Designing for Young Explorers: American Tourister Kids' Backpack Collection
The project is about designing the Doodle Minus and Swag Pack collection of American Tourister 2024 backpacks for kids aged 6-10 years. The goal was to create affordable yet functional backpacks for an aspirational consumer, ensuring simple yet effective construction that aligns with the brand's identity.
Client:
Samsonite / American Tourister
Duration:
Dec 22 – Sep 23
Role:
Product Design & Research Intern
Team:
Solo Designer with a Mentor
Checkout Work on Shelf at American Tourister
Overview - Kids Express 🎒
Kids Express is a dynamic and youthful collection under American Tourister, designed to cater to the energetic and adventurous spirit of young users. The collection features two distinct product lines:
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Doodle Minus Collection – A vibrant and creatively inspired backpack series, designed separately for boys and girls, perfect for the back-to-school season. These backpacks are functional, stylish, and built for everyday school use, offering ample space and durability.
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Swag Pack Collection – A trendy, lightweight, and versatile casual bag, perfect for kids to carry beyond school—whether for weekend outings, extracurricular activities, or everyday adventures.
The Kids Express line embodies fun, creativity, and practicality, ensuring that young users enjoy stylish yet functional bags designed to keep up with their active lifestyles. With bold graphics, durable materials, and thoughtful designs, Kids Express is a perfect companion for the next generation of trendsetters.
American Tourister: Brand Overview 🌍
Pack more Fun!
Founded in 1933, American Tourister is a globally renowned brand, known for its stylish, durable & affordable travel gear! ✈️
With the launch of Kids Express, American Tourister extends its expertise to young trendsetters . This collection blends bold designs, high-quality materials & practical features, making every school day or adventure extra special! 🚀
✨ American Tourister = Where Style Meets Durability! ✨
At American Tourister, the brand values are at the heart of everything. All across the globe, they deliver youthful, colorful, fun and qualitative luggage and bags at affordable prices. This is what they stand for today, tomorrow and in the future.
Design Execution Process
Project Brief & Research 📋
The Marketing Team creates a brief based on market research and trends. This brief is handed over to the Design Team to initiate the process.
Process Overview 🔍
The design process is divided into four key phases: Sizing, Shaping, Surfacing, and Joining. It begins with consumer research and persona mapping to understand user needs.
Concept Development ✍️
Selected themes inspire the silhouettes, leading to concept sketches. Hardware and trims are finalized along with construction and organizational elements of the product.
Graphics & Fabric Selection 🖌️
Prints and graphics are designed and applied to chosen silhouettes. Shortlisted designs are revised based on feedback and iterations. The fabric and body colors are decided by the team, finalizing the range design.
Market & Competition Analysis 📊
Market trends and competitor research are conducted. Key pain points are identified; for example, ergonomics was a major focus for 2023. Sizing is determined using 1:1 human-scale prints.
Trend Research & Theme Selection 🎨
Research is conducted based on personas, identifying graphics and print themes aligned with SKU requirements. Proposed themes are presented to the Marketing and Brand Team, who select the most viable ones.
Finalization & Prototyping 🏗️
The final concepts are developed, and Design Prototypes (DPs) are created with all specifications. T0 samples are made to assess construction quality. Upon approval, Pre-Production (PP) samples are created.
Production & Launch 🚀
Once PP samples are approved, final production begins. The Marketing Team implements strategies to introduce the product in the market and drive sales.
Process Overview
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Project Brief
The project brief for Kids Express is provided by the brand and marketing team to the design team, outlining color schemes, target age groups, and assigning designers to each collection.
🎒 Ergonomic & Comfortable:
Ergonomic design with padded shoulder straps for weight distribution, lightweight construction to reduce strain, and a breathable back panel for enhanced comfort.
🗂️ Organized & User-Friendly:
Multiple compartments, including a snack pocket, stationery organizer, and side pockets for easy access.
🎨 Color Palette:
Selected from the 2023 collection while considering MOQ (Minimum Order Quantity) limitations.
👦 Target Audience:
Kids aged 6-10 years (both boys and girls).
💰 Commercial Viability:
The price point ranges between Rs. 1000 - Rs. 1800. ($25)
✨ Brand Identity Representation:
Graphics designed to elevate aesthetics and give a global appeal.
✅ Simple & Functional:
Ensuring affordability while maintaining high utility.
🛒 Distribution Channels:
Supermarkets and hypermarkets.
Problem Identification
The Hidden Burden: How Backpacks Affect Students' Health 🎒
Backpacks are a daily necessity for students, but when improperly designed or overloaded, they can become a source of discomfort and health issues. Many children unknowingly carry excessive weight, leading to poor posture, back pain, and muscle strain. Over time, these factors contribute to long-term spinal problems and physical stress, affecting their overall well-being.
Excessive Weight Load
Postural Stress & Back Pain
Poor Ergonomic Design
Limited Inclusive & Gender-Neutral Designs
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Many students carry backpacks exceeding 10-15% of their body weight.
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Causes strain on the back, neck, and shoulders, leading to long-term issues.
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Overloaded backpacks force students to lean forward, affecting posture.
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Leads to spinal misalignment, fatigue, and muscle strain.
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Tight, narrow straps cause discomfort and pressure on shoulders.
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Lack of padded support leads to uneven weight distribution.
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Many backpacks lack versatile prints and colors, limiting choices.
🔹 Medical Recommendations: The AOTA and American Academy of Pediatrics suggest backpacks should not exceed 10-15% of a child’s body weight to prevent health complications.
Market & Competition Analysis
I conducted market research by analyzing trends, competitor brands, and consumer preferences to understand what drives backpack sales. Studying top brands, I examined their design approaches, materials, and features, identifying key factors that enhance usability. This research helped me craft innovative, user-friendly designs that stand out in the market.
Decoding the Market: Unpacking Trends & Innovation
To create backpacks kids love, I conducted an in-depth consumer study, analyzing their interests, habits, and post-COVID lifestyle changes through:
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Toy & Play Analysis 🧸 – Studied favorite characters & play patterns.
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Developmental Milestones 📈 – Researched age-specific needs.
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Buying Habits & Personas 🛍️ – Built consumer personas from parent surveys.
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Primary Research 📊 – Collected insights on routines & preferences.
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Mind Mapping 🧠 – Connected kids' interests to design choices.
These insights helped craft backpacks that are both functional and exciting for kids! 🚀
Understanding Young Explorers: Post-COVID Consumer Insights 🧩🎒
Understanding the Consumer
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Bye-Bye Bulky: Hello Happy Backs (and Bags!)
Sizing
Goal: Understand student book and bag habits to design a weight-distributing bag.
Data Collection: Interviewed 60+ students on textbook/notebook sizes and the number of books they carry.
Sizing Proposal: Proposed a smaller bag size based on collected data.
1:1 Mock-up: Created paper models to visually demonstrate that previous bag sizes were too large and to validate the new sizing direction for the marketing team using life-size human models.
Shaping
Shaping the Carry: Everyday Inspiration, Comfy Design 🎒
Form: Inspired by student essentials.
Ideation: Exploring bag shapes.
Pockets: Smart organization.
Silhouette: Final bag outline.
Backsystem: Comfortable, ergonomic support.
Details: Functional and stylish touches.
Surfacing Style: Visual Identity for the Bag
Bringing the Bag to Life Through Graphics.
Key Prints & Graphics: Kids S/S 23
Theme 1
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Theme 2
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Theme 3
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Theme 4
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Theme 5
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Final Design
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Ready for the Real World
These final concepts have been chosen by the marketing and brand teams, signifying their alignment with the overall strategy and vision.
Specification Sheet
Technical Blueprint for Our Approved Bag.
Following the final design selection by the marketing and brand teams, the specification sheet has been created. This document outlines all the technical details necessary for production, ensuring accuracy and consistency.
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On the Shelf: My Design Arrives!💃
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Retrospect
My graduation project was the greatest learning experience. Beyond tasks, I grasped company and design industry functions. I learned a bag's 1.5-year journey isn't simple, needing many people, ideas, effort, money, time, and passion. In 4 months, amazing designers patiently mentored me.
I dove into backpacks, a new area after handbags. I assisted initially but soon led a collection. Proudly, two American Tourister collections I worked on will launch in 2023. Daily, I learned silhouette to graphics, and how to persuade marketing for approvals – tough but rewarding.
Teamwork and supportive mentors were key. I'm grateful to Ms. Bankuri Agarwal (Head Designer), Ms. Aditi, Ms. Kritika, Mr. Vasant, Mr. Charuhas, and Mr. Aditya for their invaluable help. I learned the vital role of design in driving product success and company growth.
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