How can a natural form become a design principle capable of shaping not only the aesthetics of a game, but also its narrative and modes of interaction?
When designing a children’s game, the challenge is not simply to create a set of rules. It is to build a coherent system in which the story, the visual language, the physical components, and the actions required by the players reinforce one another. In this sense, product design can transform narrative and visual elements into actual game mechanics, giving children objects that do not merely illustrate a story, but allow them to experience it through play.
Bee Smart, developed by Matteo Paglieri during a game design workshop I conducted for the Master for Children at IED – Istituto Europeo di Design in Rome, is an example of this approach. The project started from a creative analysis of primary geometric shapes, from which inspirations and ideas emerged, with several rapid prototyping iterations carried out from the very beginning. Sassi Junior, the partner company of the workshop, selected the project for its catalogue, and we are now waiting for the product to be released on the market. What began as a student design concept became a tangible product, demonstrating how an educational design environment can connect experimentation in the classroom with the manufacturing world.
The starting point was a simple narrative: bees are working hard to build their hive and fill it with honey, while a greedy little bear is waiting for the opportunity to steal it. The objective is therefore immediately understandable: players must help the bees construct the hive piece by piece, placing the honey cells before the bear manages to take them away.
The story provided more than the theme. It became the starting point for designing the physical language of the game.
When a story becomes a physical system
One of the most interesting aspects of Bee Smart is the role given to the hexagon. The hexagonal cell is one of the most recognizable visual elements associated with a beehive, but here it becomes much more than an illustration. It becomes the structural principle of the entire game.
The hexagon defines the visual identity of the product, establishes the geometry of the hive, and determines the shape of the pieces that children must manipulate and position. A natural form is therefore transformed into a design tool.
This is an important distinction in product design. A shape can simply decorate a product, or it can organize its functions. In Bee Smart, the hexagon does both. It communicates immediately what the game is about while simultaneously creating the physical logic through which the game is played.
The hive is progressively constructed by inserting honey-filled hexagons into the larger hexagonal structure. Children are therefore not simply moving pieces around a board: they are physically building the environment described by the story.
The narrative and the mechanics become inseparable.
Designing the game through simple elements
The product is deliberately composed of simple, accessible elements. The game takes place directly on a table, with the components made almost entirely from pressed cardboard, apart from the illustrated wooden die.
The three-dimensional bear is also constructed from simple cardboard pieces that slot together. This is a particularly interesting example of how a flat material can be transformed into a volumetric object through a straightforward assembly system. The result is a recognizable character without requiring complex manufacturing processes.
The preparation of the game already becomes part of the experience. The players assemble the bear, arrange the five larger hexagons that define the perimeter of the hive, distribute the other components, and sit around the table ready to begin.
The product is therefore activated through a sequence of physical actions: assembling, arranging, rolling, selecting, inserting, and building. Each action contributes to the narrative.
The simplicity of the components is not a limitation. On the contrary, it allows the relationship between the child and the object to remain immediate.
The hexagon as a learning tool
For a target audience of children aged three and above, the geometry of Bee Smart also provides opportunities for cognitive development.
Children must recognize different sizes and shapes, understand spatial relationships, and decide where each piece belongs. Which is the smallest cell? Where should it go? Which piece fits the available space?
These are simple questions, but they transform geometry and spatial logic into playful challenges.
The physical manipulation of the pieces also supports fine motor skills. Picking up the components, handling the die, orienting the hexagons correctly, and fitting them precisely into the hive require coordination between visual perception and hand movement.
The design of the game therefore operates on several levels simultaneously. The hexagon is a visual symbol, a structural component, a spatial puzzle, and a learning device.
From individual actions to shared play
The social dimension is equally important.
Bee Smart is designed as a shared experience in which players take turns and work toward a common objective: helping the bees complete their hive before the bear steals the honey. The cooperative structure encourages children to observe one another’s actions, wait for their turn, negotiate decisions, and experience the pleasure of achieving something together.
The possibility of losing is also part of the design. The bear introduces an element of uncertainty and tension, creating the possibility that the group may not complete the hive in time. For young children, this can become an opportunity to experience frustration and learn to accept an outcome that does not correspond to their expectations.
In this sense, the physical design of the game supports not only cognitive and motor development, but also social and emotional learning.
Designing from nature rather than simply representing it
What makes Bee Smart particularly interesting from a product design perspective is the way in which a natural form becomes a generative principle.
This suggests a broader question for designers: what happens when we move from representing nature to designing through nature?
A natural element can provide much more than an aesthetic reference. It can offer a system of relationships, proportions, structures, behaviors, and possibilities for interaction. The designer’s task is to recognize these qualities and translate them into a new context. This was the work we focused on during the workshop.
In Bee Smart, the hexagon becomes a bridge between the natural world and the designed world. Children recognize the shape as part of the visual language of the hive, but they also discover its properties by manipulating it. They learn through the same form that tells the story.
Designing play beyond the rules
Ultimately, the design of a board game is not limited to defining what players are allowed or required to do. It is also about designing the conditions for interaction.
Objects, shapes, materials, colors, characters, and spatial arrangements can all suggest actions and generate meaning. When these elements are carefully connected, the product itself becomes an active participant in the play experience.
Bee Smart began as an idea developed in an educational design workshop and became a manufactured product through collaboration with Sassi Junior. Its design demonstrates how a simple observation of nature—the geometry of a honeycomb—can evolve into a complete playful system.
The hexagon gives the game its identity, but it also gives children something to do: recognize, choose, fit, build, cooperate, and play.
Perhaps this is one of the most powerful possibilities of product design for children: to transform a visual idea into an action, an action into a game, and a game into an experience of discovery.
