Revolutionizing Mealtime: The Fairy Tray

Bülent Ünal's Award-Winning Design Fosters Parent-Child Communication

The Fairy Tray is not just a tray, but a platform for interactive storytelling. It features a series of characters connected to a selected theme, which can be placed in four row-shaped holes on the tray. The ease of movement allows the characters' positions and importance to change according to the narrative, thereby enhancing the child's imagination and making the eating process more engaging.

Ünal's design was inspired by the power of storytelling in developing children's imagination. He believes that love-based communication with a child positively affects nutrition. The goal is to satisfy the child first with love and play, and then with food. The Fairy Tray facilitates this by transforming mealtime into a playful, imaginative experience.

Produced entirely from sustainable plywood, the Fairy Tray is environmentally friendly. The tray is shaped by a press mold, while the characters are shaped by CNC or laser cut. The illustrations are printed with non-hazardous paints and pasted onto the characters, ensuring safety for children. The tray measures 300mm x 400mm x 25mm, with approximately 10-12 characters according to themes.

The design process, which took place in Ankara from September 2016 to January 2017, faced several challenges. These included creating character designs suitable for fairy tales and narratives that appeal to children and families, resolving the need for about 10 character pieces, and establishing a distinguishable visual language for the manufacturer. Despite these hurdles, Ünal successfully created a product that is not only functional but also enjoyable and beneficial for children and parents alike.

In conclusion, the Fairy Tray is a testament to the power of design in transforming everyday activities into engaging experiences. It is a perfect example of how innovation can be used to foster communication, stimulate imagination, and make mealtime a delightful adventure for children. With its unique features and award-winning design, the Fairy Tray is set to revolutionize the way parents and children interact during meals.