards, and a Feelings Sheet intended to help the children learn and identify emotions.

Another include for the Lyka care packages was a circuit card the kids could use to “make a robot friend for Lyka” by making a full circuit with a battery, LED lightbulb, and copper tape. The card itself was a diagram designed to be drawn on, so each child could sketch his or her own friend for Lyka, then build the circuit over the top and have the “robot” come to life.

Throughout the process, I was in constant contact with the CEO of the company. We worked closely on the care packages, deciding what would create the most holistic experience of a visitor from outer space to their classroom.