Hormessori

Introduction

Hormessori is a personal brand I created to design and develop Montessori-inspired learning solutions for infants aged 0–1. The project focuses on natural materials, developmentally appropriate design, and learner-centered principles.

In collaboration with a global toy company (Hape International), I led the product development process from concept to prototype.

Key activities:
• Conducted user research and needs analysis based on early childhood development and learning theory
• Designed intuitive and engaging learning materials aligned with curriculum goals for sensory, motor, and cognitive skills
• Applied prototyping and iterative design methods to refine concepts
• Collaborated with external stakeholders to ensure the solution met both user and market needs
• Translated Montessori insights into bespoke educational resources

Hormessori reflects my ability to bridge instructional design with product design, delivering high-impact, age-appropriate tools for learning and discovery.

Hereunder are some Montessori-inspired educational items I designed, divided into sections based on developmental phases, ensuring each product supports babies' growth at the perfect time.

  • A woman holding a soft, fabric book featuring black and white geometric shapes including a circle, square, and triangle on its pages. She is indoors and the background is blurry with greenery.

    For ages 0-3 months, inspired by the challenge parents face in navigating the educational toys world, I created a collection of products designed with UX principles at their core.

  • Yellow silicone baby teether with a textured design.

    As the baby's hand-eye coordination develops, they will also begin to explore objects with their mouth.

  • White pillow with colorful polka dot trim and bolster on top

    Montessori Topponcino.

  • Black and white target design on a square board with wooden edges.

    Pre-book featuring geometric shapes that offer a degree of complexity without overwhelming the child or forcing them into premature deciphering skills.

  • Baby lying on its back on a colorful blanket, wearing a pink outfit and white socks with ribbons.
  • A baby laying in a crib, wearing a red cardigan, looking up at a colorful mobile with black, white, red, and yellow elements.

    Inspired by Munari, this mobile features alternating black and white patterns and pops of primary colors, stimulating visual development and perception of movement and depth.

  • High-contrast animal cards in a pouch with colorful geometric pattern

    Real black-and-white images that stimulate visual development and recognition in infants aged 5-6 months.

  • Red holder with a black card displaying a white ladybug design

    Cube with transparent pockets that provides a safe and engaging way for infants aged 4-6 months to explore and interact with real black-and-white images.

  • Two white baby socks, one with colorful ribbons and the other with a black polka dot patch.

    Sensory socks offer a stimulating and engaging experience specifically designed to support infants' cognitive and motor development during this crucial growth stage.

  • A children's play mirror with colorful triangle patterns and red trim on a padded, foldable stand.

    UX-designed baby mirror that fosters self-discovery and social-emotional development through visual engagement and exploration.

  • Small burlap pouch with red drawstrings on a white background.

    Sensory squares that encourage tactile exploration and focus on a single sensory quality for infants aged 6 months and up.

  • Plush rabbit toy with striped fabric and checkered pom-poms

    Tactile bunny that stimulates visual and tactile senses and promotes cause-and-effect learning in infants during their early explorations of the world.

  • Children's fabric book page with elephant, giraffe, lion, and monkey illustrations with textured elements.

    Designed fabric animal panel that invites sensory exploration and fine motor development in infants during tummy time.

  • Yellow and wooden Montessori toy with colored dots

    Rocking skittle that encourages gross motor development, coordination, and cause-and-effect learning during tummy time for infants aged 4-6 months.

  • Wooden toy spinning top with colorful rings

    Peg with colorful rings encourages fine motor development, hand-eye coordination and color recognition.

  • Colorful soft baby book with panda, baby, and toys on cover, featuring a red pocket and attached blue clip.

    Soft fabric book with high-contrast images and tactile elements supports sensory exploration and object discovery for infants aged 6-9 months.

  • Square wooden base with a red circular peg puzzle piece on top.

    Wooden circular puzzle challenges infants to develop fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and problem-solving.

  • Fabric storage basket with colorful circles

    Treasure basket with various everyday objects encourages exploration, experimentation, and fine motor development for infants aged 7-9 months.

  • Children's book cover titled 'Le Mie Emozioni', displaying vibrant circular icons representing emotions in various colors, and includes translations of 'My Feelings' in multiple languages. The cover also shows a silhouette of a child interacting with these icons.

    Board book with real-life faces nurtures infants aged 7-9 months' ability to recognize and understand basic emotions.

  • Colorful fabric squares with blue, red, yellow, and purple colors emerging from a green box.

    Magic fabric box, with hidden compartments, that encourages exploration, cause-and-effect learning, fine motor development, and hand-eye coordination for infants aged 10-12 months.

  • Stuffed doll wearing blue clothes and a white hat with a colorful bag

    A soft companion with gentle features and a huggable shape fosters emotional development, empathy and social interaction.

  • Two round button pins with a design featuring a blue circle centered inside a red circle.

    Opposing cylinders with identical appearances but contrasting weights spark sensory exploration and concept recognition.

  • Yellow square wooden block with round center hole and blue ball

    First Montessori box with a hole and a side opening cultivates hand-eye coordination, object permanence and cause-and-effect learning for infants aged 10-12 months.

  • Book cover featuring farm animals like a horse, cow, sheep, pig, duck, peacock, rabbit, and rooster, with multilingual titles for 'Farm Animals'. Text: Gli Animali Della Fattoria, Hormessori.

    With its realistic animal photos encourages early symbolization and shared attention for infants aged 10-12 months.

  • Wooden puzzle toy with cylindrical top piece tilted over square base

    Wooden cylinder with a peg promotes fine motor development, hand-eye coordination and shape recognition.

  • Wooden puzzle toy with two red circular pieces.

    Circular puzzle with two contrasting-sized insets prompts infants to explore size comparison and problem-solving through self-correction.

  • A children's book cover titled 'Cosa Nasconde Questo Cerchio?' featuring a child peeking from behind a yellow circle. The title is also translated into English, French, German, and Spanish. The logo 'Hormessori' is at the bottom.

    Book with peepholes inspires interactive reading, object recognition and fine motor development for infants aged 10-12 months.

Everything changes, and I love that!

I designed this clever milestone cube.

It's a photo holder that captures the important moments of the baby's first year, but that's not all! Flip it over, and it transforms into a versatile storage box, pen holder, or stylish candle/plant holder. Plus, on one side side it features an inspiring quote to add a little magic to the everyday moments.

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