Paolo S.

I’m a father of two grown-up “little girls”, which means I’ve spent many years watching how children play, read, imagine, collect, negotiate, invent stories and fall in love with characters. That has probably been one of my best professional trainings. For more than 25 years, I’ve worked in the kids and family market, across publishing, toys, licensing, product development and creative direction. I’m the founder of TOAD Creative Studios, an Italian creative consultancy that helps publishers, toy companies and kids’ brands create stronger children’s products. My work sits between books, toys and consumer products: activity books, novelty formats, licensed products, packaging concepts, character-based lines, IP development and toy-adjacent publishing ideas. I can support you with: • Kids product development • Children’s book and activity book concepts • Licensed product design and creative direction • Novelty and toy-adjacent publishing formats • Editorial structure and layout direction • Packaging and product presentation • Character and IP development • Brand and product line positioning • Creative review of existing kids products • Production-aware concept refinement What I bring is not only design, writing or creative direction. I bring a practical understanding of how children’s products become real products: how they need to look, work, cost, sell, fit a brand and make sense for both children and parents. I have worked with publishers, toy companies and international partners, coordinating creative, editorial, marketing and production teams from the first idea to execution. If you need someone who can look at a children’s product and say, with kindness but also honesty, “this works”, “this doesn’t yet”, or “here is how we can make it stronger”, I can help.