"Innovation" design case

Question 2: What did you focus on or draw inspiration from when you created this design for CASIO? (Tell us a bit about your artistic process).

S. Petrov: I consider myself very lucky to be born and live in a time when there are so many scientific and technological breakthroughs. I can't even begin to imagine what our lives will look like in ten years or what the next big leap will be. But when I started sketching out my ideas for this project, all I could think about was that maybe everyone can be that superhero who creates a better future. After all, being a superhero doesn't always mean climbing skyscrapers or shooting laser beams from your eyes: Sometimes, it's about finding a cure for a rare disease. Or designing a vehicle that uses fewer resources and reduces the human footprint. Or even inventing something as small as a paper clip. Maybe all we need to become a superhero is a pair of wings to help us soar. And perhaps this pair of wings is science.

Question 3: Through this campaign, CASIO seeks to inspire students' understanding of science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics, as well as their passion for these subjects.
Knowing that thousands of students will see your artwork, is there a particular story (personal or otherwise) that you want to share with them? Is there a STEM topic that you yourself are passionate about? (STEM = science, technology, engineering and mathematics, also known as MINT in German.)

S. Petrov: A few years ago, I was lucky enough to be part of a small team of game developers whose task was to create 14 games and interactive experiences for a children's museum in Bulgaria that connected the main areas of science. As the lead 2D artist on this project, it was my job to design everything so that even the most complex concept was understandable to the youngest visitors. The topics were diverse—ranging from palaeontology through to agriculture and space—and we had to work closely with a group of scientists to ensure that these experiences were not only visually appealing and entertaining, but most importantly, educational. I think our team did a pretty good job, but the impact of our work exceeded all my expectations when I visited the museum a year later. I saw dozens of children not only playing our games with enthusiasm, but also talking about them animatedly. They perfectly understood all the important messages we had tried to wrap up in an entertaining package. At that moment, I realised how attractive science can be for children. All that's required is for it to be communicated in the right way. And in this particular case, it was achieved through a nice-looking, fun game.