Lux – Limitless Universal Construction

Derrick Lin

Global

Agency: BEACH
Designer: Randy Ludacer
Product photos: Kent Kriegshauser
Project Type: Produced, Commercial Work
Client: Lux™
Location, New York, NY, USA
Packaging Contents: Construction system toy
Packaging Material: Corrugated cartons

BEACH was hired to design toy packaging for an intriguing new construction system called Lux™, designed by Mike Acerra.

“Lux” stands for “Limitless Universal Construction” system. If that phrase reminds you of Alan Turing’s “universal machine,” it might just be an appropriate point of reference for this game-changing toy.

One of the remarkable things about Acerra’s patent pending system construction system is the surprising variety of exotic polyhedral shapes that you can build from pieces that are essentially square.

“Lux was designed to be the ultimate building system for kids, teachers, artisans, do it yourselfers, inventors, scientists, mathematicians, philosophers, and design scientists, and renaissance types. Lux can be used to model and generate new understandings of the diversity of nature including living systems, atomic and molecular structure, wave and particle behavior, and all forms of architecture. It achieves this versatility because its elements are connected via specially designed hermaphroditic snapping hinges that allow for a limited degree of angular freedom (or choice) per connection.”

And because the connections are hinges, kinetic movement is an unexpected bonus that’s built into the product. (I look forward to posting a video demonstrating that feature sometime soon!)

Designing age-appropriate toy packaging for products with the potential to appeal to both kids and adults can be a challenge. As someone with a long-standing fascination for polyhedral structures, however, designing packaging for Lux™ was a perfect fit.

Lux™ launches this week at The American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA) show this week in Charlotte.

Initially, there will be three kits: a 66-piece introductory set, a larger 166-piece set and a deluxe 133-piece set.

The boxes are modular, in the sense that each is sized to pack efficiently into an 18 x 18 inch case pack.

Each box includes an actual-size diagram in the corner, showing a trio of connected blocks (one of each of the three included colors) and features a variety of bright “hero shot” product photos.